The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (2024)

There’s no comedy that defined the decade more than Modern Family. In the 11 years since the show premiered, it’s become a bonafide success, with 14 Emmys and millions of fans. The Modern Family cast salary for 2020 isn’t too bad either.

Before Modern Family, cast members Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell and others were far from the household names we know them as now. But a lot has changed in 11 seasons. Modern Family, which will air its series finale on April 8, has changed many of its cast members lives. The show has done a lot for TV too, as one of the first primetime sitcoms to feature a gay couple (Cam and Mitch) in its main cast. The sitcom has also explored adoption, relationships with age differences and other non-nuclear families to highlight how there’s no one definition for a family.

Of course, the money hasn’t been bad either. In its heyday, drew in an average of 12 million households each week. That, of course, is reflected in the cast’s paychecks, which are nothing to scoff at. Find out how much the Modern Family cast makes for its final season (and who the highest paid cast member is) ahead.

The Modern Family season 11 and series finale airs on ABC on April 8 at 9 p.m. ET.

Sofia Vergara

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (3)

Salary: $500,000 per episode

Vergara stars as Gloria Delgado, Jay’s second and much younger wife from Colombia. Since season 1, Vergara has been one of Modern Family’s most notable breakouts. She’s since starred in a movie with Reese Witherspoon and released her own clothing line, Sofia Jeans. Variety reported in 2017 that Vergara was one of five cast members who signed a new deal to be paid $500,000 per episode (which results in $11 million per season, depending on how many episodes there are.) The raise was from the actors’ previous salary which was $350,000 per episode. The deal was for season 9 and 10, so Vergara could make even more money for season 11, the final season, but that’s unknown. In 2018, Forbes named Vergara as the highest paid actress on TV with a $42.5 million net worth.

Julie Bowen

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (4)

Salary: $500,000 per episode

Bowen plays Claire Dunphy, Phil’s type-A wife and Jay’s daughter. Per Variety, Bowen was also included in the same deal as Vergara, which would pay the actresses $500,000 per episode for season 9 and 10. Like Vergara, she could also make even more money for season 11, but that’s unknown. Forbes also named her the fifth highest paid actress on TV at No. 5 with a $12.5 million net worth in 2018. In 2011 and 2012, Bowen won the Best Supporting Actress Comedy Emmy.

Ty Burrell

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (5)

Salary: $500,000 per episode

Burrell is a fan-favorite among Modern Family fans for his role as fun-loving dad Phil Dunphy. Variety reports that he was also one of the five cast members included in the new $500,000-per-episode deal for season 9 and 10. Like Bowen and Vergara, his salary for season 11 is unknown, but it’s at least the same (or higher) as what he made the past two seasons. In 2017, Forbes reported that he was the sixth highest paid actor on TV with a net worth of $13.5 million. He won the Best Supporting Actor Comedy Emmy in 2011 and 2014.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (6)

Salary: $500,000 per episode

Ferguson stars as Claire’s brother and Cameron’s husband Mitchell. He’s also included in the five cast members who were paid $500,000 per episode for season 9 and 10, according to Variety. His season 11 salary is unknown, but it’s either the same or even more than what he made for the past two seasons. In 2017, Forbes ranked Ferguson was No. 10 in its highest paid TV actors roundup, with a net worth of $10 million.

Eric Stonestreet

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (7)

Salary: $500,000 per episode

Stonestreet plays Cameron Tucker, Mitchell’s theatrical husband. He was the final actor included in the five cast members who signed deals to receive $500,000 per episode in 2017, according to Variety. The deal was for season 9 and 10, so it’s unclear if Stonestreet makes the same amount for season 11, the show’s final season, or if he and his costars received yet another bump. Stonestreet was also included in Forbes’ list of the highest paid TV actors in 2017w with a net worth of $11 million. In 2012, he won the Best Supporting Actor Comedy Emmy.

