Ashton Kutcher is TV’s highest-paid actor

Ashton Kutcher may have stepped into the starring role on “Two and a Half Men” just last year, but his spot at the top-rated CBS sitcom has made him TV’s highest-paid actor, according to Forbes magazine, which just released its annual list of the highest-paid performers on TV.

Kutcher replaces Charlie Sheen, the previous star of “Two and a Half Men,” who topped Forbes’ list last year. The magazine estimates that Kutcher earned $24 million from May 2011 to May 2012.

“House” star Hugh Laurie hung up his stethoscope last year, but he still managed to land at No. 2 on the list with $18 million. He also had a bestselling blues album, “Let Them Talk.”

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Ray Romano’s new series, “Men of a Certain Age,” was canceled last year, but his paycheck from that, as well as his “Everybody Loves Raymond” syndication money, earned him $18 million last year.

Alec Baldwin and “NCIS” star Mark Harmon round out the top five with $15 million apiece.

The rest of the list includes Tim Allen, Jon Cryer, Patrick Dempsey, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Jason Segel.

Forbes had previously released a list of the highest-paid TV actresses, with “Modern Family’s” Sofia Vergara topping the list.

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Join Patrick Kevin Day on Google+ or Twitter. Email: patrick.day@latimes.com

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