CBS's sitcom The Big Bang Theory has been renewed for a 2-season contract for 2018-19 and two of its actors Mayim Bialik (Amy) and Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) are seeking a contract renewal that will advance their pay.
With the start of season 8, The Big Bang Theory actors Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco saw a raise in their pay to $1 million per episode. In the last contract-renewal for the show co-stars Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayar saw their paychecks match that of the other three stars so that all five actors were now in the seven-digit estimate, as of this season (season 10).
But their co-stars Bialik and Rauch still are only earning a mere $20,000 per episode. Their five beloved co-stars have agreed to pay cuts from their salary to raise the earnings for Bialik and Rauch so all seven actors can have a more unilateral pay.
Each of the five co-stars have agreed to a $100,000 cut to their pay, giving Bialik and Rauch $500,000 towards their earnings. Seasons 11 and 12 would see Bialik and Rauch's pay estimates to be $450,000 increase per episode, totaling to $21 million for the 2-season, 48-episode contract.
This agreement from the actors has come in light of the new deal with CBS where their license fee is no longer responsible for all the production costs, which is estimated to be close to $7 million, but the five original actors from the show take up $5 million of their budget, hence their agreement to cut their own salaries in favor of their co-stars'.
Bialik who plays Sheldon's (Parsons) girlfriend Amy, and Rauch who plays Howard's (Helberg), wife and mother of their newborn daughter are surely an integral part of the show and its ongoing emotional relationships. Bialik has even received several Emmy nominations for role.