The six main cast members of “Friends” made $2.5 million EACH to appear on the HBO Max reunion special. Which is NOTHING compared to what they made over the course of the show.
But it’s A LOT more than they made for the entire first season.
When they started out, they were making $22,500 per episode. There were 24 episodes, meaning their Season 1 salaries were $540,000 each. Which is HILARIOUS, given that they ended up making $1 million per episode.
But not right away. In Season 2, they were making between $22,500 and $40,000 each . . . but not everyone was being paid the same. David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston were making the most.
Then they started negotiating as a TEAM, and from then on, the six of them were always paid equally. Their pay steadily increased until they reached the $1 million mark in Seasons 9 and 10.
And they STILL get about $20 million a year from syndication. EACH.