--- title: The List of Highest Paid TV Actors 2018 Is Here: Who Made It description: Jim Parsons tops the list of top-paid television actors for the fourth time with a whopping annual $26.5 million for the year. canonical: https://time.com/5433784/highest-paid-tv-actors-2018/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-10-24T21:28:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:55:38.561Z og:title: Here Are the Highest Paid TV Actors of 2018 og:description: Clocking in at a whopping $26.5 million og:url: https://time.com/5433784/highest-paid-tv-actors-2018/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03eb23ad18347dec/69893d61b21a9c3add4ff4c8/highest-paid-tv-actor-2018-jim-parsons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: 89th Annual Academy Awards - Red Carpet og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here Are the Highest Paid TV Actors of 2018 twitter:description: Clocking in at a whopping $26.5 million twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03eb23ad18347dec/69893d61b21a9c3add4ff4c8/highest-paid-tv-actor-2018-jim-parsons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here Are the Highest Paid Actors on TV in 2018 > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=afbf642b-3bba-43b2-9f44-41bb6a1a8dee&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=afbf642b-3bba-43b2-9f44-41bb6a1a8dee&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=afbf642b-3bba-43b2-9f44-41bb6a1a8dee&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Oct 24, 2018 9:28 PM UTC  HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Actor Jim Parsons attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Actor Jim Parsons attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood Christopher Polk—Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Oct 24, 2018 9:28 PM UTC [Jim Parsons](http://time.com/5287595/jim-parsons-boys-in-the-band/) has topped the list of highest-paid actors in the television industry for the fourth year in a row, after making a whopping $26.5 million before taxes in the past year. According to [_Forbes_](https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2018/10/24/highest-paid-tv-actors-2018-jim-parsons-leads-with-26-5-million/#4f7d0afeab2b), the [_Big Bang Theory_](http://time.com/3907021/big-bang-theory-legos/) star took first place over his co-star Johnny Galecki (who clocked in at no. 2 with $25 million) with extra income from endorsements and his executive producer role on spinoff show, _Young Sheldon_. Parsons and Galecki’s co-stars Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg tied for third place at $23.5 million yearly, thanks to other projects in addition to their _Big Bang_ salaries. The four CBS actors actually got paid less from the show in the past year when the original cast collectively chose to take a cut of about $1 million an episode to boost the salaries of fellow actors Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch. Rounding out the top 5 earners in TV is _NCIS’_ Mark Harmon at $19 million. See the rest who made the cut below. 6\. Ed O’Neill $14 million Modern Family 7\. Eric Stonestreet $13.5 million Modern Family 8\. Jesse Tyler Ferguson $13 million Modern Family 9\. Ty Burrell $12 million Modern Family 10\. Andrew Lincoln $11 million ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5433784/highest-paid-tv-actors-2018/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5433784/highest-paid-tv-actors-2018/"},"headline":"Here Are the Highest Paid Actors on TV in 2018","datePublished":"2018-10-24T21:28:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:55:38.561Z","description":"Clocking in at a whopping $26.5 million","url":"https://time.com/5433784/highest-paid-tv-actors-2018/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03eb23ad18347dec/69893d61b21a9c3add4ff4c8/highest-paid-tv-actor-2018-jim-parsons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03eb23ad18347dec/69893d61b21a9c3add4ff4c8/highest-paid-tv-actor-2018-jim-parsons.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"89th Annual Academy Awards - Red Carpet","caption":"89th Annual Academy Awards - Red Carpet","creditText":"Christopher Polk—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5433784/highest-paid-tv-actors-2018/","name":"Here Are the Highest Paid Actors on TV in 2018"}}]}] ```