What Is Courteney Cox's Net Worth and Salary?
Courteney Cox is an American actress and producer who has a net worth of $150 million. Courteney Cox is best known for starring as Monica Geller on the hit television show "Friends." She starred in all 236 of the show's episodes over ten seasons between 1994 and 2004. Outside of "Friends," both before and after, she has enjoyed a successful film and television career.
Prior to "Friends," she notably starred in the 1994 Jim Carrey movie "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and 19 episodes of "Family Ties" in the late 1980s. After "Friends," she starred in the series "Dirt," which lasted 20 episodes, and "Cougar Town," which aired 102 episodes. In terms of the big screen, she's best known for starring in the "Scream" franchise, having made appearances in six installments to date. In 2023, Courteney Cox received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Early Life
Courteney Cox was born June 15, 1964, in Birmingham, Alabama. Her father, Richard Lewis Cox, was a businessman. Her mother is also named Courteney, so growing up, they were actually BOTH named Courteney Cox. However, in 1974, her parents divorced. At some point in the next few years, her mother married a man named Hunter Copeland.
Hunter's nephews are Ian Copeland, Miles Copeland, and Stewart Copeland. Stewart is the drummer for The Police, Ian managed the band, and Miles was their early booking agent.
Cox graduated from Mountain Brook High School and went to Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C. She didn't complete her architecture degree in favor of her pursuit of a career in acting and modeling.
Early Career
Courteney did not hit it big until moving to New York City and signing with the Ford Modeling Agency. After dabbling in modeling, Cox attended acting classes and landed a role on one episode of "As the World Turns" in 1984. Her first big break, however, was being cast by Brian De Palma in the infamous and iconic Bruce Springsteen video "Dancing in the Dark." Soon after, she joined the cast of the highly successful sitcom "Family Ties," in which she played Michael J. Fox's girlfriend.
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Movie and TV Career
In 1994, Cox's luck was at a high when she was cast in both Jim Carrey's hit film "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom "Friends." Cox starred for ten years alongside Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc. She had originally been asked to audition for the part of Rachel on "Friends" but was cast as Monica instead. This became her most famous role, which lasted for ten extremely successful seasons until its finale in 2004.
Cox was also a part of Wes Craven's highly successful "Scream" movie series, in which she played ambitious reporter Gale Weathers. She has played Gale in all six "Scream" movies that have been released as of this writing. During her ten seasons on "Friends," Courteney earned approximately $88 million in salary alone. In the first season, she was paid $22,500 per episode. In the final two seasons, she earned $1 million per episode. After "Friends," she starred as Lucy Spiller in the television series "Dirt" from 2007 to 2008. Cox was a first choice for a starring role on "Desperate Housewives," but due to her pregnancy, she was unavailable, and the part went to Teri Hatcher. Cox then starred as Jules Cobb on the TV series "Cougar Town" from 2009 to 2015. This was her most successful work since "Friends." Courteney also directed a few episodes of the show. She has also starred in other films, including "3000 Miles to Graceland," "November," "The Longest Yard," "Zoom," "Bedtime Stories," and "Mothers and Daughters."
In 2020, Cox guest-starred on "Modern Family" and "Stranger Things." Courteney also returned with her former colleagues in 2021's "Friends: The Reunion." From 2022 to 2023, she starred as Patricia Phelps on the Starz series "Shining Vale," which she also executive produced.
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Other Ventures and Personal Life
Courteney owns the production company Coquette Productions after creating it with her ex-husband, David Arquette. They met on the set of "Scream" and were married from 1999 to 2012. Their divorce was finalized in May 2013. They share a daughter, Coco, born in 2004. Before Arquette, she dated Michael Keaton, rock promoter Ian Copeland, and singer Adam Duritz. Cox began dating Snow Patrol band member Johnny McDaid in late 2013. They were engaged in 2014, but in 2019 announced they had broken off their engagement, although they remain in a serious relationship.
Courteney Cox Real Estate
In 2007, Courteney spent $17.15 million on a hilltop home in Malibu, California. In the same year, she listed a different house in Malibu, this one on the beach and designed by famous architect John Lautner. She listed this home for $33.5 million and ultimately accepted $27 million. The buyer was one-time Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.
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After selling this home, Cox and Arquette purchased a two-acre beachfront estate in Malibu for $9.15 million.
For a number of years, Courteney owned two units in the luxury Sierra Towers building in Beverly Hills. She spent around $5 million to buy the two units, which were both on the 25th floor. Cox sold one of the units in August 2020 for $2.9 million. She sold the second unit in December 2022 for $4.5 million. In both sales, the buyer was the same person, a 25th-floor resident who now owns more than half the entire floor.
In 2014, Courteney sold a Beverly Hills home to music producer Dr. Luke for $18 million.
"Friends" Salary
For the first season of "Friends," each cast member earned $22,500 per episode. That works out to $540,000 for the first season. Their salaries were boosted to $40,000 per episode in the second season. That works out to $960,000 for the second season. Ahead of the third season, when their contracts were up, the cast banded together to negotiate as a group. They ended up with a deal that paid $75,000 per episode of season three ($1.875 million for the season), $85,000 for season 4 ($2.04 million), $100,000 for season 5 ($2.5 million), and $125,000 in season 6 ($3.125 million). Ahead of season 7, the cast negotiated for a massive raise. They each ended up earning $750,000 per episode in seasons 7 and 8 ($18 million per season). For seasons 9 and 10, each cast member earned $1 million per episode. That works out to $24 million for season 9 and $18 million for season 10. If you total it all up, each cast member of "Friends" earned around $90 million in base salary alone from the show before backend bonuses and ongoing royalties.
"Friends" Royalties
As part of their 2000 contract negotiations, the cast was able to demand backend points on the show, which would allow them to earn royalties off the show's sale into syndication. Up to that point, the only other TV stars who had ownership stakes in shows were Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby. "Friends" continues to generate north of $1 billion per year in syndication royalties and streaming deals. It has been reported that each cast member in some years can earn $10-20 million in royalties alone.
