<p id=”par-1_81″>Earlier this month, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/lisa-kudrow-breaks-friends-fans-hearts-no-one-cared-about-me.html/”>Lisa Kudrow</a> revealed that she earns $20 million per year in residuals for her role on Friends. Her costars, who opted to negotiate contracts as a group, earn the same. Kudrow’s admission has reignited interest in residuals for classic sitcom stars. As it turns out, the Friends cast isn’t the only one cashing in. Ray Romano similarly earns millions from his time on<em> Everybody Loves Raymond,</em> though he and his cast members did not negotiate as a group.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-ray-romano-earns-18-million-in-residuals-for-everybody-loves-raymond”>Ray Romano earns $18 million in residuals for ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_59″><em>Everybody Loves Raymond</em> made <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/ray-romano-says-he-still-misses-this-show-and-its-not-everybody-loves-raymond.html/”>comedian Ray Romano</a> a household name. The series, loosely based on his life in Queens, resonated with fans who tuned in week after week to see complicated family dynamics play out on screen. The show was a success from pretty early on and remains a successful series even today, 21 years after its finale aired.</p>
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<p id=”par-3_79″>Ray Romano is still cleaning up, too. While he earned $2 million per episode for the show’s final season, his earnings since it ended have helped him amass his considerable fortune. According to Vanity Fair, Ray Romano cashes a check for around $18 million each year for syndication and residuals. The massive number isn’t a huge surprise considering how much he earned for his role in the later years of the series. That money didn’t come without drama, though.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-brad-garrett-staged-a-coup-during-the-later-years-of-the-show”>Brad Garrett staged a coup during the later years of the show</h2>
<p id=”par-4_99″>While <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/friends-castmates-stayed-equally-famous-with-identical-salaries-and-equal-screen-time.html/”>the cast of Friends operated as a unit</a>, earning the same amount for each episode, that was not the case for the cast of <em>Everybody Loves Raymond</em>. In fact, there was drama on the set over pay rates during the show’s latter seasons. According to <a href=”https://nypost.com/2003/08/14/everybody-mugs-raymond-co-stars-salary-dispute-halts-production/”>the New York Post,</a> Brad Garrett refused to return to set after he learned Romano was earning $1.8 million per episode for his role, while his co-stars were making significantly less. At the time, Garrett was said to be making around $160,000 per episode, less than 10% of what Romano was taking home.</p>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/peter-boyle-landed-his-role-on-everybody-loves-raymond-for-an-unconventional-reason.html/”>
Peter Boyle Landed His Role on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ For An Unconventional Reason </a>
</p>
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<p id=”par-5_56″>In protest, Garrett refused to show up for work unless his CBS contract was renegotiated. The network threatened to write him out permanently. Garrett didn’t budge and received support from Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts, and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/everybody-loves-raymond-peter-boyles-frank-broke-character-twice-on-the-series.html/”>Peter Boyle</a>. The trio, who were also making a fraction of Romano’s salary, called in sick, halting production for several weeks.</p>
<p id=”par-6_65″>Eventually, CBS conceded, raising Garrett’s rate to $250,000 per episode. He earned more for the final season. The rest of the cast, excluding Romano, renegotiated their contracts to include a 0.5% ownership stake in the show, adding to their own syndication earnings. The rest of the cast’s residual earnings remain a mystery, but it’s safe to say they are bringing home millions each year, too.</p>