On television, they live in McMansions and get a big, fat tax break for being in that upper-income bracket. In the
real world, they probably drive Subarus and are stressed out about paying for college. An article on a job website
explores the real-life salaries of some of our favorite characters, including the improbable bank account of Sex
and the City's Carrie Bradshaw (I never said the article was brand new). It seems, as a sex columnist in NYC,
Carrie probably would've earned $57,000. In Manhattan? That's poverty!Other characters and their real-life salaries:
- Homer Simpson, Nuclear Safety Inspector, The Simpsons: $64,000. He could so afford health insurance!
- Grace Adler, Interior Designer, Will & Grace: $40,700. No wonder she needs a roommate.
- Susan Mayer, Children's Book Illustrator, Desperate Housewives: $38,060. Alimony
probably pays for that house on Wisteria Lane.
- Sandy Cohen, Lawyer, The OC: $94,930. Maybe they got the McMansion for free from Kirstin's dad.
- John "JD" Dorian, medical resident, Scrubs: $37,000. It's understandable that he can't afford an apartment on his own, what with those med school bills and all.
- Michael Bluth, Acting company president, Arrested Development, $140,350.
- Christian Troy, plastic surgeon, Nip/Tuck: $156,500.
- Sidney Bristow, spy, Alias: $50,000.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-14-2006 @ 1:49AM
Belgand said...
As an obsessive viewer of the Simpsons I can state that Homer makes far less than that.
In the season 7 episode "Much Apu About Nothing" Homer received his paycheck and becomes upset about paying an extra tax to finance the Bear Patrol. Thankfully the show freezes on the paycheck where we see that after taxes Homer makes 362.19 for 40 hours of work. Doing the math this is $9.05/hr which is so amazingly low I can barely imagine raising 3 kids on it. Most crappy jobs that don't even require a high school education pay at least $7/hr.
In short doing the math for 52 weekly paychecks at this rate Homer would actually make $18,833.88 net.
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1-18-2006 @ 10:33AM
La Rue said...
Yes but she made $100,000 annually as an escort on top of her day job.
"Get it while it's hot."
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1-18-2006 @ 11:25AM
Ashley Boyd said...
Right im switching my major to medicine!
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1-18-2006 @ 11:52AM
Thomas said...
Really they should have had her doing something else to supplement her income. Perhaps they could of had her start selling weed to all her friends and then the show could have also dealt with how she coped with the two contrasting lifestyles.
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1-18-2006 @ 12:34PM
Borat said...
Haha with all the money Michael Bluth has to share with his family...it brings to my mind one great quote from the show:
George Bluth, Sr.: Michael, this is my brother! Do you know what it's like to have a sibling who has no source of income except for you?
Michael Bluth: Just one? No. No idea. It sounds wonderful, though.
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1-18-2006 @ 12:57PM
Tripp said...
You know, I kinda agree with this except with Gil Grissom, I'm SURE, makes more considering he is the head of a shift, holds a doctorate and the Las Vegas crime lab was stated on the show to be the #2 crime lab in the country.
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1-18-2006 @ 1:11PM
cicily said...
this is great. i always watch these people on tv and wonder why writers dont make the show salaries more realistic but i guess if i wanted to watch that i could just go outside
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1-18-2006 @ 1:19PM
Seth Brundle said...
A lot of those salaries are terribly lowballed. Most notably, no deliniation is made between salaried employee and small business owner, the latter being the #1 category of millionaries in the US. Also - location, location, location.
Nip/Tuck guys are not HMO nose hacks in Topeka, they are small business owners of the top cosmetic surgery practice in Miami serving top-shelf clientele - $1M each a year is probably a lowball.
Grace Adler - also a longtime small business owner doing interior design in NYC for over 2 years, she's doing $80k at *least*.
Lawyer's income can vary all over the map from $30k PD to millions a year M&A or partner. From the looks of his house, he's in the latter.
A *California* medical resident is probably more like $50k, but that show doesnt portend him having any money anyway.
*Starting* salary for a CIA field operative is $50k. Sydney's position is very senior and beyond elite and she's fluent in like (ALL?) languages.
If there's anyone's salary which is out of whack in the other direction it is Susan Meyers. It neither pays that well nor is the work steady. Keep in mind that there are only about 300 *novelists* in the US who can support themselves full-time only writing novels. Childrens book illustrators? Hah!
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1-18-2006 @ 2:22PM
Rachel said...
How about on "Friends??" Joey made NOTHING for most of the time, but was able to keep that apartment, even after Chandler moved out. And the girls' place? Rachel worked in a friggin coffee shop for the first half of the show. It was like a penthouse!
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1-18-2006 @ 2:26PM
JSimmons said...
I think we're all missing the point. We watch shows despite their lack of realism to escape our own realistic lives.
It wouldn't be much fun to be watching celebrities play characters who live in ordinary, bland homes or live on the wrong side of town.
To summarize, Hollywood is just that--fantasy and that's why we watch; otherwise, we wouldn't have any need nor desire to watch TV.
Instead, we'd be reading more and playing board games, etc.
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1-18-2006 @ 3:00PM
SamMalone said...
On Freinds, they explained the girl's apt. in one episode. It had been Monica's aunt or grandmother's, who'd passed away. They simply moved in without changing the name on the lease, and keeping the fixed rent figure she'd payed.
Maybe Joey lived off the royalties from that "Night Moves" music video he was in.
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1-18-2006 @ 6:38PM
Toonces D Cat said...
To be fair, Homer's caused so many lawsuits against himself it's safe to assume his salary might not cover all of his legal costs.
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1-19-2006 @ 3:37AM
Chris said...
"Sandy Cohen, Lawyer, The OC: $94,930. Maybe they got the McMansion for free from Kirstin's dad."
He did.
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