Jennifer Aniston Makes $20 Million a Year From “Friends”

Jennifer Aniston made a lot of money from “Friends” while it was on the air, but a recent report from “USA Today” revealed the actress still makes $20 million per year from the series.

Aniston and the rest of the “Friends” cast have been back in the spotlight after HBO Max aired the “Friends” reunion special on May 27. In addition to some behind the scenes gossip and secrets being shared on air, fans got to enjoy seeing the old gang together one more time.

Jennifer Aniston and The Story of “Friends”

The sitcom, which ran from 1994 to 2004, was one of the highest rated and most popular sitcoms of all time. The show is constantly rerun on streaming services and television, which translates to at least $1 billion annually from syndication rights.

Each star of the show earns 2% of these profits, meaning Aniston is still pulling in an incredible $20 million per year from her time on “Friends,” even 17 years after the series finale.

Aniston has continued to work nonstop since the end of the series, however. Besides leading roles in multiple studio comedies, she also recently starred in Apple’s critically acclaimed “The Morning Show,” alongside Steve Carrell and Reese Witherspoon.

Many of the films Aniston has starred in have done extremely well at the box office. “The Break-Up”, “Marley & Me”, “Just Go With It”, “Horrible Bosses”, and “We’re the Millers” each made over $100 million internationally.

Jennifer Aniston’s Net Worth

Industry insiders estimate that her cash influx from “Friends,” in addition to her current movie and TV paychecks, give Aniston a net worth of around $300 million. This would make her one of the highest paid actresses in all of Hollywood history.

The “Friends” cast, including Aniston, could hardly have predicted they would achieve this success when the show first aired. For the first season of “Friends”, each cast member was paid $22,500 per episode. After the show became a success and the cast famously collaborated to bargain for higher pay, their salaries steadily increased over the years.

In the final two seasons, each actor on “Friends” was paid the astounding salary of $1 million per episode.

Aniston Gives Back

However, Aniston hasn’t kept her riches for herself. The actress, who is frequently involved in charity work, gives money to a variety of causes.

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic and the social justice movement, Aniston donated millions to Covid-19 relief as well as “Color of Change”, an organization seeking to strengthen the political power and voice of the black community in the United States.

She also was very vocal on social media during the pandemic, urging people to mask up and protect themselves and their communities.

Even with her immense wealth, there is no denying that Aniston uses her money, voice, and popularity for a range of causes around the US and the world.