- Category:
- Richest Celebrities › Actors
- Net worth:
- $110 million
- salary:
- $1 million per episode
- date of birth:
- November 30, 1985 (age 38)
- Birthplace:
- Camarillo
- sex:
- woman
- height:
- 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 meters)
- Profession:
- Actor, singer, voice actor, model, presenter
- nationality:
- united states of america
💰 Compare Kaley Cuoco's net worth
What is Kaley Cuoco's net worth and salary??
Kaley Cuoco is an American actress and singer who has a net worth of $110 million. Kaley Cuoco first rose to fame when she played the role of Bridget Hennessy in the sitcom “8 Simple Rules” (2002-2005). However, it was her role as Penny in the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” (2007-2019) that brought her international fame. Her performance in the show earned her numerous awards and nominations, solidifying her place in the industry. The show also made her one of the highest-paid stars in television history. Just from her base salary, not including syndication royalties, Kaley made $150 million from “The Big Bang Theory.” We will discuss her salary in more detail later in this article.
Following her role in The Big Bang Theory, Cuoco displayed her versatility by voicing Harley Quinn in the animated series of the same name and starring in the critically acclaimed TV series The Flight Attendant, for which she also served as executive producer. Her role in The Flight Attendant earned her a Golden Globe nomination, proving that her talents extend beyond comedy. Cuoco has also appeared in a number of films, including Hop and The Wedding Ringer.
early life
Kaley Cuoco was born on November 30, 1985, in Camarillo, California, to parents Gary and Rain Cuoco. She grew up in a family that supported her passion for acting from an early age. Cuoco was homeschooled and began her professional acting career at the age of six, appearing in commercials and modeling for various print ads. She also participated in amateur tennis tournaments, showcasing her athletic abilities. Cuoco's early acting credits included roles in the films “Virtuosity” (1995) and “Picture Perfect” (1997), as well as guest appearances on the popular TV shows “Ellen” and “Northern Exposure.”
Career
Talented American actress Kaley Cuoco began her acting career at a young age. During her early years, she appeared in several television commercials and played minor roles in films such as “Picture Perfect” (1997) and “Growing Up Brady” (2000). Her big break came in 2002 when she played the role of Bridget Hennessy in the popular sitcom “8 Simple Rules.” The show ran for three seasons and Cuoco's performance earned her great acclaim in the industry.
As she neared the middle of her career, Cuoco continued to appear in a variety of television shows and films. She had a recurring role on the supernatural drama series Charmed (2005-2006) and also appeared in films such as The Hollow (2004) and Lucky 13 (2005). However, her best-known role during this period was as Brandy Harrington in the animated series Brandy & Mr. Whiskers (2004-2006), where she showcased her voice acting skills.
Cuoco's big break came when she landed the role of Penny on the critically acclaimed and hugely popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019). Her performance as a bubbly aspiring actress living across from two socially awkward physicists was integral to the show's success. The Big Bang Theory ran for 12 seasons and garnered numerous awards for her performance, including a Satellite Award, a Critics' Choice Award, and two People's Choice Awards. The show catapulted her to international stardom, making her one of the highest-paid television actresses.
In addition to her acting role on The Big Bang Theory, Cuoco continued to pursue other projects, including starring opposite Kevin Hart and Josh Gad in the indie comedy film The Wedding Ringer (2015) and providing a voice role in the animated film Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Last Love (2015). Following The Big Bang Theory, Cuoco starred in and executive produced the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant (2020–present). Her performance in the mystery thriller received critical acclaim and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics Association Television Award.
Kaley Cuoco Big Bang Theory Salary History
In the first season of Big Bang, Kaley earned $45,000 per episode, which amounts to $765,000 for the entire season. In seasons two through four, her salary was increased to $200,000 per episode, which amounts to $14 million for the 70 episodes. In seasons five through seven, she earned $350,000 per episode, which amounts to an additional $25.2 million. In seasons eight, nine, and ten, she earned $850,000 per episode, which amounts to $61 million for the three seasons. In the final two seasons, seasons eleven and twelve, Kaley and her principal cast co-stars each earned $1 million per episode, which amounts to $48 million for the two seasons.
Add it all up and Kaley made $148,965,000 from her original salary alone. But that's not all.
Royalties and Residuals
Late in the show's run, at the height of the cast's power, the three main cast members (Kaley, Johnny Galecki, and Jim Parsons) negotiated deals where they each owned 1% of the show's back-end equity. In its first year of syndication sales, the show made $1 billion. That means each of the three made an extra $10 million in the first year. As syndication sales slowly decline, each would still make about $10 million a year for the next 10 years.
Plus, because it's a Screen Actors Guild show, actors on The Big Bang Theory are entitled to 80% of their original pay in the first year of the rerun. It's essentially a double take of 80%. Since SAG and AFTRA merged and adopted AFTRA's residual standards for paying actors guest appearance fees when a show reruns, The Big Bang Theory was likely the last show to have such a lucrative contract. To understand the difference, under SAG, someone like Kaley could have been making $800,000 per episode the first time the show rerun, meaning she would have made $24 million initially and received residuals worth $19 million afterwards.
Personal Life
During her time on “The Big Bang Theory,” Kaley and co-star Johnny Galecki dated for about two years.
She was engaged to addiction specialist Josh Resnick for about a year, but they called it off in March 2012.
Kaley married professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting just three months after meeting him in December 2013. She filed for divorce two years later.
In late 2016, Kaley began dating equestrian Karl Cook. Karl is the son of billionaire Scott Cook, who founded tax software company Intuit. As of this writing, Scott Cook has a net worth of $3.6 billion. Kaley and Karl married in 2018. The couple remained separate until construction on their 11,000-square-foot Hidden Hills mansion was completed in 2020, which also happened to be the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown period. A year later, the couple announced their separation.
When not in front of the camera, Kaley enjoys horse riding, playing drums, kickboxing and bowling. However, her favorite hobby is tennis; she has been playing since she was a little girl. Kaley Cuoco was ranked #77 on FHM-Us “100 Sexiest Women” list in 2005 and #21 in 2008.
real estate
In 2019, Kaylee and Carl purchased a mansion in Hidden Hills, California, that was still under construction, for $12 million. The 11,000-square-foot home sits on 1.5 acres and also features a large lawn, a guest house, and a spa-like pool area. Kaylee and Carl sold the home in an off-market transaction in April 2022 for $16 million.
Kaylee owns a 40-acre horse ranch in Ventura County, not far from this property.
In April 2022, Kaley purchased a sprawling estate in Agoura Hills, California, from Twilight actor Taylor Lautner for $5.25 million. Kaley put the home on the market in June 2023 for $7 million. It sold in April 2024 for $5.5 million. Here's a video tour.
All net worths are calculated using data obtained from publicly available sources, and where provided, also incorporating private tips and feedback received from celebrities or their representatives. We work diligently to ensure our figures are as accurate as possible, but unless otherwise noted, they are only estimates. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the buttons below.