Sofia Vergara Tops FORBES' List Of The Highest-Paid TV Actors

It’s the status quo for women in entertainment to earn less money than men. The top-paid movie actor is Robert Downey Jr., who we estimate earned $75 million between June 2012 and June 2013. Angelina Jolie, the top-paid actress, earned an estimated $33 million in the same time frame.

But in the world of TV, a woman sits atop the earnings pile (this year at least). With a haul of $30 million between June 2012 and June 2013, Sofia Vergaraearned more than any other TV actor, male or female.

But Vergara stands out from the crowd thanks to her lucrative endorsements. Vergara shills for brands like Diet Pepsi, Cover Girl and the medication Synthroid. She also has one of the best deals around with Kmart; her line of clothing at the discount chain is helping to bring in Hispanic shoppers.Vergara, who stars on the hit sitcom Modern Family, is paid about the same as the other main actors on the show, roughly $175,000 per episode.

Thanks to those deals, Vergara earned an estimate $6 million more than the highest-paid male TV actor, Ashton Kutcher. The Two and a Half Menstar earns more per episode than anyone else on TV, but his outside earnings don’t come close to Vergara’s. We estimate that Kutcher earned $24 million between June 2012 and June 2013, placing him second on our list. The vast majority of that money comes from Two and a Half Men, but he was also paid to play Steve Jobs in a biopic about the tech star this year and he still collects residuals from That ’70s Show.

Our numbers come from research for our annualCelebrity 100 list, which is based partly on the entertainment-related earnings of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Earnings estimates are based on conversations with agents, lawyers and other in-the-know folks. We do not deduct for taxes, management fees or the other costs of being a celebrity.

Ranking third on our list is Jon Cryer. Although he doesn’t earn as much as his Two and a Half Menco-star, Cryer’s payday has been steadily increasing over the years. We estimate he earned $21 million between 2012 and 2013. With Two and a Half Menwell into its syndicated run, Cryer stands to earn millions for years to come.

Ray Romano lands in fourth place, just barely sneaking onto our list thanks to an arc onParenthood (we only consider actors with current gigs on the small screen). Most of the actor’s estimated $16 million in earnings comes from residuals from Everybody Loves Raymond and his work as Manny the Mammoth in the Ice Agemovies.

After Vergara, the next woman on our list doesn’t appear until the bottom of our top 10. The Big Bang Theory‘s Kaley Cuoco ranks 10th with an estimated $11 million in earnings. Cuoco outearns her Big Bang co-stars thanks to her film work and Toyota commercials.