Ed O’Neill

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (8)

Salary: >$500,000 per episode

O’Neill is the patriarch of the Modern Family cast as Jay Pritchett, Gloria’s much older husband and Claire and Mitchell’s father. Variety reported that O’Neill has earned a higher salary than the rest of the Modern Family cast since season 1 because of his recognizable career. (He was best known for his role in Married With Children, which ran from 1987 to 1997.) Variety didn’t report how much he makes per episode for the final three seasons (previous reports claim he made $500,000 per episode when the rest of the cast made $350,000), but the magazine did note that O’Neill has a “larger profit stake” because of his career, so it’s likely that his salary for the final season is more than the $500,000 the other cast members are making.

Rico Rodriguez

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (9)

Salary: $125,000 per episode

Rodriguez stars as Manny, Gloria’s son and Jay’s stepson. Variety reports that he and the other actors who play the show’s children are included in a second tier, which is less than the adults. Like the five cast members mentioned earlier, Variety reported in 2017 that Rodriguez and the other young actors received pay raises for the show’s final seasons. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Rodriguez signed a deal to receive $125,000 per episode in 2018, which was a lot more than the previous $75,000-per-episode rate he made before.

Nolan Gould

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (10)

Salary: $125,000 per episode

Gould stars as Luke Dunphy, Claire and Phil’s youngest child and their only son. Variety reports that Gould is included with Rodriguez in Modern Family‘s child bracket, which means that the two actors likely make the same salary. Because of this, it’s assumed that Gould also makes $125,000 per episode, starting in 2018, which is almost double the $75,000-per-episode rate he made for previous seasons.

Sarah Hyland

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (11)

Salary: $125,000 per episode

Hyland stars as Phil and Claire’s eldest daughter, Haley Dunphy, who welcomed children of her own in the season 10 finale. Variety reports that Hyland is included with Gould and Rodriguez in the show’s children bracket, which means she likely makes the same $125,000-per-episode rate as her on-screen cousin and brother. The salary is certainly a raise from the $75,000 per episode the Modern Family kids were making for the previous seasons.

Ariel Winter

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (12)

Salary: $125,000 per episode

Winter stars as Alex Dunphy, Claire and Phil’s middle child and Haley and Luke’s brainy sister. Variety also included her with the other Modern Family children who received raises in 2018. This means that, like her young costars, she also likely makes $125,000 per episode for the past three seasons. Though the salary is less than what the parents of the show make, it’s still more than the $75,000 per episode the younger costars reportedly made for previous seasons.

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The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect (2024)

FAQs

The Highest Paid Actor on ‘Modern Family’ Isn’t Who You’d Expect? ›

Ed O'Neill

Who got paid the most in Modern Family? ›

$500,000 An Episode For Playing Jay

Ed O'Neil was the biggest star on the show when Modern Family aired, which is why he had the largest starting salary in the Modern Family cast at $105,000 an episode (via Cheat Sheet).

Who is the richest Modern Family actor? ›

Ranked: The huge net worths of the iconic Modern Family cast
  • Rico Rodriguez – $12 million. ...
  • Sarah Hyland – $14 million. ...
  • Julie Bowen – $18 million. ...
  • Eric Stonestreet – $23 million. ...
  • Jesse Tyler Ferguson – $25 million. ...
  • Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy) – $26 million. ...
  • Ed O'Neill – $65 million. ...
  • Sofia Vergara – $180 million.
Jan 11, 2024

How much does Lily get paid on Modern Family? ›

Like the rest of the children, she managed to earn a raise by season 4, earning around $70,000 (via Looper). The Looper also reports that this salary was renegotiated and raised throughout the series, finally culminating in about $125,000 per episode for season 11.

How rich is Claire in Modern Family? ›

Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Julie Bowen is reportedly worth US$18 million (approx. AU$26.8 million), earning US$500,000 (approx. AU$744,000) per episode.

How much did each Modern Family cast member get paid? ›

Julie's Season 11 Salary Per Episode: $500,000

The group ultimately renegotiated a few times, and sometime during the middle of the show's run, they got their salaries up to $350,000 per episode. By the time they signed their final contract for the show's last two seasons, they were each up to $500,000 per episode.

