Let’s answer the age-old question: How much did the cast of everyone’s favorite family sitcom earn from their time on the show? Of course, we are talking about Modern Family, the show about a chaotic group of people who create the perfect blended family.
Modern Family ran for 11 seasons, and we practically got to watch some of the cast members grow in front of our eyes. The sitcom is regarded as one of the most successful and beloved comedy series of the 21st century. It blends sharp humor with heartfelt storytelling and often highlights the very real problems families face IRL.
From Ed O’Neill and Sofia Vergara to Sarah Hyland and Ariel Winter, it seems that every one was cast to perfection in the show. Let’s take a look at exactly how much they made in the first season vs the last (via Buzzfeed).
| ACTOR | CHARACTER | SEASON 1 SALARY (per episode) |
SEASON 11 SALARY (per episode) |
| Ed O’Neill | Jay Pritchett | $95,000 | $500,000 |
| Julie Bowen | Claire Dunphy | $30,000 to $60,000 | $500,000 |
| Sofia Vergara | Gloria Delgado-Pritchett | $30,000 to $60,000 | $500,000 |
| Ty Burrell | Phil Dunphy | $30,000 to $60,000 | $500,000 |
| Jesse Tyler Ferguson | Mitchell Pritchett | $30,000 to $60,000 | $500,000 |
| Eric Stonestreet | Cameron Tucker | $20,000 | $500,000 |
| Sarah Hyland | Haley Dunphy | Around $25,000 | Over $100,000 |
| Ariel Winter | Alex Dunphy | Around $25,000 | Over $100,000 |
| Nolan Gould | Luke Dunphy | Around $25,000 | Over $100,000 |
| Rico Rodriguez | Manny Delgado | Around $25,000 | Over $100,000 |
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, aka everyone’s favorite Lily Tucker-Pritchett, joined the cast in Season 3, and as per CNW, her salary was $35,000 per episode for several seasons, before going up to $70,000.
Click here to know about their net worths!
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How Much Could the Modern Family Cast Make From Residuals?
Residuals are simply payments that actors and others receive when their work is reused after its initial broadcast. This includes reruns, streaming, and syndication. Producers and studios calculate residuals, which are administered by industry trade unions (SAG-AFTRA/Writers Guild of America/Directors Guild of America), keeping certain variables in mind.
Actors with speaking lines, voice-over artists, and stunt performers are eligible for residuals, as are directors, credited writers, musicians, Unit Production Managers, and the Second Assistant Directors. Meanwhile, other crew members usually are not.
Considering the fact that Modern Family has become a piece of television history, the cast probably makes a good amount of passive income from their residual checks. Now, the exact amount they receive is usually kept under wraps, and there is no way to know exactly how much they make yearly.
According to Giant Freakin Robot‘s report, though, veteran actor O’Neill makes $10 million a year from residual checks. Reports for other cast members are unavailable.
When the Modern Family Actors Sued Over a Salary Dispute
$500,000 per episode, with each season having more than 20 episodes (with the exception of 11), equals a crazy amount of money, which it is. However, it was not easy for the actors to reach that point where they would be drowning in dollar bills. In fact, they had to sue to get where they did.
In a dispute over pay, the cast of Modern Family filed legal papers to have their contracts declared void in 2012. Thanks to this, the actors were able to negotiate higher salaries for themselves. The actors who fought for their rights were Vergara, Burrell, Bowen, Tyler Ferguson, and Stonestreet (via BBC News).
They asked the judge to deem their contracts illegal. The contracts also prohibited them from taking up other work. O’Neill did not join them.
The court papers said, “Modern Family has been a breakout critical and financial success. That success, however, has been built upon a collection of illegal contracts.“
The actors did not attend the first script readings of Season 04, and they would not until their demands were heard. According to THR, the cast wanted more than $300,000 per episode if the show went beyond the eighth season.
Do you think they were right to sue for this? Let us know in the comments section below!
Stream Modern Family on Peacock Premium.
