Actress Sofia Vergara named world’s highest-paid TV actress for 5th time

LOS ANGELES — Sofia Vergara is the reigning queen of television.

The “Modern Family” star is the world’s highest-paid TV actress for the fifth year in a row, according to Forbes. With $43 million (before management fees and taxes), her salary is almost $20 million more than that of runner-up Kaley Cuoco, who earned $24.5 million. Unlike the list of film stars, she earns more than her male counterparts.

Aside from the hit ABC sitcom, Vergara can also thank a handful of lucrative product endorsements (from Head and Shoulders to Ninja Coffee Bar to Careisma Scrubs — a line of nurse scrubs) for the 66% spike in earning over the previous year.

Cuoco, who stars in “The Big Bang Theory,” tied with Vergara on last year’s Forbes list, when both actresses earned $28.5 million. Unlike the Colombian actress, Cuoco’s haul is based almost solely from her pay as Penny on the CBS comedy, commanding $1 million per episode.

Like Vergara, Cuoco and her TV ensemble costars negotiated their salaries together, making the gender wage gap on TV narrower than on film.

Mindy Kaling is the biggest climber on this year’s ranking, rising from eighth to third place with $15 million, from June 2015 to June 2016.

“Quantico’s” Priyanka Chopra cracked the list for the first time, coming in eighth with $11 million. The Bollywood star can also be seen on the Hollywood big screen alongside Dwayne Johnson, the world’s highest-paid actor, in the “Baywatch” movie.

Mariska Hargitay and Ellen Pompeo rounded out the top five, while Kerry Washington, Stana Katic, Julianna Margulies, and Vergara’s “Modern Family” co-star Julie Bowen made this year’s top 10.

The 15 highest-paid stars commanded a combined $208.5 million — $43.5 more than last year’s total of $165 million.