The Walking Dead aired on AMC for 11 seasons with a total of 177 episodes. With each season, viewers were introduced to new characters and new exciting storylines. At its peak, The Walking Dead drew in 17 million viewers, truly changing the way networks thought about broadcast standards.
Although The Walking Dead began as a comic book series, the actors and actresses behind the story's characters played a huge part in what made the show successful. And due to the show's success, many of The Walking Dead's cast's net worths grew substantially from their time during and after the zombie apocalypse show. During its 11 seasons, The Walking Dead saw many faces come and go, and while there are several great Walking Dead cast members who did not make this list, these are 10 of the most popular and widely recognized cast members.
From Norman Reedus, who played the pivotal Daryl Dixon, to Rick Grimes' Andrew Lincoln and Glenn's Steven Yeun, here is the cast of The Walking Dead, ranked by net worth, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
10 Norman Reedus As Daryl Dixon In The Walking Dead ($40 Million Net Worth)
Norman Reedus is the richest cast member from The Walking Dead with a $40 million net worth, and as one of the most recognizable faces from The Walking Dead, appearning in 175 of its 177 total episodes, it makes sense. By the end of the series, Norman Reedus was earning $1 million per episode and earned his own spin-off series set in France, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, where he is also listed as an executive producer.
In addition to The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus has done voiceover work, starred in several movies, including The Boondock Saints, and owns his own production company called bigbaldhead. Reedus has also been a model for Prada and Levi's.
Related: The Walking Dead Paid Norman Reedus A Fortune To Play Daryl Dixon
9 Andrew Lincoln As Rick Grimes In The Walking Dead ($30 Million Net Worth)
Andrew Lincoln's The Walking Dead character, Rick Grimes, carried out a lot of the show's main storylines and at his peak, before he left the series during season 9, Lincoln was earning up to $650,000 per episode.
Andrew Lincoln's net worth of $30 million comes from his acting career, where he starred in several television series and movies, including Love Actually. Just like Norman Reedus, Lincoln earned himself a Walking Dead spin-off too, alongside Michonne's Danai Gurira called The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
8 Jeffrey Dean Morgan As Negan In The Walking Dead ($12 Million Net Worth)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan's arrival into The Walking Dead as Negan came during its sixth season and completely changed the entire universe. As everyone's favorite villain, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was earning $200,000 per episode.
Before TWD, Morgan starred in several movies and tv series, including Supernatural, The Good Wife, and Grey's Anatomy. The actor also has his own line of sunglasses. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's net worth will continue to grow as his Walking Dead spin-off, The Walking Dead: Dead City continues to air, with Morgan also listed as an executive producer of the series.
7 Melissa McBride As Carol Peletier In The Walking Dead ($9 Million Net Worth)
Melissa McBride has appeared in the second most episodes of The Walking Dead, with 174 total episodes under her belt as Carol. McBride's character growth takes Carol as a timid, abused wife to the impressive fighter, mother figure to all. According to StyleCaster, when McBride started The Walking Dead, she was paid $8,500 per episode, but that the amount grew exponentially before the series finale.
Melissa McBride's net worth should grow now as she expands her career outside the TWD universe, though fans are still hoping she makes an appearance with Norman Reedus on The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
Related: What The Future Looks Like For These Walking Dead Stars After The Show's Finale
6 Chandler Riggs As Carl Grimes In The Walking Dead ($8 Million Net Worth)
Chandler Riggs was just 10 years old when he was cast as Carl Grimes in The Walking Dead, and he held down the role until Carl's tragic exit during season eight. During his time on TWD, Riggs earned up to $100,000 per episode.
After leaving The Walking Dead, Chandler Riggs hopped right into another TV family with ABC's A Million Little Things. In addition to acting, Riggs' net worth is earned through his music, which he releases under his stage name Eclipse.
5 Tom Payne As Jesus In The Walking Dead ($6 Million Net Worth)
Although Tom Payne only appeared in 45 episodes of The Walking Dead, his role as Paul "Jesus" left a lasting impression on fans. Tom Payne was onboard with Jesus shock exit, as he admitted he had grown "kind of bored" with what his character had become and knew the series needed a big death to keep things moving forward with The Whisperers.
After leaving The Walking Dead, Tom Payne joined The Prodigal Son as the main character, Malcolm Bright, from 2019-2021.
4 Danai Gurira As Michonne In The Walking Dead ($5 Million Net Worth)
Danai Gurira was introduced as Michonne at the end of The Walking Dead season 2 and carried on as one of the series' main characters. Gurira earned up to $60,000 per episode by the end of the series and will be featured in the spin-off The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live as Michonne continues her quest to find Rick Grimes.
Outside TWD, Danai Gurira is recognized as Okoye from the MCU, featured in Black Panther and Avengers. In addition to acting, Gurira is also an award-winning playwright with four plays to her name so far, all of which help grow Danai Gurira's net worth.
3 Steven Yeun As Glenn Rhee In The Walking Dead ($5 Million Net Worth)
Steven Yeun instantly became a fan-favorite as Glenn Rhee on The Walking Dead, with his season 7 death listed as one of the most shocking and heartbreaking moments of the entire series.After The Walking Dead, Yeun turned down several roles, because he expressed wanting to play a new character, and he felt the offers were too adjacent to Glenn.
Steven Yeun eventually did find his footing and has landed many new roles, including several voiceover parts, Minari, Jordan Peele's Nope and Netflix's Beef, which he also produced. With his role in Minari, Yeun made history as the first Asian-American actor to be nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award.
Related: Did Leaving The Walking Dead Affect Steven Yeun's Net Worth?
2 Josh McDermitt As Eugene Porter In The Walking Dead ($4 Million Net Worth)
Josh McDermitt joined The Walking Dead as Dr. Eugene Porter during the fourth season. Though his character has had a love-hate relationship with fans, he ended the series on a good note. Before TWD, the actor and comedian starred in Retired at 35 on TV Land for two seasons.
Much of Josh McDermitt's net worth is believed to be from The Walking Dead, but since the series is over, McDermitt already has two new roles lined up and in production.
1 Lauren Cohan As Maggie Greene In The Walking Dead ($4 Million Net Worth)
Before joining The Walking Dead as Maggie during season 2, Lauren Cohan held roles is several other television series, including The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural. The actress also starred in ABC's Whiskey Cavalier.
Lauren Cohan's net worth is largely earned through her roles in film and television, but she also makes appearances as a keynote speaker for events. Since The Walking Dead has ended, Lauren Cohan jumped right into the Maggie and Negan spin-off, The Walking Dead: Dead City as the star and executive producer of the new series.
