If it's reality TV, it's all about the Benjamins. And when you've got
legions of fans, you can truly have it all! Or can you? If a
$40 million-per-episode bump isn't enough to keep the Kardashians around — what is?
"I'm like, 'No thank you.' Well, that's not what I said. I said, 'F-off.'"
In one of the most public cases of a star seemingly getting the boot over money woes,
former "Real Housewives of Orange County" star, Tamra Judge, alleged on Instagram Live
that she was let go because of her salary demands. As she told Andy Cohen in 2020,
"I'm not cheap, Andy, and that's probably why I got fired!"
"Oh you're not cheap. Oh no, you're not cheap."
Tamra added,
"It's kind of like a death. I've been in the Bravo family for 12 years.
I'm a red-headed stepchild now. It is what it is. It's a very long run."
The star announced she was exiting the show after 12 seasons — around the same time co-star Vicki
Gunvalson also confirmed her departure. Tamra claimed to People that although she had been
offered to hang on to a bit part as a "friend" on the series, she decided to leave, instead.
"I've been crying for three days and I haven't slept or eaten, but…I'll be alright."
For his part, Andy Cohen admitted that Tamra's salary was indeed pretty steep, but stayed coy
when asked about how casting ultimately pans out. He explained on "The Jenny McCarthy Show"
that he and producers always take their time in deciding who stays — and who gets chopped.
As one of the original stars of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta,"
NeNe Leakes became one of the most famous Housewives to come out of the franchise.
"I am a grown a– woman. And you're gonna have to talk to me with a little bit more respect."
Having left the show several times over the years, NeNe's seemingly final departure happened in 2020
when she was reportedly gunning for her own spin-off reality show with E!. Of course,
being the main star on her own series would likely have come with a pay bump. A source told The Sun,
"NeNe is pursuing her own show at
E! because she's felt like her time at Bravo has been up for [a while]."
Well, that spin-off never came to fruition, but NeNe still confirmed via YouTube in September 2020
that she was done with "RHOA." She did go on to co-host a competition series for E!
Called "Glamsquad Showdown" in the summer of 2020. But as of early 2022,
the show has yet to air. NeNe made no secret of the fact that
she wasn't afraid to ask for what she wanted, telling Life & Style in 2014,
"All of us deserve a raise."
In what may be one of the most high-profile reality TV salary disputes,
Paula Abdul famously left her judging gig on "American Idol" in 2009
after an alleged disagreement over money. It was reported she made between $2 million and $3
million a year as one of the original judges, but she still wanted more to stick around.
In 2009, tipsters told TMZ that Abdul apparently wanted double or triple her rate to appear on
future seasons. That was still far less than the reported $45 million over 3 seasons that
Ryan Seacrest was making. Weeks later, a source told The Hollywood Reporter that she had asked
for a whopping $20 million to stay on for the show. When the network countered with
a measly 30 percent raise, she passed. Abdul confirmed her departure, tweeting:
"With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to [IDOL]. I'll miss nurturing all
the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1
become an international phenomenon."
"We have so many stories. So many memories."
"Yes. I remember every one of 'em."
Abdul briefly returned to sub for judge Luke Bryan when he was out
with Covid at the start of the 2021 season.
The "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" iconic run finally came to an end in 2021. And reports have swirled that it might have been because of money.
Momager Kris Jenner's demands were supposedly too high, with a source alleging to OK!,
"Kris wanted at least $40 million per season to continue even though
ratings have been declining dramatically."
"It's almost like ripping off a Band-Aid, but…"
"We won't be going forward with filming the show anymore."
When it came to the network that was home to the reality hit since 2007, the insider alleged
in 2020 that the fam was already raking in an eye-watering $30 million every season, adding,
"The negotiations were going nowhere... there was no way the network could continue paying
the family the same amount of money for almost half as many viewers."
Page Six also cited money as the reason for the demise of the series, claiming the network didn't
have the means to bankroll such an expensive show. The plug was finally pulled after 20 seasons. But
that wasn't the first time Kris Jenner reportedly asked for more cash. According to Radar Online,
she allegedly wanted $300 million in 2019 to extend the family's contract with the network.
Things worked out okay here though.
The family inked a deal with Hulu to bring "The Kardashians" back to life in 2022.
A few years before the Kardashians said goodbye to E!, Kim Kardashian
parted ways with her longtime assistant, Stephanie Shepherd, in 2017. At the time,
a source claimed to Life & Style that Steph had asked for a $20,000 bump — from $65,000
to $85,000 — and that's apparently why Kim cut ties. On the flip side, Suggest claimed
it was a bogus report. Either way, Steph is no longer Kim's right hand. An insider told People,
"Kim made a decision to let Stephanie go. She was a good assistant but when Stephanie wanted
to transition into a larger role with Kim's brand and businesses, it just didn't work."
Meanwhile, an Us Weekly tipster claimed,
"There isn't bad blood there. They still hang out and are friends,
but they have gone their separate ways and are not working together anymore."
"Do you find it weird that you're, like, 'wifey' with my assistant?"
"I mean, do you?"
"Kind of!"
Perhaps "just friends" was a good move for both parties. On a 2017 episode of "Keeping Up," Steph
admitted to Kourtney that she didn't exactly enjoy the gig. And Kourt later relayed the
news to Kim. But it really seems like these two might actually be friends! In 2021, Steph posted
about helping Kim run lines for "Saturday Night Live" — so, y'know, like a real pal!
"I hope people think I'm a good friend.
