• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Arts & Entertainment

Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman Reportedly Getting $1 Million Per Episode for ‘Big Little Lies’

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 17, 2018, 1:23 PM ET

HBO’s Big Little Lies cleaned up during TV’s awards season and now the television show’s two biggest stars are heading for a major payday.

Actresses Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman (who both also executive produce the series) will reportedly earn roughly $1 million apiece for each episode of the upcoming second season of Big Little Lies, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That’s considerably more than the $250,000 and $350,000 per episode that Witherspoon and Kidman pulled in respectively for the show’s first season, which aired in early 2017. Actresses Shailene Woodley and Zoë Kravitz are also reportedly getting “sizable” raises, according to THR, though their specific salaries were not reported.

The show’s second season is expected to air sometime in 2019.

The new report cites anonymous sources saying that Witherspoon and Kidman will also be paid executive producer fees along with a percentage of the second season’s eventual profits, and that the two actresses used Witherspoon’s recent lucrative dealings with Apple as leverage while negotiating their new salaries with HBO. Witherspoon and actress Jennifer Aniston are reportedly each getting $1.25 million per episode for their upcoming drama series about the world of morning TV talk shows for the tech giant, which is rapidly ramping up its push into original programming. Witherspoon has multiple TV projects in the works with Apple.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Time Warner’s HBO announced plans for a second season of Big Little Lies at the end of 2017, and the series’ first season won multiple honors at the 2017 Emmy Awards and the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, including being tapped as the best limited TV series at both events. HBO programming president Casey Bloys told THR that the premium cable network wanted new deals for the actresses in place in order to move forward with the show’s second season, though he declined to blame Apple. “Every outlet has to make their own decisions about economics that make sense for them,” Bloys told THR. “I’m not going to shake my fist and say, ‘Darn it, Apple!’ If that’s what made sense for them for that show, God bless.”

News of the raise for the Big Little Lies cast also came on the same day as a THR feature that details actress Ellen Pompeo’s negotiation process with Walt Disney’s ABC for her show Grey’s Anatomy. Pompeo recently signed a deal that pays her roughly $20 million per season, making her the highest-paid actress on a primetime TV drama.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

ticketmaster
LawAntitrust
DOJ rips into Ticketmaster monopoly in court: ‘today, the concert ticket industry is broken’
By Larry Neumeister and The Associated PressMarch 3, 2026
8 hours ago
triceratops
InvestingAuction
Billionaires’ latest luxury asset class is dinosaur bones, boosted by Pharrell’s new auction platform
By R.J. Rico and The Associated PressMarch 3, 2026
12 hours ago
wolfgang
CommentaryLeadership
Europe doesn’t lack tech talent. Its leaders lack execution
By Wolfgang OelsMarch 3, 2026
16 hours ago
Photo of a young man holding a smartphone having his face scanned
LawSocial Media
Social media companies are fighting the ‘age verification trap’ as collecting biometrics on kids violates privacy rights
By Catherina GioinoMarch 2, 2026
1 day ago
scream
Arts & EntertainmentBox office
‘Scream 7’ rides millennial slasher nostalgia to $64.1 million opening at box office
By Jake Coyle and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
roger
Arts & EntertainmentBook Excerpt
Scenes from the 2010 World Cup: Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett recalls the journey from niche podcast to soccer trailblazer
By Roger BennettMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Interest on the $38.8 trillion national debt has tripled since 2020, and it already costs taxpayers more than defense and Medicaid
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 2, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard controls a sprawling business empire that dominates the economy
By Jason MaMarch 2, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
U.S. military gives Iran a taste of its own medicine with cheap copycat Shahed drones, while concern shifts to munitions supply in extended conflict
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 2, 2026
By Danny BakstMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
American schools weren’t broken until Silicon Valley used a lie to convince them they were—now reading and math scores are plummeting
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, March 3, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 3, 2026
13 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.