Throughout television history, there are many examples of actors whose career hit the skids once they began starring in a series after the show’s previous lead actor departed. In the case of Ashton Kutcher, however, he can afford an amazing lifestyle partly because of the money he made starring in Two and a Half Men. For example, according to Eonline.com, Kutcher got paid $755,000 for each episode of the show he appeared in.
Of course, anyone that has really looked into how the television business works will likely know that was just Kutcher’s base pay rate. For that reason, there are other things that must be taken into account when you try to figure out exactly how much money Ashton Kutcher was paid to star in Two and a Half Men.
Already A Star
During Ashton Kutcher’s high school days, he developed a love for acting after appearing in school plays. After making his way to the University of Iowa, Ashton Kutcher's life was very interesting before he became famous. For example, he opted to enter a “Fresh Faces of Iowa” modeling competition in which he took first place. After that, the boost in confidence may have played a part in Kutcher deciding that moving to Los Angeles to become an actor was a good idea.
Amazingly enough, Ashton Kutcher landed the role that would make him a star very quickly after he first moved to Los Angeles. Cast as That ‘70s Show’s Michael Kelson, he proved to be extremely talented at playing a dim-witted character even though it has since become clear that Ashton Kutcher is very intelligent in real-life. Going on to star in That ‘70s Show’s first seven seasons, Kutcher chose to return for the sitcom’s final season but only in a recurring role so he could focus on other opportunities.
Seemingly not content to be a TV star alone, while still starring in That ‘70s Show, Ashton Kutcher began headlining movies. For example, Dude, Where's My Car? was the first movie that Ashton Kutcher starred in and it did quite well considering its meager budget. From there, Kutcher went on to play the lead in several other movies including Just Married, The Butterfly Effect, and What Happens in Vegas.
Tireless when it came to his career, even though Ashton Kutcher was already starring in That ‘70s Show and movies at the time, his show Punk’d debuted in 2003. Easily among the most talked-about shows on television during its early seasons, fans couldn’t get enough of seeing Kutcher and his crew pranking stars who’d previously seemed untouchable.
Inheriting A Crown
Unlike a lot of hit shows that take a few years to find their audience, Two and a Half Men was a huge hit right from the start. Featuring a strong cast of characters that all had legions of fans, there still was zero doubt that Charlie Sheen was the show’s main draw during its first 8 seasons. For that reason, it shocked many onlookers when he was unceremoniously fired before production on the 9th season began, despite his outrageous behavior.
Given all of the success that Ashton Kutcher enjoyed in his acting career during the late-‘90s and 2000s, it seemed safe to assume it had reached its zenith. In reality, however, Kutcher wound up getting the opportunity to star in Two and a Half Men’s final seasons.
Fortunately for everyone involved in the production of Two and a Half Men, many fans of the sitcom quickly accepted Ashton Kutcher as the show’s new star. After all, the fact that the show remained on the air for another 4 seasons after taking on a new star proves that it still was a ratings powerhouse with Kutcher at the helm.
Major Money
When it came for Two and a Half Men’s producers to find a replacement for Charlie Sheen, they certainly were facing a difficult task. After all, they needed to find someone that would excite the show’s fans and if the series was going to last long term, the new lead needed to have chemistry with the rest of the cast.
Eventually opting to cast Ashton Kutcher as Two and a Half Men’s new lead character, they needed to give him a very healthy paycheque in order to convince him to take the role. With that in mind, it makes all the sense in the world that Ashton Kutcher was paid $755,000 for each Two and Half Men episode he starred in according to Eonline.com.
Far from the only way Ashton Kutcher made money from starring in Two and a Half Men, his salary was just a jumping-off point. For example, it has been reported that Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer have each made roughly $20 million from Two and a Half Men reruns. Clearly, Kutcher hasn’t made the same figure, but there is still no doubt that reruns have been very profitable for him. On top of that, there is no way for anyone else to know how much money Kutcher has made from merchandise or DVD sales but it likely is a very substantial figure.