‘Queer Eye’: How Much Does the Cast Get Paid?
Queer Eye has quickly gone from new Netflix show to cult favorite. Since it’s debut in 2018, the show has been wowing audiences and bringing them to tears all in one hour episode blocks.
What makes the show so relatable is its cast, better known as The Fab Five. Hair and beauty expert Jonathan Van Ness, culture guru Karamo Brown, architecture and home improvement wonder Bobby Berk, fashionista Tan France, and food and beverage connoisseur Antoni Porowski come together to make a gang of love and acceptance that everyone wants to be a part of.
But when the show first aired, no one had any idea that it would become the success that it is today. The original version of the show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy ran on Bravo from 2003 to 2007 and achieved great critical acclaim. But this was a different time with a completely new cast on a different network. There was no guarantee that it would work.
But somehow Netflix got it right. The charisma of each member of the cast paired with the amazing makeover stories keep audiences coming back to binge more and more of the show.
How did the cast negotiate their salaries?
The glue that keeps the show together is the chemistry between the Fab Five. They are like a little family that invites us into their lives week after week. If there was ever a rift between the men, it would greatly affect the success of the show. Which is why they insisted that they all be paid the same amount from the beginning.
“When the boys and I were cast, we banded together and made sure we got paid the same thing,” Van Ness told Page Six. “I’m really into that part of our story.”
This was one of the easiest ways to keep animosity between the team down.
“We’re homies,” he continued. “We’d all feel so resentful if one of us was getting more or less than the others. It would create a very, like, not cool work environment.”
It also helped the men build on their already existing relationships.
“[Insisting we all get paid the same] didn’t add to our personal relationships because we were all already close as friends, but it added to the trust we have because we know that we’re supporting each other in business, just like we do in life,” Brown recently told Insider. “And that’s really a comforting feeling.”
How much does the cast of ‘Queer Eye’ make?
According to a report from Variety, each member of the Fab Five earned $7,500 per episode of the first two seasons of Queer Eye. This is on the low end of the scale when it comes to Netflix. Other Netflix stars tend to earn much more. For instance, Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things
But the Fab Five was understanding of the low salary.
“When you’re coming into any brand new show — especially when it’s a reboot of a reality show — of course, they’re always going to be unsure of how it’s going to perform,” Brown told Insider.
After the success of the first two seasons, the men continue to be satisfied with the support that they receive.
“But they have been so fair about making sure that we have been happy and supported going into season three — and hopefully we have a lot more [seasons],” Brown continued. “So I will say that we all feel like the process has been exactly what it should’ve been.”
Read more:‘Queer Eye’: How to Get Chosen to Go on the Show
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