Mariska Hargitay has been on Law & Order: SVU since the dawn of time (no for real, Olivia Benson is the longest-running female character in a TV drama), and she has made…so much money along the way. Truly, she has even more in the bank than Taylor Swift’s cat (also named Olivia Benson), and that’s saying something because this cat is worth $97 million. In fact, the only person making more than Mariska in the world of Law & Order is Dick Wolf, whose net worth is a casual $600 million. On that note, still waiting for someone to buy me this shirt:
So How Much Does Mariska Make From Law & Order: SVU?
Mariska’s salary has changed quite a bit over the years, so let’s break it down. Between seasons 1-10, Mariska was making $375,000 to $385,000 per episode, according to Celebrity Net Worth. But then the SVU cast’s contract expired (giving them a perfect opportunity to re-negotiate), and in 2014, Forbes reported that Mariska was taking home $450,000 per episode—making her one of the highest paid actresses on TV at the time.
More recently in 2018, Forbes reported that Mariska was making $13 million per season, which puts her at over $500,000 per episode. And keep in mind these are LONG seasons! Like, 22 episodes worth at ~$500k each long.
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She Earns a Ton in Royalties
On top of Law & Order: SVU still airing new episodes, re-runs are on all the damn time. And yes, Mariska makes money from them. Celebrity Net Worthreports that she can make anywhere from $2 million to $4 million extra per year thanks to bonuses and syndications—meaning she’s usually earning up to $15 million total from SVU every year.
Mariska recently spoke about being the longest-running female character in TV drama history to Drew Barrymore, saying, “I feel very satisfied, sated, because I’m having I think more fun now than I ever had. So I feel grateful. I love my cast. I love them, they’re like family now, and I’m also grateful that the show that’s the longest running show on television is about believing victims. So that for me is the most rewarding thing.”
