Real Name: Chip Esten
Salary Deal : $20,000
With his own musical and television career, Charles “Chip” Esten has done plenty in the entertainment biz. He portrayed Carl Hardee, Sr. in a commercial alongside his fictional son, Carl Junior. Esten played the role of Deacon on Nashville from 2012 until 2018, which helped bring him to greater fame and get his musical career off the ground.
He’s also appeared as Josh Porter in The Office and has had bit parts on the shows Thirteen Days and Enlightened. He’s also had an appearance on Whose Line Is It Anyway? His role as the Hardee’s patriarch was only $20,000, but don’t worry – his net worth is estimated at around $4 million.
The “Can You Hear Me Now?” Guy
Real Name: Paul Marcarelli
Salary Deal: $9 million
It was one of the most famous phrases a commercial had during the years from 2001 to 2011, and Paul Marcarelli raked in the big bucks with a total of $9 million. Thanks to their universal coverage, Verizon was able to build five simple words into a huge industry.
While Marcarelli starred in the commercials for a long time, he now speaks for Verizon competitor Sprint, using the new tagline “Can You Hear That?” It might not have the same ring, but Marcarelli is still doing good work for Sprint, starting in 2016.
The InVinceable Guy
Real Name: Vince Offer
Salary Deal: $2 million
Vince Offer first made his mark as the spirited and energetic face that demonstrated the amazing absorption of ShamWow, but he's also a comedian and writer. His first major film came in 1999, The Underground Comedy Movie . He not only does ShamWow commercials, he also writes, produces, and owns them.
In addition, he owns a slew of kitchen products (like the famous Slap Chop), along with the InVinceable and a number of other product lines. His salary deal is $2 million, but his total earnings are likely much higher since he owns the actual companies.
The Snapple Lady
Real Name: Wendy Kaufman
Salary Deal : $100,000
Kaufman wasn't picked out of a hat to foist flavored tea and juices at us – she got the part because she was the only one at Snapple who would answer fan mail. This caught the eye of the ad agency, who also thought her energetic, bubbly personality would work well on TV.
Snapple sales jumped from $23 million to $750 million in the nineties, and some hold Kaufman accountable. While she was removed for two years after Snapple was sold to Quaker Oats, the company quickly realized what they had lost, and brought her back in. She currently brings in $100,000 a year.
The Human PC Guy in Apple Commercials
Real Name: John Hodgman
Salary Deal: $3 million
Appearing in the famously-derided Mac commercials alongside the “Mac” Justin Long, Hodgman is supposed to be seen as the stodgy and outdated Windows PC, yet he is so well-known – and Long's character so annoying – a lot of people ended up siding with Hodgman.
Hodgman is also a humorist and writer, working with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. His writing has appeared in physical form and online. Apple paid a salary of $3 million. His most recent book, 'Medallion Status', came out in October of 2019. He has a degree from Yale in literary criticism and was an agent before becoming a writer.