10+ Times Celebs Helped Other Stars Earn Much More Money
Despite working in a cut-throat environment like Hollywood, many celebs unhesitatingly support each other. The power of solidarity and support among celebrities is undeniable. Many stars have gone above and beyond to advocate for their colleagues, ensuring they receive fair compensation for their work.
By making use of their influence, these stars have willingly helped their peers get higher paydays than ever before. They raise their voice to not only advocate for equal pay but reportedly endorse talented actors.
We’ve found some stories where celebs used their own power to help others make so much more money.
#1. Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, Kunal Nayyar, Simon Helberg, and Johnny Galecki accepted a $100,000 pay cut to help Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik increase their salary.
While the cast members were initially paid $1 million per episode, Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik just got a $175,000 salary for each episode. Realizing the unfairness, Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, Kunal Nayyar, Simon Helberg, and Johnny Galecki took a $100,000 pat cut to help two actresses make more money.
#2. Chris Pratt helped Bryce Dallas Howard up her price on projects related to Jurassic World.
In a 2018 interview with Insider, Bryce Dallas Howard revealed that she made $8 million which was less than Chris Pratt’s salary when filming the movie Jurassic World. She was so grateful for Chris because he helped her receive parity on the project. She said, “I love him so much for doing that. I really do, because I've been paid more for those kinds of things than I ever was for the movie,”
#3. William H. Macy supported Emmy Rossum asking for parity on Shameless.
During the first 7 seasons of Shameless, Emmy Rossum was paid less than William H. Macy. For the next one, she asked for parity and William totally agreed with it. He supported her to renegotiate her contract. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, she said, “I’ll tell you the person who supported me the most was William H. Macy. To have the man counterpart on my show be like, 'Yes, she does deserve this and more' was so validating. And after it became public, it was a quick resolution,”
#4. Tyler Perry was the first person to ever pay Taraji P. Henson $500,000 for a role.
Source: Mike Coppola / Getty Images
In 2019, Taraji P. Henson told Variety, “I was never in a position where I could not take a job; by the grace of God, they have all been really good characters. But it was never a situation where I was like, 'I’m not going to do that.' Now, I’m finally there,”
#5. With the help of Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer make five times her asking price for Jessica’s movie.
Source: Steve Granitz / Getty Images
Jessica Chastain discovered that Octavia has been underpaid for so long just because she’s a colorful woman. Jessica thought that it was time women get paid the same as men so she tried her best to demand Octavia Spencer’s rights. Her effort wasn’t useless when Octavia Spencer got a salary 5 times higher than before.
#6. David Schwimmer suggested his Friends cast members increase their salaries.
Source: Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images
Matthew Perry revealed that after the success of Friend’s first season, David Schwimmer encouraged the cast to renegotiate their contracts. Perry said, “I could not believe what he was saying. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I was perfectly happy to take advantage of his generosity of spirit.” Of course, they got higher pay than before. For Perry, it was a huge increase from the $22,500 the actor made for the pilot episode.
#7. Matt LeBlanc advised the Modern Family cast to renegotiate their contracts.
Source: Momodu Mansaray / Getty Images
Eric Stonestreet, Sofía Vergara, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ty Burrell, and Julie Bowen got higher pay, from $65,000 per episode to over $150,000. After years, Matte LeBlanc revealed that Jessed asked him for advice to increase their salaries. He said, “You have to walk out, or they won’t take you seriously,” and added, “If you stick together, you have power.”
#8. Chadwick Boseman cut his salary to help Sienna Miller increase her salary for 21 Bridges.
Chadwick Boseman and Sienna Miller starred together in the movie 21 Bridges. Chadwick Boseman told Sienna Miller that she should get more money for what she deserved and what she was worth. That made her heart melt. The actress told others the story and everyone was extremely quiet and thought about that for a while.
#9. Tyler Perry gave Cicely Tyson $1 million for one day of work.
Source: George Pimentel / Getty Images
Tyler Perry told AARP that he was willing to pay Cicely Tyson $1 million for a day’s work on the movie Why Did I Get Married?. He wanted her to be aware that many people appreciated her. He loves the way she acted and he said, “It makes me feel great that I was in a position to give this incredible woman some security in her latter years,”
#10. Will Smith gave Aunjanue Ellis and the rest of the King Richard cast bonuses.
Source: Momodu Mansaray / Getty Images
Aunjanue Ellis took on the role of Oracene Price, a tennis coach, and Venus and Serena Williams's mother. Despite her effort, she took less money on this project. The actress wrote a letter to Will about her compensation. After receiving this letter, Will increased not only her pay but other actors’.
#11. Adam Shankman told a studio to give Jennifer Lopez what she wants.
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Many might not know that Jennifer Lopez got a 9-million-dollar salary for her role in The Wedding Planner. At that time, it was a huge pay for a Latinx woman. In fact, the film's director Adam Shankman convinced the studio to pay her $9 million and the actress was so grateful for that.
What do you think about their actions? If you were in that situation, what would you do? Let us know in the comments.