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7 Richest Big Bang Theory Stars, Ranked by 2023 Net Worth

7 Richest Big Bang Theory Stars, Ranked by 2023 Net Worth
Image credit: CBS

Yep, you guessed number one correctly.

Big TV shows make big-name stars big earners. And so they should. Imagine if Jim Parsons hadn’t been cast as Sheldon. Would The Big Bang Theory have developed a cult following? Who knows? But anybody who has seen the original pilot will understand why Kaley Cuoco was drafted in as the female lead.

Here, we break down the 7 richest members of the TBBT cast:

Big TV shows turn big stars into big earners. As they should. Imagine if Jim Parsons hadn't been cast as Sheldon. Would The Big Bang Theory have developed a cult following? Who knows? But anyone who saw the original pilot will understand why Kaley Cuoco was cast as the female lead.

Here we break down the 7 richest members of the TBBT cast:

7. Melissa Rauch (Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz) - $20 million

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The Big Bang Theory gave Melissa Rauch her big break. And boy, didn't she run with it? After being introduced as a recurring character in Season 3, Bernadette became a fan favourite thanks to her snarky remarks, and Rauch went on to become one of the show's stars.

Now a producer as well as an actor, Rauch has also had several voice roles, including The Wasp in Marvel's Ant-Man and Marie Antoinette in Animaniacs.

6. Mayim Bialik (Amy Farrah Fowler) - $25 million

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Just like her character on the show, Mayim Bialik has a PhD in neuroscience. But while Amy Farrah Fowler put her science skills to good use and became a Nobel Prize winner, Bialik discovered she also had a talent for comedy.

She'd been acting since 1987 before landing the role of Amy, and has appeared in such popular productions as Hey Arnold!, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bones. Best known for her role in TBBT, Bialik is now also a producer. She reprised her role as Amy in two episodes of Young Sheldon.

5. Kunal Nayyar (Raj Koothrappali) - $45m

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On the show, Raj found it incredibly difficult to talk to girls. In real life, actor Kunal Nayyar is married to Neha Kapur, an Indian model and winner of Miss India 2006.

Nayyar came to the role of Raj fairly early in his television career, having only had bit parts in shows since making his acting debut as Pizza Man in 2004's S.C.I.E.N.C.E.

Since then, he's appeared as Guy Diamond in two Trolls movies, among other voice roles. In 2006 he appeared on stage in Shakespeare's Loves Labour Lost in Stratford-upon-Avon.

4. Simon Helberg (Howard Wolowitz) - $55m

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As the son of an actor and a casting director, Simon Helberg may have felt he was destined for stardom. But there has been no sign of nepotism in his acting career. After making his screen debut in 1999's But I'm a Cheerleader, Helberg went through the usual rounds, appearing in episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Reno 911! and the ill-fated Joey, before being cast as Howard in TBBT.

More recently, he has voiced Howard in Young Sheldon, as well as appearing in Poker Face and American Dad!

3. Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter) - $100 million

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Galecki had been in the business for over 20 years when he was cast as Leonard. And while he was relatively unknown before the success of TBBT, his chemistry with Jim Parsons was evident from the start.

Interestingly, his acting career has been fairly quiet since TBBT ended, but he did appear in 4 episodes of The Connors between 2018 and 2019.

2. Kaley Cuoco (Penny Hofstadter) - $110 million

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Penny may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but she was the perfect foil for her geeky neighbours. It made sense for romance to flourish, and Cuoco and Galecki actually dated briefly during filming.

Cuoco has been on the acting scene since the early 1990s, and is another who came to fame on TBBT after years of relative obscurity. Now a producer as well as an actor, she starred in and executive produced The Flight Attendant.

1. Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper) - $160m

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Parsons' acting career spanned 5 years, 2 shows and a total of 8 episodes before he took on the role of Sheldon. As the main character and focus of the show, it's fitting (and hardly unexpected) that he's the richest of the cast.

He is now an executive producer on the prequel show Young Sheldon.