Cause I really try hard to be a good friend and my friendships are so important to me."
Bethenny Frankel is worth a lot of money — around $80 million, in fact! And it sounds
like she could've banked even more if she got the cash she wanted from "Real Housewives."
Bethenny was one of the breakout stars of "The Real Housewives of New York City," but she's had
an up and down relationship with the show ever since. After leaving the series post-Season 3,
she returned for Season 7. And she stepped away again in 2019, last appearing on Season 11.
"Is everybody seeing the same movie that I'm seeing? I just wanna know."
"No. You're in a horror film and I'm in Disneyland."
As for why she left, that's the contentious part.
Like her co-star, Luann de Lesseps, told the "Naughty But Nice" podcast in April 2020,
"I know more or less what she makes and, I don't know,
but I heard through the grapevine it was contractual, so I assume it's about money."
The Countess also hinted that Bethenny may have asked for a raise she maybe didn't get, adding,
"I don't think she expected it to go that way."
But Luann was commenting in response to Bethenny's remarks a month earlier when she told Variety,
"Everyone thinks I left because of money. I wasn't leaving because of money,
I was staying because of money."
Gym, tan…raise? Eh, not so fast. It turns out that the money raked in by the "Jersey Shore" cast was
being noticed by their fellow MTV reality stars. And "Teen Mom 2's" Jenelle Evans made it clear
on the podcast, "This Family Tree," in December 2020 that she wanted a piece of the pizza pie.
She alleged that she and her co-stars asked for a raise at least once,
but were never offered more than five percent. For context,
according to Radar Online, in 2018 Evans had raked in a total of $400,000 for her work on the show.
Meanwhile, there were estimates that Snooki made a whopping $150,000 per episode for "Jersey Shore."
MTV claimed to have cut ties with Evans over a serious controversy involving
her husband David and their dog. But Evans alleged that she was shocked,
considering she had been filmed doing — what she called — much worse.
Ultimately, a spokesperson for the network told E! in February 2020,
"MTV ended its relationship with David Eason over a year ago in February 2018 and has not
filmed any new episodes of 'Teen Mom 2' with him since. Additionally, we have stopped filming with
Jenelle Eason as of April 6, 2019, and have no plans to cover her story in the upcoming season."
Shereé Whitfield is another "Real Housewives" star who left under a
cloud of cash-related controversy. And the O.G. "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star hit
out at Bravo for refusing to meet her demands. This all went down in 2018 when she said via
Instagram Stories that she had been shown an insulting returning contract, adding,
"Currently living my best life. Was not interested in entertaining
the low ball offer that was sent. Know ur worth."
But Shereé has always had a complicated relationship with the franchise.
She appeared on Seasons 1 through 5 before taking a break,
then showed up as a "friend of" the franchise, on Season 8. She returned
full-time for Seasons 9 and 10 — and that's when the money controversy came to the surface.
"You need to watch yourself before you get checked."
"Who gonna check me, boo?"
Still, whatever happened during her negotiation wasn't enough
to sever ties for good. Variety announced she will appear on Season 14 in 2022.
Nothing is too good for Joseline "The Puerto Rican Princess" Hernandez.
And she made that pretty clear back in 2017 amid a reported salary dispute over
her starring role on "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta." This all went down
after Joseline posted on Instagram that she left the show that June, adding,
"Make your next move your best move!!"
"I'm doin' me, I'm handlin' my business and I'm so much more happy."
Her announcement came shortly after rumblings surfaced about some serious behind-the-scenes
tension between Joseline and show creator Mona Scott-Young.
Joseline was supposedly asked to accept a smaller
part in the show — for a reduced rate. And according to a source for All About The Tea,
"She demanded more money, would not listen and refused to compromise.
Negotiations fell through. Afterwards, Mona talked about firing her."
But the drama didn't stop there. On Instagram Live, Joseline called Scott-Young a "b–ch" and
alleged she hadn't been treated well during her time on the show. She also said,
"I'ma let everybody know. I want you to hashtag Oprah and I want to go sit down with Oprah."
As of early 2022, Joseline has not returned to the reality franchise,
nor has she gotten that sit-down with Oprah.
OK, one more "Real Housewives" salary dispute to wrap things up. It turns out the franchise
could lose yet another big star. And by this point, you've probably guessed it; the rumor
is that money is the issue at hand. According to the entirely reliable Bravo gossip mill,
franchise O.G. Ramona Singer could possibly be positioning herself to say goodbye to the network.
It was alleged in July 2021 that the "Real Housewives of New York City" stalwart
would not be back for Season 14. And reportedly, it was because her salary demands were supposedly
way over the limit. As a source told Radar Online,
"Ramona will not be invited back to the next season of the show,
which is currently not in production for a couple of reasons. One, she is too expensive.
She is the only lady that has been on the show from day one […] and her salary reflects it."
That said, a Daily Mail insider claimed the opposite, dishing,
"Ramona Singer ain't going anywhere. This story is complete rubbish."
As of February 2022, questions remain about who will still be along for the ride for Season 14.
While Andy Cohen has teased some big shake-ups, and the rumor mill will do what it may,
Ramona herself has hinted in the past about when she might finally call it quits.
She told Entertainment Tonight in October 2021,
"​​As long as I have fun doing the show, I'm happy to come back. To me, I always say,
you're good at what you do if you love what you do."
"I have to say, kudos to all of us."
Sounds like this might be one Housewife who's getting paid what she knows she's worth!
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