Top Executives Compensation in 2025

Key Points:

• In 2025, median CEO pay across all U.S. industries reached $29.4 million, but top entertainment executives earned significantly more, often around $50 million or higher, driven largely by large stock awards.
• Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav led the pack with $165 million in pay last year and a potential golden parachute valued between $550 million and $887 million, despite 82% of shareholders opposing the exit package.
• Other high earners include Paramount CEO David Ellison, who received over $60 million mainly in stock awards following the acquisition of Paramount, and Comcast co-CEO Michael Cavanagh, whose $70 million package was also stock-heavy.
• CEO pay ratios in Hollywood far exceed the median 341:1 ratio seen in corporate America, with some companies like Disney and Paramount showing even higher disparities, although these ratios are complex to interpret due to differences in pay structure.
• Hollywood union leaders received notable raises in 2025, with increases around 10%, despite many union members facing job struggles; SAG-AFTRA’s Duncan Crabtree-Ireland remained the highest-paid labor leader with a $1.12 million salary.