You might think the cast of The Big Bang Theory were all best buddies laughing in the cafeteria forever — but behind the camera, things got tense.
Reports confirm that when the five original stars (Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar) were earning ~US$1 million per episode, the two newer cast members (Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch) were being paid significantly less. Sources say this pay-gap “rocked the dynamic.”
One insider said: > “Kaley is furious at Mayim for trash‐talking her earnings… She thinks it’s just sour grapes and jealousy.”
The tension reportedly built during table-reads, in downtime between takes, where laughter would sometimes mask serious stress.
Eventually, the producers stepped in and raised Bialik’s and Rauch’s pay, and the cast renegotiated deals. But the moment of truth remains: what if the show had cracked right then?
The household of nerds we watched may have kept their set smiles, but off-camera, the sagas of contracts, egos and inequalities were very real.
