how much was the friends cast paid per episode
Friends In their original contracts for the first season, cast members were paid $22,500 per episode.[23] The cast members received different salaries in the second season, beginning from the $20,000 range to $40,000 per episode.[23][24] Before their salary negotiations for the third season, the cast decided to enter collective negotiations, despite Warner Bros.' preference for individual deals.[25] The actors were given the salary of the least-paid cast member, meaning Aniston and Schwimmer had their salaries reduced. The stars were paid $75,000 per episode in season three, $85,000 in season four, $100,000 in season five, $125,000 in season six, $750,000 in seasons seven and eight, and $1Â million in seasons nine and ten, making Aniston, Cox, and Kudrow the highest-paid TV actresses of all time.[26][27][28] The cast also received syndication royalties beginning in 2000 after renegotiations. At the time, that financial benefit of a piece of the show's lucrative back-end profits had only been given out to stars who had ownership rights in a show, like Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby.[29]