Big Bang Theory main cast offers to take pay cut for co-stars

The Big Bang Theory. Photo / Getty

The five main cast members of Big Bang Theory have taken a pay cut to help out two of their co-stars.

According to Variety, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg each offered to drop their pay from $US1 million ($1,396,999.25NZ) per episode to $900,000 ($1,257,299.32NZ) for a potential 11th and 12th season of the sitcom.

The money saved from the pay cut will be split between Mayim Bialik (who plays Amy Farrah Fowler) and Melissa Rauch (who plays Bernadette Rostenkowski).

Those two actresses are the only cast members who haven't yet signed on for the next two seasons of the show.

In the 10th season, Bialik and Rauch were reportedly paid $200,000 ($279,399.85NZ) each per episode, but the show's main five stars are hoping that the pay rise to $450,000 ($628,649.66NZ) per episode each for the next two seasons will convince them to sign on.