Mariska Hargitay’s Jaw-Dropping ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Salary Is Revealed
Mariska Hargitay at the Producers Guild Awards on February 28, 2026.Credit: Getty ImagesThe Gist
Mariska Hargitay makes $850,000 per episode on Law & Order: SVU.
This salary, reported by Variety, is for her work as both the star and an executive producer of the show.
The report comes as Law & Order: SVU marks its 600th episode.
Mariska Hargitay has portrayed Captain Olivia Benson since 1999, and now, her hefty Law & Order: Special Victims Unit salary has been revealed.
Mariska Hargitay at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, 2026.Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images
On November 12, Variety reported that Hargitay, 62, earns “nearly $850,000 an episode” for her work as both star and executive producer of the police procedural.
The actress also just marked a major milestone with the series: its 600th episode. In the Variety piece, she recalled the speech she delivered during the cast and crew’s celebratory dinner.
“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,” she said. “And you’ve shown that it’s not only possible, but it’s so much better than anyone could have imagined.”
Mariska Hargitay filming ‘Law and Order: Special Victims Unit’ on October 29, 2026 in New York City.Credit: Getty Images
Hargitay even teased what fans can expect from the episode, which airs on November 12. “It’s about a woman having her voice and being submissive or subservient in a way, or giving up our power or our instinct, and that’s an important story to tell,” she said. “Because so many women identify with that.”
The mother of three also reflected on her character’s “intense history” with Elliot Stabler, played by Christopher Meloni.
“Every relationship is fraught,” she said. “Every relationship has power dynamics, and will they/won’t they, and what could have been and what isn’t and why, and could they and can’t they, and the complexity of all that.”
Mariska Hargitay filming ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ on September 12, 2024 in New York City.Credit: Getty Images
Hargitay isn’t the only star whose salary was revealed by Variety.
In a story titled “TV’s Biggest Salaries,” also published on Thursday, the outlet disclosed the per-episode earnings of several other A-listers, including Zendaya ($1 million for Euphoria), Selena Gomez ($1 million for Only Murders in the Building), Reese Witherspoon ($2 million for The Morning Show), and Jennifer Garner ($1 million for The Five-Star Weekend).
on InStyle
Source: Entertainment
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