A career in comedy can be a lucrative one, but how lucrative is it? You might be wondering how much money your favorite television sitcom writers make, and whether or not you’ll ever be able to achieve their celebrity. This article will answer those questions and more, by breaking down exactly how much money television comedy writers make and comparing it to other professions. Read on and find out!
The Median Salary For A Comedy Writer
It’s no secret that many of television’s funniest creators are also its most financially successful ones, but just how wealthy are they? The median salary for a comedy writer is $75,000 per year, according to the 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics. For comparison, the median salary for a carpenter is $48,000 per year and a baker earns $63,000 per year. While not an exact science, these three professions are often considered to be the best paying ones. Being a comedy writer is considered to be a fairly lucrative career, but nothing super-secure.
The Top Earners
If you’re looking to make a career out of writing comedy, you’ll most likely be wondering how much you’ll need to earn. Fortunately, there are several prominent television sitcom writers who’ve banked enough money to truly cash in on their talents. Here are some of the highest paid television comedy writers of all time.
- Jim Carrey: $15 million per episode
- David Dobbin: $14 million per episode
- Lily Tomlin: $13 million per episode
- Connie Chung: $12 million per episode
- Sylvia Plath: $11 million per episode
These writers all work on various comedy series, with Carrey and Dobbin splitting the most recent record holder for the highest-paid comedy writer, “The Joker”, with $15 million per episode, as well as “King of the Hill”, “Married… with Children”, and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, which all earned Carrey and Dobbin, as well as Tomlin and Chung, $14 million per episode. It seems that being a comedy writer is quite the lucrative career, especially if you’re able to capitalize on your creative genius.
The Bottom Line
The salary for a comedy writer is quite high, but it’s also quite insecure. Many writers try to make their career writing for television, but often times the salary can vary from contract to contract. Additionally, many times the writers are not given any significant screen credits, which lowers their stature in the industry. Despite these drawbacks, writing for television can be a lucrative career if you’re able to attain some level of success. If you’re looking for a more secure profession, consider pursuing a career in medicine. There are several opportunities for medics to specialize in the fields of psychiatry or neurology, which could enable you to make a lot of money and gain some level of celebrity.