Martha Stewart cleared $65 million a year in royalties from her Kmart brand deal during the 1990s, the businesswoman revealed on a podcast.
Speaking on the MasterClass podcast Other People's Business on Oct. 6, the 85-year-old mogul said her Martha Stewart Everyday line generated nearly $2 billion in annual merchandise sales. She said the royalties funded the development of her magazine and her wider commercial operations.
Before her Kmart deal, Stewart ran a catering business that grossed slightly more than $1 million. However, she noted that the business required grueling physical labor, a large staff, and high overhead costs.
Stewart, who served five months in prison starting in Oct. 2025 following convictions for conspiracy, making false statements, and obstruction of justice related to stock sales, noted that royalty rates have dropped significantly. Standard deals now pay around 3 percent of wholesale, while social media branding often pays influencers in goods. Stewart added she receives $40,000 worth of clothes just to attend a fashion show.
Hollywood film salaries and pay gaps
Stewart's disclosure comes alongside revelations of compensation disparities across Hollywood. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence was paid $25 million for Adam McKay's disaster comedy Don't Look Up, while co-star Leonardo DiCaprio earned $30 million. Lawrence told Vanity Fair that DiCaprio brought in more box office, though she noted broader gender pay inequality, a topic she first spoke out about after the 2014 Sony email hack revealed pay gaps on 2013's American Hustle. She told Channel 4 News in 2017 she was angry about unfairness rather than the money.
Jonah Hill accepted $60,000 before commissions and taxes for 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street, while DiCaprio made $10 million. Hill told The Howard Stern Show in 2014 that he took the lowest possible amount to secure a role with director Martin Scorsese, relying on films like 22 Jump Street to pay rent. The Moneyball alum earned his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for playing the substance-abusing stockbroker.
Other stars took minimal pay for prestige roles. Adrien Brody earned $250,000 playing a Hungarian architect in post-WWII drama The Brutalist, winning his second Best Actor Oscar. Brody told Variety he needed a studio movie next after spending his income renovating a barn in upstate New York. Christian Bale earned the legal minimum for 2000's American Psycho because director Mary Harron was his only advocate, telling GQ in 2022 that makeup artists on set earned more than he did.
George Clooney took $1 for writing, directing, and acting in 2005's Good Night, and Good Luck alongside co-writer Grant Heslov. Clooney reprised his role as journalist Edward R. Murrow on Broadway in a stage adaptation that grossed $3.3 million during a single preview week before its April 3, 2025 opening.
Television residuals and streaming contracts
Television actors have also detailed wide pay gaps across traditional broadcast and streaming platforms. Jackass star Steve-O told Playboy in June 2026 that he made less than $1,500 after taxes for the entire first season of the MTV show in 2000, leaving him homeless when the show launched.
Network syndication yields larger returns. Lisa Kudrow quipped to The Times in April 2026 that the Friends cast receives $20 million per year in residuals, praising co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and the late Matthew Perry.
Streaming models have drawn criticism over residual pay. Tommy Dorfman revealed during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike that she earned $29,953.24 before taxes and 20 percent agency fees for season one of 13 Reasons Why. Despite the show logging 476 million view hours in its first 28 days, Dorfman said she barely qualified for insurance. Lauren Graham told Jimmy Kimmel Live in March 2025 that Netflix pays no residuals for Gilmore Girls, while Parenthood co-star Dax Shepard told his Armchair Expert podcast he deliberately avoided asking what castmates made to preserve his enjoyment of the job.
Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke denied rumors that the cast earned $300,000 per episode, telling Variety in 2026 that while earnings were lower, they paid off her parents' mortgage. On Saturday Night Live, Pete Davidson recalled making $3,000 per episode when hired in 2014 at age 20. Original 1975 stars John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, and Chevy Chase earned $750 per episode, equal to $3,300 in 2014 and $4,428 in 2025. Longtime cast member Kenan Thompson recalled making $800 for his first commercial at age 12 before entering his record 22nd season on SNL.
Reality television and independent film deals
Dancing With the Stars winner Jenna Johnson disclosed that season 33 winner Joey Graziadei received no cash prize, but finalists earned regular episode pay and bonuses. Dancer salaries reportedly range from $1,200 to $1,600 an episode up to $100,000 per season, while celebrities receive $125,000 starting pay with up to $50,000 in bonus money.
In reality TV, Joe Giudice told daughter Gia Giudice's Casual Chaos podcast in August 2025 that he and ex-wife Teresa Giudice received $25,000 for season one of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, while spending $150,000 on production and party costs. In independent film, Jon Heder made $1,000 initially for 2004's Napoleon Dynamite before renegotiating for backend profits after it became a hit.
Genre classics also began on minimum scale. Jamie Lee Curtis received $2,000 a week, totaling $8,000, for her film debut in 1978's Halloween. Co-star Nick Castle made $25 a day playing Michael Myers in mask scenes, alongside Anthony Moran and editor Tommy Lee Wallace.
Blockbuster budgets and supporting roles
Oprah Winfrey accepted $35,000 for her film debut in 1985's The Color Purple, calling it her best earnings. Jennifer Lopez earned $1 million for 1997's Selena, becoming the first Latina actress to hit that benchmark, before later performing for free to produce 2019's Hustlers.
Taraji P. Henson received $150,000 for 2008's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button after asking for $500,000, while leads Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett made $20 million. Henson noted in 2021 that 50 percent taxes and 30 percent team fees reduced her net pay to around $40,000. Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou told CNN in January 2025 he remains underpaid and struggling financially despite starring in Amistad and Blood Diamond.
Rebel Wilson wrote in her memoir Rebel Rising that her $3,500 fee for 2011's Bridesmaids went directly to union dues. Her pay rose from $65,000 on 2012's Pitch Perfect to $10 million for Pitch Perfect 3. Wilson made $20 million across Pitch Perfect 3, Isn't It Romantic, and The Hustle, but lost nearly half to taxes alongside agency, legal, and staff costs.
Even blockbuster franchises kept supporting pay low. Cate Blanchett told Watch What Happens Live in August 2024 that no one made big money on The Lord of the Rings despite its $2.9 billion box office, receiving free sandwiches and her character's elf ears. Orlando Bloom told Howard Stern in 2023 he made $175,000 for the entire trilogy playing Legolas.
