Ever wonder how much child stars make?

 

They're barely out of puberty and they're already earning more in a year than most adults will earn in a lifetime — but which underage actor is the richest on TV?




That would be 16-year-old Angus T. Jones, better known as Two-and-a-Half Men's Jake Harper. According to the New York Post, he makes around US$250,000 per episode — totalling to an annual salary of US$5.5 million.



In 2009 Jones told the Los Angeles Times that he isn't sure whether he'll continue acting when Two and a Half Men wraps up. With a pay packet like that, he won't need to work at all.



(Jones's co-stars are equally well-paid: his TV dad Jon Cryer reportedly pulls down US$450,000 per episode, while Charlie Sheen — the highest paid actor on US TV — makes US$800,000.)



The second highest child actor is Miranda Cosgrove, the 16-year-old star of Nickelodeon's iCarly. She earns a reported US$180,000 per episode.



But underage stars stand to earn a lot more if they expand beyond the small screen. Miley Cyrus, for example, makes "just" US$15,000 per episode of Hannah Montana, but earns millions more thanks to her recording and movie careers.



American TV's top underage earners (all figures in US dollars)

1. Angus T. Jones (16), Two and a Half Men: $250,000 per episode 2. Miranda Cosgrove (16), iCarly: $180,000 3. Selena Gomez (17), Wizards of Waverly Place: $25,000 4. Dylan and Cole Sprouse (17), The Suite Life: $20,000 each 4. Keke Palmer (16), True Jackson: $20,000 6. Miley Cyrus (17), Hannah Montana: $15,000 6. Rico Rodriguez (11), Modern Family: $15,000 8. Demi Lovato (17), Sonny With a Chance: $12,000 8. Victoria Justice (17), Victorious: $12,000 8. Atticus Shaffer (11), The Middle: $12,000