Hollywood has always had a place for young children to explore their acting talents before blossoming into A-list stars or returning back to normal life. While many child actors in the past have fallen off the grid, a few have managed to soar to great heights.
While child stars such as Macaulay Culkin, Daniel Radcliffe, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt all made names for themselves on the big screen, becoming the highest-paid child film stars, there are a whole lot of child stars who did the very same in television!
From the likes of Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, all the way to the Sprouse twins dominating the Disney Channel, it's no surprise that they are amongst the highest-paid TV child actors, however, who else makes the list? Let's find out!
Updated on August 7th, 2021, by Michael Chaar: When it comes to modern-day child stars, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon certainly come to mind. While Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Sprouse twins made between $15,000 to $25,000 per episode, they aren't the highest-paid. Angus T. Jones may have fallen off the grid, but his stellar $300,000 per episode salary for Two & A Half Men remains on the highest, but still not enough to take the cake. Turns out, Millie Bobby Brown, who portrayed Eleven on Stranger Things is the highest-paid child actor on TV with a whopping salary of $350,000.
10 Miley Cyrus - $15,000 Per Episode
It's a bit shocking to learn that one of the most famous children TV actors lands in the number 10 spot on this list but that just goes to show you how much these kids actually earn. Though Miley Cyrus is arguably the biggest name to come out of Disney Channel in the 2000s and 2010s, she isn't the highest-paid star.
Over the four seasons that Cryus dedicated her life to playing Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana, she reportedly made $15,000 an episode. Though she did make a lot on the show, it was the Hannah Montana brand that helped her build her massive net worth of $160 million.
9 Dylan & Cole Sprouse - $20,000 Per Episode
Coming in at number 9 are Dylan and Cole Sprouse. Though the Sprouse twins had been acting for several years, their biggest role came when they were cast in the Disney Channel original series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
It's reported that Dylan and Cole Sprouse were each paid $20,000 per episode of both the original series and the spin-off series. After 6 years of work, the twins had certainly earned a small fortune which no doubt helped them afford college.
8 Keke Palmer - $20,000 Per Episode
Keke Palmer is often overlooked when the conversation of child actors comes up but she certainly earns her right to be called a successful child actor. Palmer spent much of her younger years acting in films and television shows for both Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.
She earns a spot on the list of highest-paid child TV actors for her role as True Jackson on the Nickelodeon original series True Jackson, VP. Palmer reportedly made $20,000 per episode for all three seasons of the show.
7 Selena Gomez - $25,000 Per Episode
Miley Cyrus may get all the glory for being the biggest Disney Channel star of the late 2000s and early 2010s, but there was also another young actress dominating the mouse house: Selena Gomez. Though Gomez didn't get her start on Disney Channel, she certainly rose to fame and success because of them.
Gomez played Alex Russo on the popular Disney Channel original series Wizards of Waverly Place for several seasons where she earned a reported $25,000 per episode. The series was a jumping-off point for Gomez who later launched a successful singing career and continued acting.
6 Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen - $80,000 Per Episode
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are the poster child for child actors, literally! The duo first began out on the big screen when they were just 10 months old. When it came time to being cast on Full House, the twins were only one year old.
While they started off with a salary of $2,500 per episode, the two began earning a whopping $80,000 per episode come the final few seasons. Although Mary-Kate and Ashley are no longer in the spotlight, they have since become the faces of their billion-dollar fashion empire!
5 'Modern Family' Kids - $100,000 Per Episode
While Modern Family might be no more, it's safe to say that the cast was paid quite well! Although the main cast, made up of Sofia Vergara, Julia Bowen, and Eric Stonestreet, to name a few, took home hefty paychecks of $500,000 per ep., the kids of the series also did quite well for themselves.
Rico Rodriguez, Nolan Gould, and Sarah Hyland all took home a whopping $100,000 per episode salaries, making them amongst the highest-paid tv actors not only of today but of all time!
4 Miranda Cosgrove - $180,000 Per Episode
Miranda Cosgrove is one of the highest-paid actors on Nickelodeon so it should come as no surprise that she lands herself in the top 3 of highest-paid child tv actors of all time. Cosgrove got her to start on Nickelodeon appearing as Megan Parker on the hit series Drake & Josh. When that show ended, Cosgrove landed her own Nickelodeon series: iCarly.
It was her role as Carly that has landed her on this list. It's reported that Cosgrove earned $180,000 per episode of iCarly over the show's five seasons.
3 Tyler James Williams - $250,000 Per Episode
Tyler James Williams notoriously played the role of Chris Rock in the hit series, Everybody Hates Chris from 2005 to 2009.
During his time on the series, Williams took home quite a nice salary, one that cemented his status as an A-lister in the biz. Throughout the series' 4 seasons, Tyler earned himself a nice pay of $250,000 per episode!
2 Angus T. Jones - Over $300,000 Per Episode
Angus T. Jones comes currently holds the number 2 spot for the highest-paid child TV actor, though he did hold the record for a lot of years. Jones got his start on the CBS hit series Two and a Half Men playing Jake Harper opposite Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen.
Jones spent much of his adolescence playing Jake and by the time Jones was 17 he was earning a reported $300,000 per episode. He quickly became the highest-paid child actor at the time, however, he has since completely taken a step back from the limelight.
1 Millie Bobby Brown - $350,000 Per Episode
Millie Bobby Brown dethroned Angus T. Jones to become the highest-paid child TV actor in 2019. Brown got her start back in 2016 when she was cast as Eleven in the Netflix hit science fiction series Stranger Things.
While Brown originally earned the same salary as her four child costars, by season 3 Brown had negotiated a salary of $350,000 per episode. This meant that Brown was earning just as much as her adult costars David Harbour (Jim Hopper) and Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers).