Mariska Hargitay has sparked fresh interest after reports revealed the extraordinary salary she earns for her long-running role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The 62-year-old Emmy winner has portrayed Detective Olivia Benson—now Captain Benson—for 27 years, beginning with the series premiere in September 1999.
Her responsibilities expanded in 2014, when she also became an executive producer starting with season 15, a move that boosted her compensation.
Variety reports that Hargitay now earns an impressive $850,000 for every episode of the hit police drama.
Apart from the abbreviated 25th season, which was affected by the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, SVU has typically delivered 21 or 22 episodes annually over the past five years. That means Hargitay could earn between $17.85 million and $18.7 million during the show’s 28th season.
The reported figure comes as NBC prepares to broadcast the 600th episode of Law & Order: SVU on Thursday evening.
Mariska Hargitay has drawn attention after her enormous Law & Order: Special Victims Unit salary was disclosed (Above, on the SVU set on October 26 in New York City)
Variety reports that Hargitay, 62, receives $850,000 per episode, potentially bringing her season earnings to $17.85 million-$18.7 million across 21 to 22 episodes (Above, on Law & Order: SVU)
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Hargitay and NBC for comment, but neither has responded.
The size of Hargitay’s reported paycheck stands out because SVU continues to produce the lengthy seasons associated with major broadcast networks. By contrast, many prominent streaming and prestige cable dramas run for just six to 12 episodes.
For comparison, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are each reportedly paid $2 million per episode for Apple TV+’s The Morning Show, amounting to $20 million apiece for a 10-episode season.
Page Six has reported that Zendaya earned $2 million per episode for the third season of Euphoria.
The three leads of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building—Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short—are also said to receive $1 million per episode. The comedy has released 10 episodes in each of its five seasons so far.
Ellen Pompeo provides one of the closest comparisons to Hargitay because she, too, has headlined a major network series.
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Like Hargitay, Pompeo remained at the center of Grey’s Anatomy through numerous cast changes over more than two decades. She reportedly earns $20 million per season, with recent seasons running for roughly 18 episodes.
Following a dinner celebrating SVU‘s 600th episode, Hargitay delivered a toast to the series and her colleagues. She later revisited the speech while speaking with Variety.
Hargitay’s reported earnings would place her among television’s highest-paid female performers and actors overall. The news arrives as SVU marks its 600th episode on Thursday night (Above, on October 27 in New York City)
Hargitay recalled telling former ER star Julianna Margulies in 2024 that she considered leaving SVU before viewers saw her as a ‘one-trick pony.’ Margulies replied: ‘Sweetheart, that ship’s sailed’ (Above, on October 25 in New York City)
She was joined by former co-star Christopher Meloni, who played Detective Elliot Stabler until his departure in 2011. He is set to make another guest appearance in the 600th episode
‘Here we are at episode 600, and it really doesn’t feel totally real—which, in a way, is exactly how it should feel, because it’s as if we all get to live in this dream of what you thought might be possible someday,’ Hargitay said, becoming emotional. ‘And you’ve shown that it’s not only possible, but it’s so much better than anyone could have imagined.’
Even with the milestone approaching, Hargitay acknowledged that she had not initially wanted to attend the celebration.
‘I wanted to go home and go to bed,’ she admitted. Still, she made the effort to attend and ended up seated with creator Dick Wolf and Christopher Meloni, her former co-star and the original partner to her character’s detective.
Meloni, who has returned for several SVU guest appearances since leaving the show in 2011, will once again reunite with Benson in the landmark episode.
Despite her initial reluctance, Hargitay said the dinner became ‘one of the most extraordinary, meaningful nights, and unexpectedly so to me.’
‘Dick got up and said, “This has never happened, and it will never happen again.” And everything just landed that night,’ she recalled.
Hargitay also revisited doubts she experienced in 2024, during season 25, when she spoke with former ER star Julianna Margulies about whether she should continue on the series.
‘I said, “I’ve got to leave the show too. I don’t want people to think I’m a one-trick pony.”‘
Margulies responded: ‘Sweetheart, that ship’s sailed.’
