8 Controversies Surrounding Chuck Lorre’s ‘The Big Bang Theory’

4. Rumors Suggest That Money Is a Big Issue on the Set

Any fan of celebrity news can tell you that perhaps the most famous salary negotiation of all time came in 1996, when the six cast members of Friends decided to band together and negotiate their contracts as one group. The insinuation was simple, either pay every cast member the same rate, or they’d all walk off the show. The cast members of The Big Bang Theory did not do that. At present, the three top-billed stars — Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, and Jim Parsons — make about 25 percent more money than anyone else on the show plus, they get access to bonuses that the other actors don’t. This has led to reports of feuding among cast members, like when actress Mayim Bialik complained publicly about the fact that every member of the cast was overpaid (which didn’t sit well with Cuoco).