Soap Budgets

[Chris B]

Those salaries in LA seems very difficult to manage. The smart actI’m Ed book other acting gigs or have other jobs. I know Martha Madison mentioned working as a bartender while playing Belle and of course everybody is in real estate. The OG of this though is Kate Linder who has always kept her flight attendant job. 

[AmandainNC28655]

I also thought that Martha Madison and her hubby own a restaurant or chain of restaurants in the Texas area, as well

[j swift]

It is funny you should mention that because I follow Michael Maelor (ex-Kyle Y&R) on social media, so I know from the neighborhood which building he lives in.  Given the percentage taken by agents, managers, and taxes, his take home pay makes him barely eligible for the rent in that building.  But, one would imagine that in the 1990s an actor with a three year contract on a soap could at least afford to buy a 1 br condo.

Edited January 19, 2022 by j swift

[Chris B]

Yes, this came after she was fired for an extended time and she’d moved to Texas. But prior to that she was bartending and playing Belle. 

[Darn]

It's so strange to think that these actors, on TV everyday, seen by millions...are making less than my nobody ass.

[Vee]

It's down to the cost of living in LA.

[Frank2803]

It's funny that Johnny the I.T. guy might be making more money than your favorite soap actor

Then again the President only makes 250k a year and that's not nearly enough for that type of  stress

 

[Broderick]

Yeah, being a regular on a soap isn't the lucrative job it once was.   A couple of years ago, people seemed horrified that the girl who played Hillary Curtis on Y&R wasn't given a raise.  I figured she was really being valued if she wasn't asked to take a pay cut.  

[mikelyons]

Soap actors do have the benefit of receiving residuals when a soap airs overseas. The B&B actors basically have a second source of income from international airings of the show. Then again, if you're only in 78 episodes a year, even that only goes so far... I can see it only making a difference if you're in 3-4 episodes a week with a $5,000k guarantee. One of the B&B actors lives in a mansion in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles which is close to the studio. Beautiful house, so the actor & their spouse must be doing just fine!

[gtru1981]

You're 100% right. The 1980's up until early 2000's when the soaps had huge budgets and there were 10 of them, established actors could soap hop for better salaries. Not the same anymore.