The Actors On This Iconic Sitcom Staged A Walkout Due To Their Low Salary
Making a successful sitcom on the small screen is tough work, as many networks and streaming services, like Netflix, are looking to accomplish the same goal. It's a difficult undertaking, but once a sitcom takes off, it has the opportunity to do some big business for the network lucky enough to call it their own.
Everybody Loves Raymond is one of the biggest sitcoms of all time, and it generated millions through the years. Ray Romano made a fortune on the show, which caused an uproar behind the scenes. Eventually, a walkout was staged, and the network found itself in a pinch.
Let's take a look back on this show and the walkout that occured years ago.
'Everybody Loves Raymond' Was A Huge Hit
Back in September of 1996, Everybody Loves Raymond made its way to the small screen, and fans had no idea that this series was about to become one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. Sure, it started off well enough, but the show became much bigger than anyone was expecting.
Starring Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, and many other talented leads, Everybody Loves Raymond was the right sitcom at the right time for the network. In a decade that already had some heavy hitters on the small screen, this series found a home in living rooms everywhere and thrived for years.
For 9 seasons and over 200 episodes, Everybody Loves Raymond was enjoyed by millions of fans. Even once it ended, syndication kept this show playing on repeat for years, and we can almost guarantee that the majority of people out there have watched at least one episode of this show at some point.
Thanks to its success, Everybody Loves Raymond was able to shell out a pretty penny for its lead, who would go on to make an absurd amount of money for starring on the hit show.
Ray Romano Had An Insane Salary
Being the star of the show and playing the titular character, Ray Romano was doing quite well for himself financially. As time progressed and as the show continued to spike in popularity, Romano would continue to up his salary game. Eventually, he scored a shocking deal that made headlines in a hurry.
According to EW back in 2003, "CBS recently gave star/co-producer Ray Romano a raise that makes him the highest-paid performer on TV; he’ll earn around $45 million next season."
That was a massive bump in pay, and to this very day, Romano remains one of the highest-paid actors in television history. This came after years of tireless work, and it must have felt like quite the accomplishment for the actor and comedian.
While it was nice for Romano that he received such a large salary, all was not well for everyone else. They might have gotten a bump in pay, but it paled in comparison to what Romano was making, which caused some serious problems behind the scenes.
The Rest Of The Cast Staged A Walkout
Everybody Loves Raymond might have starred Ray Romano, but the rest of the primary cast had a major part in the show becoming a success. When Romano got his new deal, the cast was expecting a major bump, as well, but when their figures came in, they were less than thrilled about it.
According to CheatSheet, "When Romano got his big raise they were still making just $160,000 per episode, so the rest of the cast walked off the show. Led by Garrett, they essentially organized a strike."
This had to have caused a panic at the network, as the show was simply too popular to fall apart at the seams.
Brad Garrett's manager, Doug Wald, told The Hollywood Reporter, "We’ve been trying to talk to [CBS] for many months about this. They’ve been nonresponsive. We’re just looking for an appropriate deal.”
It would take two weeks, but eventually, a deal was put into place that made things right on set. Ranker notes that, "The two-week standoff ended with all the cast members being included in syndication royalties, granting roughly $20 million to each of the cast members."
Simply put, the rest of the primary cast secured the bag, and the show was able to continue for a few more seasons before it finally ended its storied run on television.
It's intense to hear about how things went down on the set of Everybody Loves Raymond, but it's also relieving to hear that everyone made their money at long last.
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