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As fans patiently wait for Season 5 of the FOX hit TV series 9-1-1 to make its comeback this fall, series lead Angela Bassett has now reportedly become the highest-paid female actress of color in a network drama ever.
Bassett, who helped Ryan Murphy created the cop drama, is now being paid upwards of $495,000 per episode for the show’s upcoming season.
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To give you an idea of how Bassett’s earnings compare to some of her peers, TV Line shared that Kerry Washington made $80,000 an episode when Scandal started and $250,00 by its end. On How To Get Away With Murder, Viola Davis made $250,000 after two seasons into the show and $450,000 an episode by its finale.
For even more context, the outlet additionally reported that “Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo now fetches $575,000 for each episode of the ABC medical drama.”
In terms of how the rest of Bassett’s 9-1-1 co-stars fared, male lead Peter Krause, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Rockmond Dunbar, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Oliver Stark, and Ryan Guzman all received 25 percent increases, roughly amounting to $80,000 salaries per episode for each actor. By Season 6, it’s expected they’ll be making $100,000 an episode.
Deadline shared that the pay increases came after “lengthy negotiations” between the show’s TV studio and the actors themselves.
See Bassett in Season 5 of 9-1-1 when it premieres on Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
