It’s no surprise that Hollywood is a deeply unequal industry (most are.) But new data about the salaries of television stars reveals just how poorly compensated Black stars of hit television shows are.
Variety put together what top television stars earn, and a few stats stand out.
While stars of The Big Bang Theory, now in its 10th season, make $1 million an episode, Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross who in the Emmy-nominated Black-ish, make just a fraction of that.
Tracee Ellis Ross earned the first Emmy-nomination for lead actress in a Comedy since 1986 for her role as Rainbow Johnson on black-ish. She earns $80,000 an episode. Ross was far from an unknown before she got the gig. She starred in eight seasons of the hit comedy Girlfriends.
Anderson makes $100,000.
The salaries are not simply reflections of the revenue the stars and shows bring to the network.
Tufayel Ahmed of Newsweek notes that other ABC sitcom stars like Tim Allen of Last Man Standing make $250,000 while the show brings in about half the rating of Black-ish.
Black women in Drama seem to fare better. Taraji P. Henson earns $175,000 for work on Empire while Viola Davis and Kerry Washington make $250,000.
SOURCE: theculture.forharriet.com
