Smash fans were shocked when executive producer and showrunner Joshua Safran revealed he doesn’t make much in residuals from the show — and in fact makes less than nothing.
“Somehow, receiving a negative residual for SMASH makes sense,” Safran wrote via X alongside a screenshot showing a payment of $25.38 with a minus next to it.
Fans of the show had questions about Safran’s earnings, with one follower writing, “So they say you owe them money? or they’re going to hold your next earnings until they claw that back?”
Meanwhile, others joked about the surprising revelation. “I’ve been powering through a rewatch of Smash so you should have a residual check for $0.000000003 coming your way in no time!” read another response. Another fan added, “I’m watching as quickly as i can ok!!!!”
Smash, which aired for two seasons on NBC from 2012 to 2013, followed a group of producers developing a Broadway show titled Bombshell, based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. Debra Messing, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee made up the cast of the show, which went on to acquire a cult following.
Safran didn’t specify what happened with the negative residual, but some social media users speculated that perhaps he was overpaid and the amount was taken back.
The screenwriter is not the only person to speak out about receiving significantly low paychecks. During the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, many actors shared their pay stubs to show why they were advocating for better pay for union members. William Stanford Davis, who plays Mr. Johnson on Abbott Elementary, previously took to social media to show his $0.05 paycheck from an undisclosed TV show.
“I’ve been a screen actor for 35 years. I’ve been in the guild about 32 years and I’ll let this speak for itself,” Davis, 73, said in a July 2023 Instagram video. “You see that? Can you believe that? That’s [five] cents,” he added. “The postage, the paper, everything costs more than that. That’s what they think of us as actors. This is why we’re on strike for better wages, for better residuals [and] for a piece of the subscription and to not give in to AI.”
Meanwhile, Mandy Moore revealed she received checks for pennies following reruns of her Emmy-nominated drama, This Is Us.
“Ours is a fickle industry and in my 20+ years of being a performer, my career has ebbed and flowed. I’ve had very lean years where I couldn’t get a job and those are precisely the moments when in years past, actors could rely on residuals from their past work to help them get by,” Moore, 40, wrote via her Instagram that same month. “The world and business have changed and I’m hoping we can find a meaningful solution moving forward.”
She added: “The trickle-down effect felt across so many industries is already devastating. I am one person — a tiny part of our guild — and while I am happy to use whatever platform my past jobs have given me to speak to issues affecting my fellow @sagaftra family, I know my experience is my own. Here’s hoping we get a fair contract soon so we can get back to doing the jobs we all love and miss so much.”
The WGA went on strike in May 2023 before reaching a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers five months later. SAG-AFTRA joined them on the picket line two months later after failing to reach an agreement on contract terms with the AMPTP, which represents networks, studios and streamers like Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony. A deal was reached in November 2023, and the labor dispute was settled after most TV shows and movies were put on pause.