How much did Alex make on Modern Family? ›

Ariel Winter

Winter stars as Alex Dunphy, Claire and Phil's middle child and Haley and Luke's brainy sister. Variety also included her with the other Modern Family children who received raises in 2018. This means that, like her young costars, she also likely makes $125,000 per episode for the past three seasons.

How much is Luke worth from Modern Family? ›

Nolan Gould — Net Worth: $12 Million

Beyond playing Luke Dunphy, he has also starred in movies like “Friends with Benefits.”

How is Jay so rich in Modern Family? ›

Jay is the former owner of Pritchett's Closets & Blinds. He hired his daughter, Claire, to work for him ("First Days"). From being the owner of the closet company, it seems that it's given him a lot of money. He seems to be the wealthiest person in his family and has a large house.

How much does Gloria make on Modern Family? ›

Sofia Vergara is the world's highest-paid actress, according to Forbes. The star reportedly made $43 million this year thanks to her small-screen roles. Forbes reports Vergara made more than $500,000 dollars per episode for her role on ABC's “Modern Family.”

Why did they replace Lily on Modern Family? ›

The reason for the re-casting, a show source tells PEOPLE, is because the Hiller twins didn't enjoy acting. When they were required to be in scenes, they became agitated and unhappy. In a nutshell, the girls just wanted to be kids, their mother, Michelle Hiller, tells PEOPLE.

Why did Lily leave Modern Family? ›

The Hiller twins portrayed Lily through Modern Family seasons 1 and 2, but their parents decided that they had stopped enjoying the process, so opted to not return for season 3 (via NowToLove).

Does cast of Modern Family get along? ›

It's hard to believe that it's been over three years since Modern Family ended, but the cast is still so close with each other that they really did become a family offscreen as well. Pretty often, cast members will share pics of them hanging out together.

What disorder does Claire have in Modern Family? ›

The diagnosis, Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome, requires Claire to "take it easy". Throughout the following day, Claire makes multiple advances on Phil, who wants her to simply rest. Phil accidentally tells Luke, Haley, and Alex that Claire suffered a "heart-related issue".

How much older is Claire than Gloria? ›

In the show, Claire was around the same age, likely born in 1970, the same year Bowen was born. It is mentioned that Claire is 14 months older than her stepmother, Gloria, which is only a few months less than the actual age difference between Bowen and Vergara.

How is Sofia Vergara so rich? ›

The award-winning actress has several business ventures, including a beauty brand, clothing line, endorsem*nt deals, and more. Vergara's latest show, "Griselda," was the top show on Netflix's Global Top 10 list for three straight weeks.

How much did Sofia Vergara get paid per episode of Modern Family? ›

Acting. The actress made millions from "Modern Family." Vergara earned between $30,000 to $90,000 per episode for initial seasons of Modern Family, and went on to earn $170,000 to $180,000 per episode after a series of salary negotiations by Vergara and her fellow cast members, according to Deadline.

Who is the highest paid actor? ›

List of Highest Paid Actors In The World
RankNameEarnings (in USD)
1Dwayne Johnson$87.5 million
2Ryan Reynolds$71.5 million
3Mark Wahlberg$58 million
4Ben Affleck$55 million
6 more rows
Mar 23, 2024

Who is the highest paid TV actor? ›

Forbes ranks the highest-paid actors on television.
  • [1/10] <p>Jon Cryer earned $21 million. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni</p>
  • [2/10] <p>Ray Romano also earned $16 million. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni</p>
  • [3/10] <p>Neil Patrick Harris earned $15 million. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson</p>

Does Phil get rich in Modern Family? ›

Sometimes we've scene him sell very very nice houses I'm not educated in the LA real-estate market to make a guess but it doesn't seem low then a couple million. So if he's selling 1 luxury house a year or every 2 years and a normal house every couple months to half a month his salary should be crazy high.

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