From her perky personality to her relationship with Leonard Hofstadter, Penny is a beloved character on The Big Bang Theory, and Kaley Cuoco's net worth increased as a result of this 12-season role. And although Cuoco agreed to The Flight Attendant to not be forgotten, as she wanted to continue working after her popular sitcom ended, fans are just as impressed with her time as Cassie Bowden. The actress has proven that she can be funny, and she can also be part of a fascinating and thrilling mystery that is tough to stop watching.
While she has starred in many movies, like the romantic comedy Meet Cute opposite Pete Davidson and The Wedding Ringer with Josh Gad and Kevin Hart, Cuoco will always be remembered for both Penny and Cassie. It's interesting to think about how Kaley Cuoco's The Flight Attendant salary compares to what she was paid for The Big Bang Theory.
Kaley Cuoco Made Millions From The Big Bang Theory
While Kaley Cuoco's roles since The Big Bang Theory prove that she remains a popular actress, it's hard to ignore the money that she made from starring on a sitcom about a group of nerds who live in the same apartment.
Kaley Cuoco's The Big Bang Theory salary increased over time. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she made $148.965 million from her time playing Penny. She was paid $45,000 for each episode of season 1 and $200,000 for each episode of seasons 2, 3, and 4. She was then paid $350,000 for each season 5, 6, and 7 episode.
While that is definitely impressive, that number jumped to $850,000 per episode for seasons 8, 9, and 10. Fans will be amazed to hear that Cuoco was then given $1 million for every season 11 and 12 episode.
Given these numbers, it seems unlikely that Cuoco was paid more for The Flight Attendant than for The Big Bang Theory, especially given the royalties that she has been getting. Celebrity Net Worth reported that Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, and Kaley Cuoco are paid 1% of the "backend equity." They were paid $10 million each for one year of syndication and they will each get more money from this over time.
While Cuoco's The Flight Attendant Salary isn't known, it seems likely to assume that she wasn't paid as much for two seasons of the HBO Max series as she was for The Big Bang Theory. It's hard to compare two seasons of a show to 12 seasons, especially knowing the high salary that she was getting.
Even though Cuoco and her co-stars made a ton of money, they wanted to make sure that Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik, who played Bernadette Rostenkowski and Amy Farrah Fowler.
According to a Variety article from 2017, the actresses were making $200,000 for each episode, which was much less than the others who were being paid $1 million for every episode. Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Cuoco, Parsons, and Galecki decided that they should be paid $900,000 for each episode of seasons 11 and 12. This would leave $500,000 in the budget which could go to Bialik and Rauch.
How Did Kaley Cuoco React To The Big Bang Theory's Cancelation?
Kaley Cuoco spoke about TBBT ending and, according to Buzzfeed News, she said on The One Show that it was tough to think about another role after her years as Penny. The actress mentioned her high salary and said that she knew that she wouldn't be paid the same in the future.
Cuoco said, "I started freaking out about the comparisons there would be, or what my next project would be. But then I realized you can't compare anything to Big Bang. As its own entity, I will never have that again. I won't have that cast again, the money, the schedule. For 12 years, all of it was insane."
It makes sense that it would be tough to move on after starring on a series for over a decade, especially since Cuoco did such a great job portraying Penny. She is integral to the heartwarming tone of The Big Bang Theory. Whether Penny is working at the Cheesecake Factory, sharing her dreams of acting, or showing Sheldon Cooper compassion, she's one of the most important characters.
It sounds like Cuoco knows that another role like Penny won't come around again, especially with the $1 million paycheck for some episodes. But this money will likely give her the creative freedom to choose projects that she really wants to do.
Kaley Cuoco Liked Starring In The Drama The Flight Attendant
Cuoco was the cover star for the April 2022 issue of Glamour and shared the differences between starring on The Big Bang Theory and The Flight Attendant. She spoke about how she was one of many cast members on the sitcom and the focus wasn't always on her, but when she took on the role of Cassie, she was in the spotlight.
Cuoco told Glamour that when she was nominated for a Best Television Actress - Musical/Comedy Series Golden Globe award for The Flight Attendant in 2021, she was referred to as a "newcomer." She said that while she had been working for a long time, it was new for her to star in a drama and to get recognized in that way. She was also nominated for a 2022 Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, although she didn't win. Cuoco received the same Golden Globe nomination in 2023 as well.
The actress said, "Big Bang was such a group piece. It was such an ensemble show. And I got to put in my funny sarcasms and my little things, but I wasn’t the leader of that show. Sometimes I got to take a backseat, and sometimes I got to shine. And so when I decided to do The Flight Attendant, I was like, Are people going to judge this choice, because they see me as a comedic actress?"
She shared that she is happy that she has moved away from Penny and showed people what she can do: "I’m known as Cassie now, not [just] Penny anymore, which is so crazy to me. I’ve always said if I was remembered as Penny for the rest of my career, I’d be thrilled. But there was a shift there."