Sofia Vergara Is (Once Again) The Highest-Paid TV Actress
It’s no secret that Hollywood has always been a man’s world. The top 10 actresses on our list this year earned a total of $140 million between June 2013 to June 2014; that’s a far stretch from the combined $214 million our male TV actors earned this year. Still, no one can beat the most powerful woman in television right now: Sofia Vergara.
The actress lands in the No. 1 spot for a third year in a row, with a remarkable $37 million — that’s more than our top-earning TV actor, Ashton Kutcher ($26 million). At 42, the Modern Family star continues her streak in large part due to her business savvy. Like the rest of her cast members, the Colombian-born star earns a reported $325,000 per episode, but the bulk of her earnings come from her lucrative endorsements and licensing deals. Vergara is the face of Diet Pepsi, CoverGirl, Head & Shoulders, AT&T, and the medication Synthroid.
The actress’ appearance during this year’s Emmy Awards ceremony (where she was literally put on a pedestal and made to spin around) might have angered some female viewers, but Vergara is much more than just a pretty face — she’s the co-founder of Latin World Entertainment, a multi-million dollar empire. The talent management and entertainment-marketing firm recently teamed up with CNET to launch a Spanish-language tech news site. Vergara’s brand also continues to grow thanks to her 12-year deal with Kmart, a strategic move to better appeal to Hispanic shoppers.
Earlier this year, she also launched her first fragrance for HSN and starred in the indie movie Chef, which received rave critical reviews and became the only summer indie to hit $30 million at the box office. Combine all of her various ventures together and Vergara out-earns FORBES’ second-highest paid actress by roughly $24 million.
The Highest-Paid TV Actresses Of 2014
Vergara, 41, continues her streak as the top earning TV actress – three years running -- in large part due to her business savvy – the Colombia native secured endorsement deals with Diet Pepsi, CoverGirl, Head & Shoulders and AT&T, among others. She also has a 12-year contract with K-Mart and a fragrance, movie roles and, of course, a reportedly $325K per episode take-home for Modern Family. Off-camera, the talent management and entertainment-marketing firm she co-founded, Latin World Entertainment, is launching a Spanish-language tech news site.
Combining all of her various ventures together, and Vergara out-earns FORBES’ second-highest paid actress by more than $20 million.
No. 1:
Sofia Vergara [$37 million] ($325K per episode for for Modern Family)
No. 2:
Mariska Hargitay [$13 million] ($450K per episode for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
No. 3:
Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting [$11 million] ($350K per episode for The Big Bang Theory)
No. 4 (TIE):
Julianna Margulies [$10 million] ($6.5 million per season for The Good Wife)
No. 4 (TIE):
Ellen Pompeo [$10 million]
No. 4 (TIE):
Cobie Smulders [$10 million] ($340K per episode for How I Met Your Mother)
No. 5:
Alyson Hannigan [$9.5 million] ($340K per episode for How I Met Your Mother)
No. 6:
Amy Poehler [$7 million] ($4.5 million per season for Parks & Recreation)
No. 7:
Mindy Kaling [$6.5 million]
No. 8 (TIE):
Kerry Washington [$6 million]
No. 8 (TIE):
Zooey Deschanel [$6 million]
No. 8: (TIE):
Courteney Cox [$6 million]
No. 9:
Claire Danes [$5 million]
No. 10:
Lena Dunham [$3.5 million]