Ashton Kutcher Crowned 2012's Top Paid TV Actor

After landing his latest small screen role on the CBS hit "Two and a Half Men," Ashton Kutcher** now finds himself at the top of Forbes' Highest-Paid TV Actors list.
The 34-year-old Hollywood heartthrob snatched up the role as Walden Schmidt last year, and ended up raking in a whopping $24 million, as well as taking the coveted title from his character's predecessor, Charlie Sheen, who earned a cool $40 million in 2011.
So who else ranked supreme in television gold? "House" star Hugh Laurie** nabbed the number two spot with an impressive $18 million while "Men Of a Certain Age" actor Ray Romano** came next with a nearly identical paycheck.
Two-time Emmy Award winner Alec Baldwin** of "30 Rock" and "NCIS" lead Mark Harmon rounded out the top five with matching paydays of $15 million.
Tim Allen**, Patrick Dempsey**, Jon Cryer**, and Jim Parsons** all did quite well for themselves, as well.

Chimdindu Nweke