How Much Was The Scrubs Cast Paid For Their First & Last Episode?

The long-running sitcom, Scrubs, followed a group of medical interns in their day-to-day at the fictional teaching hospital Sacred Heart. Originally airing on NBC before transferring over to ABC, Scrubs lasted an impressive nine seasons and included 182 episodes.

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While the last season featured only three returning characters, the show's previous eight seasons certainly resulted in salary bumps for the principal cast. This is standard in an industry where negotiations frequently take place in between the shooting of seasons. Cast salaries are not always readily available, but audiences still have access to enough information to determine who was paid the most.

8 Judy Reyes - Salary Unknown

Judy Reyes's Carla Espinosa, a nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital, stayed on for the show's first eight seasons. A memorable character who is always around to spout wisdom, Reyes's performance ensured that she would be around for many episodes.

Judy Reyes's salary for Scrubs is unknown. However, according to Digital Spy, she quit the show over a contract dispute. In her words, as recorded by Digital Spy: "Their salaries exceed the budget ... so do their ambitions. Mine do too." If Scrubs is ever rebooted, perhaps series creator Bill Lawrence and crew can make it right.

7 Ken Jenkins - Salary Unknown

Chief of Medicine Dr. Robert Kelso was a man so desensitized by his death-oriented surroundings that he frequently favored money over ethics. Perpetually hesitant to show his soft side, Dr. Kelso always served as a minor antagonist to the show's central characters.

As a main cast member throughout the first eight seasons, it would be fair to expect Jenkins' salary to have increased dramatically. However, no information is available on his salary for the first and final episodes.

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5 Donald Faison - First Episode: Unknown / Last Episode: Approx. $76.9K

Donald Faison's Dr. Chris Turk was the other character to stay on for the duration of the show's rebooted ninth season. Serving as the best-friend character to Zach Braff's J.D. for the first eight seasons, Turk ended up taking on a teacher role at the fictional Winston University's medical school.

While Faison's salary towards the beginning of the show's run is unknown, Celebrity Net Worth estimates that he was paid about $76.9k per episode. In short, his decision to stay on for the final season's 13 episodes earned him over $1 million.

4 Neil Flynn - First Episode: Salary Unknown / Last Episode: Approx $100K

Arguably the show's most memorable character, Neil Flynn's character went by the simple name of The Janitor for the majority of the show's run. Always playing pranks on J.D., The Janitor was an expert liar and joker who quickly worked his way into viewers' hearts.

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The Janitor was initially a supporting character before growing in stature as a fan favorite. With that rise in stature comes negotiation power. Flynn's salary for the first few seasons is unknown, but the Gazette Review states that he was making about $100,000 per episode in Season 8 (his final season as a principal cast member).

3 Sarah Chalke - Salary Unknown

Dr. Elliot Reid, M.D. was with the series as a main character for the first eight seasons. As Sacred Heart Hospital's resident endocrinology expert, Dr. Reid is constantly tending to a patient or avoiding the advances of The Janitor. Initially disrespected, Dr. Reid went on to be a more than competent practicer of medicine.

In spite of the fact that Sarah Chalke played one of the central protagonists throughout Scrubs' first eight seasons, her salary is unknown. While a few salaries from the show's duration have leaked, Chalke's pay for even the last season is a mystery. Considering Chalke could be part of a series reboot, she could almost certainly negotiate a salary bump.

2 John C. McGinley - First Episode: $30K / Last Episode: $500K

Chief of Medicine Perry Cox has gone on to become one of character actor John C. McGinley's most beloved characters. Serving as an instructor and hesitant mentor to J.D. and the gang, Perry is quick-witted but slow to dish out praise. Furthermore, Perry is one of only two characters to stay with Scrubs throughout the entirety of the series' run.

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As one of the more reputable and well-known actors in Scrubs' cast, John C. McGinley was also apparently entitled to a higher salary. According to articlebio.com, McGinley was earning $30,000 per episode during the show's early years, but saw his salary rise to $500,000 per episode in season 8.

1 Zach Braff - First Episode: Unknown / Last Episode: $350K+

As the main protagonist, Dr. John Michael "J.D." Dorian, M.D., Zach Braff was entitled to one of the higher salaries in the cast. Always aspiring to have both Dr. Cox's approval and Dr. Reid's heart, J.D. guides the viewer through a day in the life at Sacred Heart Hospital. Through J.D.'s narration, audiences fell in love with not just his character, but the cast as a whole.

Scrubs allowed Braff's star to rise to the next level. In fact, at the series' peak in popularity, Braff earned $350,000 per episode. Essentially, according to Celebrity Net Worth, he earned $3.85 million for the seventh season (and at least that for the eighth season). Furthermore, Braff served as director for seven episodes of the series. Pulling double duty like this entitles an artist to a separate paycheck for each episode they have directed. In short, Scrubs made Zach Braff both a household name and a very rich man.

NEXT: 10 Times The Line Between Fantasy And Reality Were Blurred In Scrubs

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