Jim Parsons Banned Himself From Returning To TV, And His Yearly Television Salary Ensures He Doesn't Have To Return

Since The Big Bang Theory ended, Jim Parsons' net worth reached $160 million, and continues to climb. His massive net worth isn't too surprising given his contributions on TBBT, and becoming the highest-paid TV actor in Hollywood back in 2017.

However, in the following, we're going to take a closer look at how Jim Parsons continues to profit all these years later. The actor is still worth a fortune thanks to his residual pays from the comedy series. We'll take a closer look at how much the actor is pocketing, while also revealing why he isn't enticed by a return to television despite his profits throughout the years.

Jim Parsons Admitted His TV Days Are Done Given His Desire For New Experiences

Jim Parsons made a fortune on television. Back in 2017, he was the highest-paid actor in all of Hollywood thanks to his work as Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. However, once TBBT came to an end, he fled from LA, looking to start the next chapter in his career.

The actor revealed, "We did our final performance on a Tuesday night. On Wednesday, we did the handprints and stuff at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Thursday morning, I was on a plane out of L.A," he revealed with The Hollywood Reporter.

Parsons would also admit that althought TV changed his career, the plan was to keep away from such projects and keep things fresh instead.

"At this point, no," he said about returning to TV. "It was a wonderful ride and I never disliked a day of it. But what my spirit has been craving is new people, new experiences. I exercised the muscles of an ensemble that went on for 12 years. Now I want to be surprised."

Parsons would go on to reveal that he did have interest in working behind the camera in a director's position. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Parsons, but one thing is for sure, his salary ensures he's more than okay with whatever it is he chooses to do.

Jim Parsons Is Set To Make $10 Million Per Year Thanks To Backend Profits From The Big Bang Theory

Jim Parsons' decision to walk away from TBBT was met with controversy behind the scenes. Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki felt blindsided by the decision given that Parsons hadn't warned anyone. Ultimately the actor reflected on the moment, stating he didn't know the show would end.

"It's never nice to hear that you've done anything that's even accidentally made somebody angry or feel bad. But I was doing what I had to do, and that was the best way for me to handle it. To be honest, we weren't the kind of group that I felt needed to have a group meeting in that way."

Parsons revealed he wouldn't have been sad had the show continued on, "I can't say I was surprised, but I equally would not have been surprised if it had gone on. There was part of me that had a sense of delight that it might go on without me! But that isn't what happened."

Ultimately, ending the show wasn't a finacial risk for Jim Parsons, currently sitting on a net worth of $160 million. In addition, the actor is making a fortune of the backend. It is said that The Big Bang Theory is still generating $1 billion per year. With a 1% share of the backend, this means Jim is still pocketing a cool $10 million per year from the series.

Parsons had quite the setup thanks to the residuals. However, the same doesn't hold true for every cast member.

Unlike Jim Parsons, Kevin Sussman Was Impressed With His Residual Pay On The Big Bang Theory

Supporting cast member Kevin Sussman isn't making quite the same amount as Jim Parsons and in addition, The Big Bang Theory star explained that streaming changed the way he gets paid, and it is not for the better.

Sussman revealed alongside Deadline, “For me the big issue is residuals for streaming. I’ve known that it’s been untenable for years. I was surprised that it took this long for there to be a strike like this. I’ve seen residuals for my own shows absolutely tank once they go to streaming. I’m lucky because I was on The Big Bang Theory, which was on a broadcast network for years. Since it moved to streaming [like Max and Amazon Prime], it’s night and day. I don’t see how it’s possible for an upcoming actor these days to actually be able to make a living.”

The likes of Ben Affleck are looking to change this by improving the backend incentives for actors, given that they're almost non-existant nowadays. If a show really hits it out of the park, the backend profits can be that much more enticing for an actor.