Wage

The Hollywood CEO Pay Mega Chart Revealed — and One Big Golden Parachute

Bob Bakish, gone from Paramount Global, but not without a hefty payout.

The top-paid Hollywood executive of the past year is one who actually left the entertainment industry scene more than a year ago.

With his severance package alone worth $69.3 million, more than the total pay packages disclosed for any other industry player, Bob Bakish, the former CEO of Paramount Global, was catapulted to the top of the annual compensation list. The three co-CEOs who succeeded him — aka “The Office of the CEO,” Chris McCarthy, George Cheeks, and Brian Robbins — all received packages in the $20 million range. As co-CEOs, they made $6 million each, with the rest of their compensation being pay for their respective existing and continuing executive roles. 

Bakish was ousted officially last April as Paramount owner Shari Redstone was in the middle of lengthy talks with David Ellison’s Skydance and RedBird Capital on a deal that would transfer ownership of the historic studio from the Redstone family to the Ellisons. At the time of Bakish’s exit there was some chatter that there was considerable daylight between the CEO and Redstone over which buyer would be preferable.

In any case, the new co-CEOs of Paramount that are custodians until if and when the Skydance deal closes, made about as much combined as Ted Sarandos. The Netflix co-chief received the biggest compensation among still-active industry top executives, closely followed by his co-CEO Greg Peters. Both received pay increases in 2024, while across The Hollywood Reporter‘s list, the gains and drops were roughly equal.

However, one trend of the past kept up. Many Hollywood top executives’ pay packages ended up above the median total compensation for this year’s first-take Equilar 100 list, compiled by the data firm based on annual compensation disclosures by the largest companies by revenue across multiple sectors. (That list was revealed at the end of March, meaning various big entertainment players are excluded.) The Equilar 100 median total pay was $25.6 million, which represents a 9.5 percent increase for the same set of companies from the previous year.

Virisa Yong/Getty Images; Courtesy of Paramount Global; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; Michael Buckner/Getty Images; Michael Kovac/Getty Images; Kevin Winter/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images; Bryan Steffy/Getty Images; John Nacion/Getty Images; Greg Doherty/Getty Images; Jason Kempin/Getty Images; Christopher Polk/Getty Images; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images; John Shearer/WireImage; Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Kristina Bumphrey/Getty Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images.

Looking at the broader entertainment industry compensation compiled by THR, many toppers received “sizable” long-term stock or options awards, notes Amit Batish, senior director of content at data firm Equilar. Despite weak stock performance at some of these companies, the media and entertainment industry is constantly evolving, and both companies and boards prioritize long-term stability in their top executive roles. This desire for continuity may help explain why many of these pay packages exceed the median in our study.”

For comparison, and taking a broader view across all industries, the Equilar list is led by Jim Anderson, the CEO of Coherent Corp. (which makes equipment for networks and lasers), whose compensation package amounted to $101.5 million. Microsoft boss Satya Nadella ranks fourth with $79.1 million, followed by Apple CEO Tim Cook with $74.6 million.

Disney CEO Bob Iger is No. 12 on that broader list across industries, topping the $40 million mark. In 2023, Iger took home compensation valued at $31.6 million, with most of that in the form of stock and option awards. And, not on the above list since they aren’t CEOs, but nevertheless notable: Disney CFO Hugh Johnston had a pay package totaling $24.5 million last year and the company’s chief legal and compliance officer Horacio Guttierez had pay valued at $15.8 million.

Ari Emanuel is also an asterisk on this list. In 2024, TKO CEO Emanuel received a package valued at $18.1 million, down from $65 million in 2023, the year TKO was created and went public. Separately, in March, Endeavor disclosed that Emanuel received $174 million in connection with its go-private deal in 2025. Also receiving handsome compensation, though not a CEO, at WWE and UFC owner TKO? Dwayne Johnson, who received stock compensation totaling $29.9 million as part of a promotional agreement that saw him return to the WWE ring.

Across the Equilar 100 companies, stock award values increased by a whopping 40.5 percent in the latest year. “This suggests that companies are increasingly willing to offer premium pay to attract and retain top talent, particularly through long-term awards often tied to company performance,” the expert explains.

That is a factor that explains why SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz recorded the biggest year-over-year compensation growth by far, with a whopping 415 percent. She benefited from receiving stock awards of $16.2 million and option awards of $16.5 million, after not getting any in 2023, as long-term equity incentives intended to cover three years about the renewal of her employment contract.