The Major Money Struggles Noah Wyle Dealt With After ER Ended

Noah Wyle has become the king of the TV medical drama. He won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch on HBO Max's "The Pitt," but the first time most people ever saw him on their TV screens was as Dr. John Carter on the hit NBC series "ER." He was only 23 when the series debuted in September 1994 and was a series regular for 11 seasons. However, while his co-star George Clooney went on to become an A-list movie star and live a very lavish life, Wyle didn't have the same kind of success after he hung up his stethoscope. He kept working, starring in shows like "Falling Skies" and "The Librarians," yet all fell short of the role that had made him so famous, which caused financial issues. 

In January 2026, to promote the second season of "The Pitt," Wyle sat down with The New York Times, where he spoke about how bad it got for him after he stopped playing Dr. Carter. He actually got so desperate for money that he thought about selling his prized collection of baseball cards. It's a bit confusing that he'd face financial difficulties when he made so much money on "ER." In 1998, Variety reported that Wyle had signed a contract extension for "a bit less" than the $35 million Anthony Edwards was getting. In 2001, Entertainment Weekly had Wyle earning about $9 million per year on an "ER" contract, taking him through the season ending in 2004. So where did all of his money go?

When Noah Wyle was shooting "ER," he lived in a 5,000-square-foot house sitting on 80 acres in Santa Ynez, California, which he purchased for the sum of $2.6 million (via SFGate) — talk about a lavish celebrity home. In 2019, he spoke to Cowboys & Indians about the first time he saw his future abode. "I was way too young to buy — didn't have enough money to buy it, and didn't know how to maintain it. I think it's one of the best decisions I've ever made." The house was put up for sale in 2020 at nearly $6.5 million, but the listing was pulled a few months later. 

Wyle never went away after "ER," but "The Pitt" was far more popular than the "Leverage: Redemption" series he was coming off of. With all the prestige and awards, it surely meant he started earning a hefty paycheck again, too, right? A Deadline exclusive from 2024 revealed that the HBO Max series gave most of its cast a fixed salary of $35,000 or $50,000 per episode, but didn't reveal the salary given to Wyatt as the show's lead and executive producer.  

We don't know how much money Wyle is racking up on "The Pitt," but his baseball card collection is safe. During a January 2026 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," he beamed with pride over his accumulation, which includes a baseball signed by the entire roster for the 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers. That has to be worth a pretty penny, so let's hope things never get so bad for Wyle that he ever needs to consider parting with his valuables again. And if you're interested in learning more about the stars of "The Pitt" check out what they look like in real life and who they're dating!