Christine Taylor is looking back at her early Hollywood career — and revealing that her "Hey Dude" salary was far lower than her castmates remembered.
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castmates → look → career
During an appearance on "The Secret World of Alex Mack" actress Natanya Ross’ "We’re Still Here, Babe" podcast Wednesday, Taylor — who played Melody Hanson on Nickelodeon’s western comedy series from 1989 to 1991 — said she earned approximately $3,500 per episode by the show’s final season.
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she → ’re → season
"By the time ‘Hey Dude’ ended, we had this discussion amongst our castmates, and everyone seemed to think [that] by the last season, we were making $5,000 an episode," Taylor said.
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Taylor → end → 5,000
"No, we were making $3,500 an episode, I’m pretty sure, because they would bump us up $500 every season," she added.
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she → make → us
Taylor said all of the cast members earned the same amount, despite her co-stars’ shared belief that they were making $5,000 per episode.
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they → say → episode
That would have … no, it did not happen,’" she recalled.
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she → have → ?
The actress said she was careful with the money she earned while working on the popular children’s series.
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she → say → series
She also credited her family with helping her financially as she moved to Los Angeles and pursued acting.
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she → credit → acting
Taylor remembered budgeting closely, using laundromats and monitoring her spending during the early stages of her career.
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Taylor → remember → career
The actress went on to appear in "Saved by the Bell," "Blossom" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" before landing her breakout role as Marcia Brady in "The Brady Bunch Movie."
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actress → go → Movie
Taylor also revealed that she was asked to lose 10 pounds before playing the iconic character in the 1995 film.
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she → reveal → film
"Of course, I was embarrassed when that ask came my way," she said, adding that the request reflected the attitudes of the 1990s and "would never happen today."
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request → embarrass → 1990s
Taylor later starred alongside her husband, Ben Stiller, in films including "Zoolander" and "DodgeBall."
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Taylor → star → Zoolander
The couple married in 2000, separated in 2017 and later reconciled.
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couple → marry → 2017
They share two children, Ella and Quinlin.
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They → share → children
Taylor’s experience is part of a broader pattern in Hollywood, where a recognizable television role does not always guarantee financial security.
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role → guarantee → security
Several former television stars have revealed that their salaries and residual checks were dramatically different from what audiences assumed.
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audiences → reveal → what
"The Sopranos" star Drea de Matteo recently said she was forced to find alternative income after acting work slowed down.
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work → say → income
The actress revealed that she turned to OnlyFans after facing financial difficulties and a lien on her home.
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she → reveal → home
During an appearance on Jamie Kennedy’s podcast, de Matteo said she earned enough through the platform to pay off a $75,000 lien within 75 minutes of posting a bikini photo.
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she → say → photo
She also said she sometimes earned approximately $100,000 per month.
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she → say → month
"I was not — people think I’m made of f---iii money," de Matteo said.
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Matteo → think → money
"Everyone sees me coming, they’re like, ‘Here comes that rich b---- from ‘The Sopranos.’
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b---- → see → Sopranos
And it’s like, no, I’m not at all."
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I → ’ → ?
More recently, "Married... with Children" star Ted McGinley revealed that he receives extremely small residual checks from some of his popular television projects, despite starring in long-running shows.
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he → reveal → shows
In aninterview with Page Six, McGinley — who also found fame on "Happy Days" and "The Love Boat" throughout the 1970s, ’80s, and '90s — said he's holding on to a "whole stack" of checks each worth a total of one penny.
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he → find → penny
"I’ve been getting residuals all the time," said McGinley, who admitted the checks become smaller and smaller as the years go by.
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years → get → residuals
While McGinley doesn't bother to cash the small checks, he can't get himself to toss them either.
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himself → bother → them
The actor said he more than likely has a total of $2 worth of checks.
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he → say → checks
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