ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

Jason Alexander’s 'Seinfeld' salary per episode was so high, it almost damaged the economics of TV

Even though the stars didn't get what they felt they deserved, it was still outrageously high.
PUBLISHED DEC 28, 2024
Screenshot showing Jason Alexander in Seinfeld (Image source: YouTube/Seinfeld)
Screenshot showing Jason Alexander in Seinfeld (Image source: YouTube/Seinfeld)

In the history of television, only a handful of shows have gained the level of popularity equaling that of sitcoms such as "Seinfeld" and "F.R.I.E.N.D.S." "Seinfeld" was created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, and considering its success and relevance, it is obvious that the stars of the show made big bucks for their work. In fact cast member Jason Alexander thinks they broke the economics of television at one point. 



 

The show which mostly depicts four New York City friends sitting around, complaining and undermining each other, initially struggled to win over audiences. At first, Seinfeld and David could only convince the executives of NBC to pick the show up for only four episodes in 1989. However, it was soon renewed for another season and went on to become one of the most popular sitcoms in America. The show soon broke into the Top 50 in Nielsen ratings, and by the time it came to a close, "Seinfeld" was a multimillionaire. 

It was so popular that the producers wanted to keep it on air, but co-creator Jerry Seinfeld refused. Appearing on the Howard Stern Show, he revealed that he even turned down $110 million without thinking twice.



 

While Seinfeld has continued to enjoy massive success, his three on-screen best friends deserve equal credit as well. Jason Alexander who played "George Costanza", Julia Louis-Dreyfus who played "Elaine Benes", and Michael Richards who played "Cosmo Kramer", were equally important to the show's success.



 

Outrageous Salaries

Given the show's success, its stars became some of the highest-paid TV personalities, ever. In the final year of the show, 1998, the co-creator and comedian made a whopping $267. While Seinfeld was making bank, the co-actors felt that the show wasn't being as vital to their career. 

In an old interview with Charlie Rose, Alexander revealed that they once tried to negotiate a better deal for themselves looking at how much Seinfeld was making. He said that he and his two co-stars did their own research, and estimated that each episode of the show generated "$14 million" in profit for the network.



 

"We had argued that after five years of being in Seinfeld, there was no upside, in the long run for the three of us to continue doing the show… So we argued that we needed to be cut in on syndication," the actor said. However, the three of them were denied any syndication points which led to them making outrageous salary demands.

"In order for us to feel good about doing this show, I wanna leave the most successful half hour in the history of television knowing that I never have to work again. That is what I require or you can’t have my services," Alexander recalled him saying while at the bargaining table. While the stars each demanded more than a million dollars per episode, they finally settled for $600,000 per episode. While it may seem like they got a lot less than what they asked for, it was still an outrageous salary at the time.



 

Even though the stars did their research and meticulously calculated the number, the actor said he still felt that they "damaged the economics of television". "And I also knew that it was detrimental to television if they made the deal with us… It is outrageous up-front money, outrageous. It is bad for television," he said.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
As George Gray said, those wedding cans would look great hanging off her new car.
15 hours ago
White was pitted against two other beautiful women, Summer Bartholomew, who was Miss USA 1975, and model Vicki McCarty, her friend.
16 hours ago
The founder also went on to write an opinion piece slamming the shark for her behavior.
17 hours ago
The pastor covered his mic and whispered something in Harvey's ear, making him awkward.
18 hours ago
While the monetary value of the item was high for the expert, for the guest, the item was priceless.
19 hours ago
The contestant kept trying to reassure Harvey as he tried to collect his thoughts.
1 day ago
She became the fourth player in the show's history to win so much in the Bonus Round.
1 day ago
The guest who had absolutely no idea about her family heirloom's origins, couldn't control her emotions.
1 day ago
The game host couldn't believe his ears when the young participant exhibited her unintelligent side with Easter around the corner.
2 days ago
Even the games are designed for twins to play as a team in line with the theme of the episode.
2 days ago
Harvey was hoping some racy answers weren't on the board but was also disappointed.
2 days ago
White said that she has an active lifestyle and wants to continue working on the show.
2 days ago
The guest was shocked to find out that the previous appraisal of the items was off by a long shot.
2 days ago
The host did it effortlessly even though he had suffered an injury and wasn't at his best.
3 days ago
The expert also told the guest to get the ring insured for an amount twice that of her appraisal.
3 days ago
The host played along with the moves and fans also enjoyed the bizarre celebration.
3 days ago
Harvey couldn't distinguish the participant's answer because of her heavy Italian accent and ended up being embarrassed.
3 days ago
Even old fans of the show were gobsmacked by what goes on behind the scenes on the show.
4 days ago
Harvey ended things on a lighter note despite seeming frustrated at a point on the show.
4 days ago
The sample was actually apple cider vinegar which is healthy but tastes terrible.
4 days ago