Top Hollywood Exec Made Half a Billion Between 2018 and 2022

Billie Melissa
·1 min read

Since the Screen Actors Guild joined the WGA on strike, the pressure is on for studio execs to open their purse and provide the artists of the industry with the fair raises and protection they deserve.

In a report from the LA Times, the analysis showed that David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, was paid almost half a billion dollars between 2018 and 2022. A whopping 384 times the average Hollywood writer, according to CNBC, who also provided a look at the top 10 highest-paid Hollywood execs over the last five years.

  1. David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.: $498,915,318

  2. Ari Emanuel, Endeavor Group Holdings Inc.: $346,935,367

  3. Reed Hastings, Netflix: $209,780,532

  4. Bob Iger, Walt Disney Co.: $195,092,460

  5. Ted Sarandos, Netflix: $192,171,581

  6. Rupert Murdoch, Fox Corp.: $174,929,867

  7. Lachlan Murdoch, Fox Corp.: $171,359,374

  8. Brian Roberts, Comcast Corp.: $170,158,088

  9. Joseph Ianniello, Paramount Global: $152,793,125

  10. Patrick Whitesell, Endeavor Group Holdings Inc.: $143,584,597

These riches are a far stretch from what the unions are requesting. Many actors in the Screen Actors Guild do not make enough in a year to meet the $26K threshold for health insurance.

The WGA has been on strike for 76 days now, and with SAG joining them, the demand for a fairer industry grows.