According to Forbes Magazine, Sofia Vergara takes this year’s slot as the highest–paid actor on television, male and female. Forbes estimates that Vergara, 41, brought in $30 million between June 2012 and June 2013.
Her salary of about $175,000 per episode of the hit show "Modern Family" certainly contributes to her title, but it is her numerous brand endorsements that carry her to the top of the list. The Emmy–nominated actress serves as spokesperson for Diet Pepsi, Cover Girl, Comcast, State Farm Insurance, and a thyroid medication called Synthroid. The LA Times reports that Vergara also has a successful clothing line at Kmart, is executive producer of ABC’s "Killer Women" and is half of the Latin World Entertainment management company.
Her title comes as a welcome shock at the heels of decades of Hollywood gender discrimination. Considering the gap of over $40 million between the highest–paid film actor of the year, Robert Downey Jr., and actress of the year, Angelina Jolie, respectively, Vergara’s enormous salary marks a big change for women on screen. The star made approximately $6 million more than the highest–paid male TV actor, "Two and a Half Men" star Ashton Kutcher, and nearly three times as much as the next woman on the list, "Big Bang Theory" actress Kaley Cuoco.
These numbers were collected by Forbes as a follow–up to their list of the 100 Most Powerful Celebrities, where Sofia Vergara fell in at number 54. While huge salary gaps still exist for actors on both the big and small screens, Vergara’s popularity as a spokesperson indicates a new demand and respect for women in Hollywood.
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CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, it was stated that Sofia Vergara is a spokesperson for Diet Coke. She is actually a spokesperson for Diet Pepsi.