Kramer Actor Michael Richards per Episode Salary for Seinfeld Will Blow Your Mind
- Seinfeld is known for the witty humor and situational comedy it weaved into the storyline.
- While Jerry Seinfeld raked in the big bucks, the other three cast members fought to get their dues.
- Michael Richards is worth $30 million currently but would have a lot more if he got the syndication deal locked in.
Seinfeld is often hailed as the sitcom that redefined the genre and paved the way for more such shows to follow in the future. As Jerry navigates life in the stand-up comedy profession, his friends help him figure out the nuances of life and sometimes create trouble where there is none.
Starring Jerry Seinfeld as himself, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Michael Richards as Kramer, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes, the show was an overnight success with beyond hilarious situations and witty banter.
Over the years, the show has created a niche fan following and has continued to find new fans as people discover the magic of the show. The salaries commanded by the cast were also noteworthy, starting from a base amount and eventually growing to large amounts.
How much did Michael Richards make for Seinfeld?
The most popular debate surrounding Seinfeld and the cast salaries was Jerry’s friends rallying to fight the network NBC to get a better pay structure. With Jerry Seinfeld earning a whopping $1 million per episode, the other cast members including Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus were nowhere near that number despite the four of them being the central actors in the series.
Alexander, Dreyfus, and Richards rallied for a better contract for Seinfeld. Towards the end of the show when Jerry was taking home a massive paycheck of $1 million per episode, they were raking in $600,000 per episode. Though Jerry’s star power and his contribution to making the show a success is undeniable, people still view all four characters as equal cast members of Seinfeld.
Before season 5, the three cast members were earning nominal sums. Thereafter, they successfully renegotiated to make $150,000 per episode. And even now, as the show continues to revel in a great fandom, Alexander, Dreyfus, and Richards earn hundreds of thousands while Jerry rakes in millions per year.
This has even caused a rift between the cast members as they felt Jerry didn’t support their cause and their demand for better pay while enjoying a higher salary for himself. Years later when Friends aired on NBC, they became the first cast to renegotiate to earn $1 million per episode for every cast member.
What is Michael Richards’ Net Worth?
Richards is currently worth $30 Million. He won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his stint in the sitcom. Despite his run as Cosmo Kramer in Seinfeld, the actor was seldom seen in more projects after the series ended.
However, this is also because of his racist comments during a comedy show that led him to be ostracized by the people. Even though he later apologized for his comments, he was not able to regain his reputation in the industry thereafter.
Gap in Salaries of Seinfeld Cast Members
The root cause was the network’s inability to chart equitable syndication deals for the three cast members despite the network raking in millions via reruns and other local channels airing the show simultaneously. The original contract did factor in the lifetime profits of the series, but the number was capped to a certain amount, making Alexander, Dreyfus, and Richards worried about how they would fare after the show ended.
Usually, actors have a hard time finding good roles after playing a certain character on screen for the longest time. The three actors shared the fear and wanted to ensure they were set for life with the money and profits of the series. Alexander claimed,
Julia, Michael, and I, during our big renegotiation for the final year, asked for something that I will go to my grave saying we should have had, and that is back-end participation in the profits for the show. It was categorically denied to us, which forced us to then ask for ungodly salaries. We make very little, standard Screen Actors Guild residuals for the reruns.
Jerry Seinfeld was the first sitcom actor to make $1 million per episode, disrupting the usual of the industry. NBC’s deals with other shows ensured similar payments, thus breaking the network’s bank without having all members have an equitable share in the profits. At the same time, Jerry turned down significant money close to $100 million just to have the show continue for one more season.
Seinfeld is streaming on Netflix.
