How Much Were The Two And A Half Men Cast Paid For The First Episode & The Final One

After running for 12 seasons, Two and a Half Men the actors’ rapidly increasing pay per episode was well-documented, and the Two and a Half Men salaries are unbelievable. CBS’ Two and a Half Men has been over for the better part of a decade, but that doesn’t mean it still isn’t one of the most highly-rated and beloved sitcoms out there. From cringy family dynamics to hilarious relationships and mistakes, this show is bursting with a memorable cast. This cast has become totally iconic for their work on the show, and, of course, they made a great living doing it.

From Charlie Sheen to Ashton Kutcher (though not at the same time) the actors that brought the show to life earned tens of millions of dollars per season, and it only increased as their time and popularity grew. Two and a Half Men is still as popular as ever through syndication, and even though the actors no longer get paid salaries, their royalty checks from the show’s syndication must still be huge. The Two and a Half Men salaries were among the biggest in TV history.

Holland Taylor: $75,000

Holland Taylor is a veteran actress, but she immediately stole everyone’s hearts as Evelyn Harper. Evelyn is an underrated Two and a Half Men character, and while she only appeared now and then, it was always a memorable and hilarious episode whenever she did. Since the seasoned actor wasn’t exactly a “regular,” her estimated salary per episode hovered around $75,000 (via Celebrity Net Worth). While that seems high, it is relatively low compared to the rest of the cast. There is also no indication that it ever went up or down as the show went on. Plus, her appearances only became less frequent with each consecutive season.

Conchata Ferrell: $100,000/$150,000

Berta (Conchata Ferrell) is the beloved secondary character in Two and a Half Man, as she’s Charlie’s blunt and intimidating housekeeper who bosses her own boss around. Despite being so celebrated, Ferrell was actually one of the lowest-paid actors on the show. However, she probably had the least amount of lines out of the whole cast, and she still made an unbelievable amount of money per episode. Ferrell was still bringing in over $1 million a year (via Celebrity Net Worth) and forever solidified herself in the hearts of fans of this show, and television in general. Ferrell passed away in 2020, but will always remain timeless as Berta in this series.

Angus T. Jones: $200,000/$300,000

Angus T. Jones was the highest-paid kid on television when he was still a minor, playing Alan’s son Jake as part of the Two And A Half Men cast. The actor played a beloved and hysterical character on television, as Jake was one of TV’s most mischievous kids. Jones started the show with a signing bonus and was earning over $200,000 per episode (via Celebrity Net Worth). By the end of his time on the show, he was making $300,000. That’s a lot of money to be earning before turning 18, and Jones made history in doing so. He walked away before the show’s end, but not without making millions of dollars first.

Melanie Lynskey: $200,000/$300,000

It’s a little unclear how much Melanie Lynskey’s salary was raised throughout her time on the show. However, reports indicate she was originally earning around $200,000 (via E Celebrity Spy). It’s impossible to forget her as the lovable Two and a Half Men villain, and as Rose’s (Lynskey) popularity skyrocketed and she appeared more and more, her salary undoubtedly only went up. Lynskey is a seasoned actress in both television and film, but she made a huge sum of money from her recurring role on Two And A Half Men. However, those estimates could be high, as Lynskey herself said that she was underpaid on the show (via Cosmopolitan).

Marin Hinkle: $500,000

Marin Hinkle appeared in over 100 episodes throughout the course of the series Two and a Half Men, playing Judith, Alan’s ex-wife who is constantly collecting alimony checks. Hinkle made a name for herself by playing Judith, and she made an outrageous amount of money given how comparatively small her role in the show was. Hinkle made around $500,000 per Two and a Half Men episode (via The Richest), though there isn’t any indication of how her salary increased over the years. It’s safe to say that the $500,000 figure was for Hinkle’s later seasons playing Judith.

Jon Cryer: $550,000/$620,000

Jon Cryer is actually the only actor on the show to have appeared in every single Two and a Half Men episode. Jon Cryer certainly earned his fame and fortune from playing the iconic (and mysteriously lovable) Alan Harper, and there’s no doubt why his salary increased substantially over the years. It’s unclear exactly how much Jon Cryer was making in the first seasons of the show, but during the middle seasons as part of the Two And A Half Men cast, the actor was raking in about $550,000 per episode. In the final few seasons with Ashton Kutcher, Cryer’s pay was bumped up to $620,000 per episode (via Celebrity Net Worth).

Ashton Kutcher: $700,000

Ashton Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen on the show when Sheen and creator Chuck Lorre had a very public feud, and it turned out to be extremely lucrative for Kutcher. Kutcher ended up being one of the highest-paid actors on television when he joined the set of this hit sitcom as Walden Schmidt, as he was making $700,000 per episode (via Business Insider). However, unlike the rest of the cast, Kutcher never actually got a raise, though he joined the series on an already huge salary, and he only starred in four seasons of the show compared to Cryer’s 12 seasons.

Charlie Sheen: $800,000/$1,800,000

Charlie Sheen had been making hundreds of thousands of episodes since the very first episode of Two and a Half Men. Compared to other Two and a Half Men salaries, Sheen made $800,000 per episode in season one, which is more than Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer were making in season 12. However, nothing compares to Sheen’s final season, when he was making almost 2 million dollars per episode (via Who). Sheen was, not shockingly, the highest-paid television actor at the peak of his salary and time on this series. Although he’s certainly moved on, it’s pretty hard not to associate Charlie Sheen with the iconic role of Charlie Harper.

What The Two And A Half Men Cast Have Done Since The Show Ended

Several supporting actors in Two and a Half Men haven’t done much since. Angus T. Jones’ last performance was an episode of Horace and Pete in 2016, and he’s seemingly retired from acting, and Conchata Ferrell passed away in 2020. Holland Taylor has continued her successful TV run, featuring in the crime drama Mr. Mercedes and the AppleTV+ series The Morning Show. Melanie Lynskey has had huge success starring in two seasons of the popular Yellowjackets with a third season greenlit, and she makes $125,000 per episode (via Cosmopolitan). Marin Hinkle has also been successful following Two and a Half Men, starring in the popular series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Jon Cryer has found tons of success on The CW, as he has played Superman’s archnemesis Lex Luther in five different series; Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Green Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow, though his salary isn’t known. Ashton Kutcher found even more sitcom success with Netflix’s The Ranch, in which the actor was making $800,000 per episode. However, no salary beats Charlie Sheen’s Two and a Half Men follow-up after being fired from the show in 2011. Sheen starred in Anger Management and was somehow being paid even more than his Two and a Half Mensalary, earning a whole $2 million per episode (via The Things).