Summary

• The salaries of the Two and a Half Men actors, including Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Ashton Kutcher, were among the highest in TV history, with some earning up to $1.8 million per episode.
• The popularity of the show, especially through streaming, proved to be a wise long-term investment for Chuck Lorre and CBS, justifying the hefty paychecks of the cast.
• Even minor characters like Holland Taylor's Evelyn and Conchata Ferrell's Berta earned significant amounts, showing the show's commitment to compensating its talented ensemble.

Throughout the show's 2003-2015 run, the salaries of the Two and a Half Men stars like Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Angus T Jones, and later Ashton Kutcher dwarfed that of many other sitcom actors. The healthy pay-per-episode of the Two and a Half Men cast reflected the controversial sitcom's popularity, as it aired for over a decade to consistently high ratings. Chuck Lorre's CBS show wouldn't have been anywhere near as successful without its hilarious characters and their chemistry, which meant the Two and a Half Men cast earned a large amount for each appearance.

From the Charlie Sheen era to Ashton Kutcher's episodes, the Two and a Half Men actors earned tens of millions of dollars per season, and their pay per episode only increased as their time and popularity grew. Like many shows, Two and a Half Men remains popular thanks to streaming, proving that the hefty paychecks of Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Ashton Kutcher, and the rest of the cast were a wise long-term investment for Chuck Lorre and CBS. That being said, the Two and a Half Men salaries ended up among the biggest in TV history, even for minor characters.

Holland Taylor

Earned $75,000 Per Episode As Evelyn

Veteran actress Holland Taylor was a staple of the Two and a Half Men cast as Evelyn Harper, Charlie and Alan's cold and calculating mother. Evelyn regularly appeared on the show, and was always memorable when she did. Holland Taylor's estimated pay per episode for Two and a Half Men was 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 it ever went up or down as the show went on. Plus, her appearances only became less frequent in later seasons.

Conchata Ferrell

Earned $100,000/$150,000 Per Episode As Berta

Berta (Conchata Ferrell) is a 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 one of the lowest-paid actors on the show. She likely had the least lines out of the whole cast and still made a large amount of money per episode.

Ferrell made over $1 million a year (via Celebrity Net Worth), and at her highest rate earned $150,000 per episode of Two and a Half Men. Ferrell passed away in 2020, and her time as Berta on Two and a Half Men continues to be a highlight of the show.

Angus T. Jones

Earned $200,000/$300,000 Per Episode As Jake

Angus T. Jones was the highest-paid child on television during his time playing Alan's son Jake on Two And A Half Men. Fans watched Jones grow up throughout the seasons on the show, and he remained a very important member of the cast. Jones started the show with a signing bonus and was earning over $200,000 per episode of Two and a Half Men (via Celebrity Net Worth). By the end, he was making $300,000 before turning 18. He walked away before the show's end, but after made millions of dollars before Jake's final appearance.

Melanie Lynskey

Earned $200,000 Per Episode As Rose

Reports indicate Melanie Lynskey was originally earning around $200,000 per episode of Two and a Half Men (via E Celebrity Spy). It's impossible to forget her as the somehow lovable stalker, and as Rose's popularity skyrocketed, her appearances increased. This means her salary likely increased over time too. Lynskey is a seasoned actress in both television and film, and has made many appearances outside the Two and a Half Men cast. Lynskey has said she was underpaid on the show (via Cosmopolitan).

Marin Hinkle

Earned $500,000 Per Episode As Judith

Marin Hinkle appears in over 100 episodes of 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 a lot 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. However, the $500,000 figure was likely for Hinkle's later seasons playing Judith.

Jon Cryer

Earned $550,000/$620,000 Per Episode As Alan

Jon Cryer is the only actor to appear in every single Two and a Half Men episode. Cryer earned a fortune playing the iconic Alan Harper, and there's no doubt why his salary increased substantially over the years. It's unclear exactly how much he was making in the show's earliest installments, but during the middle seasons, Jon Cryer earned close to $550,000 per episode of Two and a Half Men. In the final few seasons with Ashton Kutcher, Cryer's pay was bumped to $620,000 per episode as the only remaining original star (via Celebrity Net Worth).

Ashton Kutcher

Earned $700,000 Per Episode As Walden Schmidt

Ashton Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men when Charlie Sheen and creator Chuck Lorre had a very public feud, and it turned out to be extremely lucrative for him. Kutcher ended up as one of the highest-paid actors on television when he joined the sitcom as Walden Schmidt, earning $700,000 per episode of Two and a Half Men (via Business Insider). However, unlike the rest of the cast, Kutcher never got a raise, though he joined the series on an already huge salary.

Charlie Sheen

Earned $800,000/$1,800,000 Per Episode As Charlie

Charlie Sheen's net worth is known to be high, and he earned a considerable amount during his time on the sitcom even compared to other Two and a Half Men salaries. Charlie Sheen made $800,000 per episode from season 1 of Two and a Half Men — more than Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer did in season 12. However, nothing compares to Sheen's final season, when he was making $1.8 million per episode (via Who).

Charlie Sheen was, not shockingly, the highest-paid television actor at the peak of his salary and time on Two and a Half Men. Although he's certainly moved on, it's hard not to associate Charlie Sheen with the iconic role of Charlie Harper. The continued popularity of the show, especially the pre-Ashton Kutcher seasons, suggests that — despite how staggeringly high it was — Charlie Sheen's Two and a Half Men salary was well-earned.

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 the show ended. Angus T. Jones' last performance was an episode of Horace and Pete in 2016, and he's seemingly retired from acting. Conchata Ferrell passed away in 2020, and Holland Taylor 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 the popular series Yellowjackets, and she makes $125,000 per episode (via Cosmopolitan).

Marin Hinkle remained successful following Two and a Half Men, starring in the popular series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Jon Cryer found more TV 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 paid even more than his Two and a Half Men salary, earning a $2 million per episode (via The Things). Despite all the earnings from the TV shows, Charlie Sheen's net worth is only currently $3 million (via Celebrity Net Worth).