How the 'Friends' cast nabbed their insane salaries of $1 million per episode

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friends

"Friends"

Today, only a few actors make $1 million per half-hour episode of television. And they all happen to be starring on CBS's "The Big Bang Theory."

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The only other time that was accomplished was in 2002 when the cast of "Friends" successfully negotiated their historic $1 million-per-episode pay deals.

How did they pull that off? The simple answer is that all six cast members negotiated together. That meant that each one would be paid the same or they would all leave the hit show.

But there's so much more to the story, like how did they come up with collective bargaining? And how did others involved in "Friends" feel about it? Plus, how much would their $1 million be worth today?

Here's everything you need to know about the "Friends" stars' historic $1 million-per-episode salary negotiation:

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