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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Ricky Gervais has been reported saying that The Office syndication continued to send him checks—and that he cashed them because the rights were his. But no public source cited here establishes how much he personally earned. The often-quoted millions-per-episode figure describes the American series’ overall syndication deal, not Gervais’s cut.
What Gervais has said about the checks
Yahoo Finance’s 2013 coverage of a GQ interview quoted Gervais calling syndication “the gift that keeps on giving” and saying, “It was my rights, so I cashed the checks.” Yahoo Finance’s account supports the claim that he described receiving continuing syndication income. It does not identify the precise rights involved, disclose a payment amount, or provide his contract.
That distinction matters: Gervais’s reported remarks are evidence of his own description, not an itemized financial statement. The reviewed public sources do not establish his personal percentage, lifetime U.S. syndication earnings, or a verified fortune attributable to those rights.
What the reported syndication deal was worth
In 2007, TVWeek reported that industry sources valued the overall syndication price at $3 million to $4 million per episode, with barter included for cable and broadcast windows. That is a reported figure for distributing the series, not a statement of what Gervais received. TVWeek’s report does not break the deal value into individual recipients’ shares.
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The American The Office ran for nine seasons and 201 episodes, according to Paramount’s 2019 announcement. That episode count gives context for the scale of the series’ distribution, but multiplying it by the reported per-episode range would not reveal Gervais’s income: the sources do not say that every episode carried an identical fee or explain how proceeds were allocated.
How widely the American series was syndicated
NBC Universal’s domestic television distribution division had cleared the show for stations covering more than 93% of the United States ahead of its fall 2009 off-network launch, Broadcasting & Cable reported in March 2009, attributing the coverage figure to then-president Barry Wallach. The report describes station reach, not ratings or an individual’s royalty share.
A separate trade report covered the planned launch, negotiations, and asking prices. It also noted that some figures were disputed, so those negotiations should not be treated as settled final license fees. The historical report is useful for understanding the rollout, but does not establish Gervais’s personal compensation.
Broadcast reruns, cable, and streaming were different rights windows
“Syndication” can refer loosely to reruns across different outlets, but the reported arrangements were distinct. The initial U.S. station rollout, later cable windows, and streaming licenses should not be collapsed into one deal or one earnings figure.
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![The Office (Complete Series 1 & 2 plus Specials) - 4-DVD Set [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31-94LnaupL._SL160_.jpg)
- The Office (Complete Series 1 & 2 plus Specials) - 4-DVD Set
- The Office (Complete Series 1 & 2 plus Specials) - 4-DVD Set
| Rights arrangement | Territory and period | What the source establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Off-network station syndication | United States; launch planned for fall 2009 | Stations covering more than 93% of the country had cleared the show, according to Broadcasting & Cable’s 2009 report. The report does not identify Gervais’s share. |
| Cable reruns | Comedy Central’s exclusive cable window through 2021, then a non-exclusive Viacom Media Networks window through 2025 | Paramount’s 2019 announcement described these windows and said the deal sum was undisclosed. It is separate from the original station syndication rollout. |
| Streaming | Domestic U.S. streaming rights; five years beginning in 2021 | NBCUniversal announced in 2019 that it had secured exclusive rights to all nine seasons. It also said the show streamed for over 52 billion minutes in 2018; that company-reported viewing figure is not evidence of creator compensation. |
| British-format license | Russia; reported in 2008 | The Guardian reported that BBC Worldwide licensed the British format to Russia’s Channel One for a local adaptation. This is distinct from U.S. reruns of the American remake. |
Sources: Broadcasting & Cable, Paramount, NBCUniversal, and The Guardian.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a reported deal price cannot answer how much Gervais made
A distribution price and an individual’s income are different figures. The deal price reported by TVWeek concerns the series’ distribution; the sources do not show how that money was divided, which rights Gervais held, or what deductions or other contractual terms applied. His reported comment that the rights were his does not fill in those missing details.
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Other reported Gervais income belongs in separate contexts. A 2005 Guardian profile said he turned down a £5 million BBC deal and expected a substantial payment for executive-producing the American adaptation. It did not identify either amount as U.S. syndication income. The profile therefore cannot be used to calculate what he earned from reruns.
What can—and cannot—be concluded
- Supported: Gervais was reported saying that syndication kept generating checks and that he cashed them because the rights were his.
- Supported: Trade reporting put the overall syndication price at $3 million to $4 million per episode in 2007, and the American series had broad U.S. station coverage for its 2009 launch.
- Not established by these sources: Gervais’s precise contractual share, personal lifetime earnings from U.S. syndication, or a total fortune attributable to those rights.
The accurate answer is that Gervais has been reported describing syndication checks as an ongoing benefit, while the public figures available here do not prove how large his personal earnings were. The deal’s reported value should not be presented as his fortune.
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