Amy Schumer Asked For More Money After She Discovered What Chris Rock And Dave Chappelle Got
Amy Schumer can let out a hardy “I’m rich, biatch!” now, because she went to Netflix and told them she was worth as much as Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock and wasn’t laughed out of the room.
Variety recently released a report on the many different wage gaps rampant in Hollywood (huh, you don’t say?). They spoke to a few people about the disparity in paychecks, and had a couple stories to tell. One of which was the story of Amy Schumer vs. Netflix. Netflix must have thought they could just order one rib and not pay for a whole order. Nope! Amy strode into that office with her dirty leather boots on, got her feet all up on their nice white couch and went to town! Via People:
The comedian renegotiated her Netflix special salary once she learned what Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle were paid for their respective stand-up specials.
While the two were paid $20 million for their routines, Variety claims Schumer had been paid $11 million for her The Leather Special taping. Schumer was reportedly able to raise her payment significantly after going back to the streaming channel and asking for more.
The girl’s got balls, I’ll give her that! I’d have given her one of her own catchphrases up top instead of putting one of Dave’s in her mouth, but I can’t think of a single one. Amy’s 12 Angry Men sketch was top notch, but is she on the same level as Dave and Chris? I mean, they are each problematic in their own way, but in terms of longevity and cultural influence, c’mon! No matter my thoughts on the relative merits of Amy, Dave and Chris, it’s still a win for the ladies.
According to Variety, there are a number of factors that are used when calculating salary and it has nothing to do with what “seems” fair. You won’t be shocked to learn that it’s a systemic failure that starts in the writers room. Variety says:
For female actors and especially actors of color, pay is depressed by lack of demand. There just aren’t as many roles as there are for white men – and with fewer casting opportunities, nonwhite and non-male actors seldom see increases to the quotes that their agents demand from studios.
You’ll remember that Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park had to walk away from their roles on Hawaii Five-0 when they asked to be paid the same for what their white co-stars were making. Yvette Nicole Brown, best known for Community, tells Variety she was horrified to learn she was making the same amount as a series regular as a guy was making who came in for a guest spot.
So kudos to Amy for getting them duckets. I’m sure SOMEBODY watched that Netflix special she had on and made it worth their money. I did recently watch that Kidnapped movie on the plane, but I fell asleep. It encouraged me to come home and download Overboard, which I hadn’t seen in ages. Good news, it really holds up!
Pic: Instagram