In 2005, Ray Romano, the star of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” secured a Guinness World Record for being paid an unprecedented $1.94 million per episode during the show’s ninth and final season. This achievement marked the pinnacle of his television career, cementing his status as one of the highest-paid actors in sitcom history.
Fast forward nearly two decades after the series wrapped up, and Romano remains a prominent figure in the world of television residuals. Despite “Everybody Loves Raymond” no longer airing new episodes, Romano continues to earn millions annually from the show’s syndication. According to reports by Forbes and Vanity Fair, he banks an impressive $18 million each year from residuals, largely due to the show’s availability on streaming platforms like Paramount+ and Peacock. This enduring income stream has led fans to lightheartedly suggest that Romano could retire comfortably without ever working again.
With a current net worth estimated at $200 million, 68-year-old Romano’s financial success is significantly bolstered by these syndication deals and backend profits. His portrayal of Raymond Barone, a witty sports writer, from 1996 to 2005, not only won him critical acclaim but also substantial financial rewards.
The series faced a pivotal moment during its eighth season in 2003 when a significant contract dispute arose, spearheaded by Brad Garrett, who played Robert Barone. This incident brought to light the financial disparities within the cast. Nevertheless, Romano emerged as the highest-paid TV actor of the time, securing a $40 million contract for that season, which translated to an impressive weekly paycheck of $1.8 million.
The eighth season of Everybody Loves Raymond – which began airing in 2003 – gained notoriety after a landmark cast contract dispute led by Robert Barone actor Brad Garrett.
Romano became the highest-paid television star in history at the time with his $40million deal for the season, equating to $1.8million a week.
Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano set a Guinness World Record when he was paid $1.94million per episode for the beloved show’s ninth and final season in 2005- pictured with the cast in 2005 (L-R) Peter Boyle, Doris Roberts, Romano, Patricia Heaton, Monica Horan, Brad Garrett
Two decades on from the comedy series’ final ninth season, Romano is part of an elite list of actors raking in millions of dollars in residuals, long after their shows went off the air – Romano pictured 2023
Romano’s contract renewal also stipulated he would get royalties from syndicated re-runs of older episodes – infuriating Garrett, who in comparison earned around $160,000 an episode.
Garrett refused to show up for work unless CBS negotiated a new contract – leading to his character being axed from the first episode and threatened with being written out permanently.
His loyal castmates Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle supported him by all calling out sick.
His representative said at the time: ‘Ray deserves every penny, all Brad wants is compensation commensurate with what other similarly situated actors have made in the past and are making today.’
This forced CBS to reenter negotiations with the cast – with Garrett’s pay rising to $250,000 an episode per EW, and $315,000 per week for the ninth and final season.
The new contacts included deals on syndication, with all the stars, bar Romano, granted 0.5% ownership of the show – with Romano and the producers sacrificing portions of their backend profits to make the deal happen.
Branding the dispute ‘inevitable’ Romano said: ‘When my salary came out in the papers, I knew stuff would happen. I’d do exactly the same thing.’
Romano reportedly made a whopping $1.94million an episode for the entire final season in 2005 which adjusted for inflation is around $3.2million an episode.
The actor’s reported residuals amounts place him among the TV greats, with Friends icon Lisa Kudrow recently revealing the cast members still earn around $20million annually in residuals, 22 years after the show’s final season aired.
Fans were stunned to learn Romano earns a reported $18million annually in syndication residuals, per Forbes and Vanity Fair , thanks to streaming on services including Paramount+ and Peacock – the original cast are pictured during the show’s first season in 1996
The cast are pictured with series creator Phil Rosenthal on the set of the reunion special in 2025
Kudrow, 62 – who played the eccentric Phoebe Buffay from 1994 to 2004 – starred in Friends alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and the late Matthew Perry.
The cast famously negotiated their salaries together, climbing from $22,500 per episode in the first season to $1 million each by the final two seasons.
They later reunited for a one-off special on HBO Max in 2021, reportedly earning $2.5 million apiece for their reprisals.
Speaking to The Times recently, Kudrow said she’s only recently been able to ‘appreciate just how great’ the show was.
‘There was a genius at work. And whatever any of us do in the future, we will never experience something like that again,’ she told the publication.
In contrast Former Brady Bunch star Eve Plumb recently published a memoir called Happiness Included: Jan Brady and Beyond, in which she wrote, ‘If I had a dime for every rerun episode, I’d pay off the national deficit. I don’t.’
Lisa Kudrow left fans stunned after revealing the eye-watering sums she and her Friends co-stars still pocket every year in residuals
The actress, 62, who is currently starring in a new season of The Comeback, revealed the cast still rake in an astonishing $20 million a year in residuals
To be clear, she reiterated on the PauseRewind podcast, per KOMO News, ‘We don’t make residuals.’
The successful ABC sitcom ran from 1969 to 1974, and its reruns have been popular among younger generations for decades.
Susan Olsen, 64, who played Cindy on the series, previously explained on the Oprah Network’s Where Are They Now series that the cast’s lack of residual pay is the result of ‘the way things were before 1973.’
