Sofia Vergara is TV’s highest-paid actress for second year
Sofia Vergara has topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid prime-time TV actresses for the second year in a row.
The Emmy-nominated “Modern Family” star’s ranking comes embedded in the financial magazine’s Celebrity 100 list, which sees TV queen Oprah Winfrey in the No. 1 spot overall. Vergara ranks No. 54 on that list, with the likes of female performers Madonna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Ellen DeGeneres and Jennifer Lawrence ahead of her.
Vergara, 41, raked in $30 million thanks to a major boost in her salary and endorsement deals with Diet Pepsi, CoverGirl, Rooms to Go, Comcast, State Farm Insurance and thyroid medicine Synthroid, according to the mag. Those deals are said to make her one of the “most in-demand spokespeople” because she has that whole crossover appeal thing going on. The actress’ K-Mart clothing line is thriving, and she sits as executive producer of ABC’s new drama “Killer Women.” She’s also one-half of management company Latin World Entertainment.
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To compare, the Colombian native earned a cool $19 million when she topped the 2012 list. Her success may seem like a surprise, since she burst on the scene with American audiences in ABC’s critical and massive hit “Modern Family,” but the actress has been working for nearly two decades in other markets.
The magazine looked at the earnings from June 2012 through June 2013, counting cash only from projects completed and contracts made good on during that time, it said. That means upfront pay, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.
Behind Vergara -- with a big pay gap -- are “The Big Bang Theory’s” Kaley Cuoco and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s” Mariska Hargitay, who each earned $11 million last year.
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Here’s the list of top earning women in prime-time television. For more on how they earned their wages, click here:
1. “Modern Family’s” Sofia Vergara, $30 million
2. “The Big Bang Theory’s” Kaley Cuoco; “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s” Mariska Hargitay, $11 million
4. “30 Rock’s” Tina Fey; Bravo personality and talk show host Bethenny Frankel; Reality stars Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian; “Mike & Molly’s” Melissa McCarthy, “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Ellen Pompeo, $10 million each
11. “How I Met Your Mother’s” Cobie Smulders, $9 million
12. “How I Met Your Mother’s” Alyson Hannigan, $8 million
13. “Parks & Recreation’s” Amy Poehler; “The Good Wife’s” Julianna Margulies, $7 million
15. “Girls’” Lena Dunham; “New Girl’s” Zooey Deschanel; “CougarTown’s” Courteney Cox, $6 million
18. “Whitney’s” Whitney Cummings, $5 million (Thanks to “2 Broke Girls”)
19. “The Mindy Project’s” Mindy Kaling, $4 million
20. “Scandal’s” Kerry Washington, $3 million
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