Lauren Graham Says She’s Been Paid in ‘Love and Appreciation’ for ‘Gilmore Girls’
When Gilmore Girls first aired in 2000, no one could have anticipated the cultural icon the series would become. Its heyday didn’t occur when the series was airing on regular television. Instead, the show’s popularity reached a fever pitch a decade after it went off the air. Netflix helped make the series popular with an entirely new demographic. Netflix doesn’t compensate the cast for that, but Lauren Graham recently quipped that she is paid in “love and appreciation.”
Lauren Graham discusses her pay for ‘Gilmore Girls’
Lauren Graham loves how new fans are connecting with her character, Lorelai Gilmore. What she doesn’t seem to love is how streaming service providers compensate her for her work on Gilmore Girls. The famed actor recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and mentioned precisely what she earns every time her fans stream Gilmore Girls on Netflix. Graham and the rest of the cast earn nothing from Netflix for the series. She said there are no residuals on Netflix. Still, she says, she’s been played in love and appreciation.
A lack of residual earnings from streaming service providers was a central sticking point during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. While an agreement was reached regarding residuals, the model is complicated and focuses on bonuses for successful series. A traditional residual model still does not apply to shows airing on streaming service providers. Sean Gunn, the actor who took on the role of Kirk Gleason in Gilmore Girls, was outspoken during the strike.
How much was the Gilmore Girls cast paid during the show’s original run?
We can not confirm just how much each cast member made during their time on the set of Gilmore Girls. Still, estimates of Lauren Graham’s early earnings do exist. According to IMDb, Graham earned $50,000 per episode through the Gilmore Girls‘ first four seasons. According to the publication, she landed a pay increase of $100,000 per episode for season 5. It is unclear how much she made for the final two seasons. She was reportedly well compensated for her reprisal of Lorelai Gilmore. According to several sources, the famed actor was paid $750,000 per episode for the four-part Netflix.
Graham parlayed her time on Gilmore Girls into several successful starring roles in other series and movies. She appeared in Parenthood, took on a leading role in The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, and recently began work on The Z-Suite. Graham is also the author of several books. According to several outlets, the actor has a net worth of about $12 million.
