Last month, we discussed Netflix paying $100M to keep the sitcom Friends streaming for another year. At the time the deal was announced, I assumed the cast themselves would not see any of that money, but it turns out, they will. And a decent amount, too. It was recently published that each cast member makes 2% of the syndication income, which means each one is making about $20M a year.

Fourteen years after the beloved sitcom went off the air, the show’s main six cast members, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry, continue to bring in a very hefty income each year, according to USA Today.

The stars all receive 2 percent of the syndication income, the outlet reported.

Because the Warner Bros. show brings in a total of $1 billion annually for the network, that means each cast member rakes in $20 million every year.

[From People via Dlisted]

Forgive my language but good googley-mogley, that’s some serious cash for work completed 14 years ago! I remember when the cast all banded together and negotiated their $1M per episode salaries and they were praised for their business acumen. I had no idea how good their deal was. And good for them – someone’s making a ton of money, why not a cut for the actors responsible? This also explains why there isn’t a real likelihood of a reunion. It won’t do any good to throw money at them because the money is already coming in. It also explains how the cast is able to either take breaks for personal reasons, which is great, or experiment with less mainstream roles – they simply have the luxury of doing so. Must be nice.

Speaking of the Friends’ careers, I checked IMDb to see what the gang was up to. Jennifer Aniston’s next big thing is her show with Reese Witherspoon. Courteney Cox is dabbling, including guest spots on shows like Shameless. Plus, if you haven’t seen her on Drunk History, you really need to. Lisa Kudrow’s had a great post-Friends career. Her next movie is an Olivia Wilde-directed film called Booksmart but I didn’t realize she’d had a reoccurring role on Grace and Frankie. Matt LeBlanc is headlining his fourth TV series, Man with a Plan, that begins its’ third season in February. I haven’t seen that one, but I was hooked on Episodes. Matthew Perry is looking after his health, as he should, and David Schwimmer is slowly doing more and more TV, currently with his arc on Will and Grace. I’m not loving the reboot of the show itself, but I do like his character.

Photo credit WENN Photos