For many years, “The Brady Bunch” has remained one in every of tv’s most replayed household sitcoms, turning its solid into everlasting popular culture icons lengthy after the sequence ended.
Nevertheless, behind the nostalgia and countless reruns, one of many present’s stars is revealing a a lot sadder actuality.
Eve Plumb just lately admitted that regardless of the sitcom’s lasting success throughout generations, the actors are not seeing significant cash from it.
Her revelation has sparked contemporary dialog about how tv contracts as soon as labored, particularly in comparison with the large payouts stars from fashionable sitcoms nonetheless obtain immediately.
Plumb is pulling again the curtain on what “The Brady Bunch” solid truly earned from one in every of tv’s most replayed sitcoms.
The actress, who famously performed center daughter Jan Brady, just lately addressed the topic whereas selling her memoir, “Happiness Included: Jan Brady and Past.”
Within the e book, Plumb joked in regards to the monetary actuality behind the present’s lasting recognition. “If I had a dime for each rerun episode, I’d repay the nationwide deficit. I don’t,” she wrote per the Daily Mail.
Plumb later doubled down on the assertion throughout an look on the “PauseRewind” podcast. “To be clear, we don’t make residuals,” she defined.
The revelation shocked many longtime followers, contemplating “The Brady Bunch” has remained a tv staple for many years by syndication and streaming reruns.
The ABC sitcom initially aired from 1969 by 1974, however its cultural footprint by no means actually disappeared.
‘Brady Bunch’ Solid Misplaced Their Rerun Funds Years In the past
Plumb will not be the one “Brady Bunch” star who has spoken brazenly in regards to the present’s lack of long-term monetary rewards.
Susan Olsen, who performed Cindy Brady, beforehand defined why the solid not receives rerun cash.
Showing on Oprah Community’s “Where Are They Now,” Olsen revealed that the difficulty stemmed from tv guidelines that existed earlier than 1973.
In response to the star, actors on the time have been compensated just for a restricted variety of rerun broadcasts.
She defined the solid was solely “paid for reruns for the primary 10 runs.” After that, the funds utterly stopped. “So [we’ve] made no cash since then,” Olsen mentioned.
The residual checks reportedly dried up totally in 1979 regardless of the sitcom persevering with to air throughout networks for many years afterward.
‘Brady Bunch’ Salaries Have been Tiny In contrast To Fashionable TV Stars
Barry Williams, who portrayed Greg Brady, additionally beforehand addressed the surprisingly modest paychecks the solid acquired throughout the sitcom’s unique run.
In his 1992 memoir “Rising Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg,” Williams defined how dramatically tv salaries have modified for the reason that Seventies.
“Salaries for sitcom actors have modified significantly for the reason that ‘70s,” he wrote. The actor revealed that throughout the present’s final season, the highest-paid youngster actor on the sequence earned simply barely over a thousand {dollars} per week.
“In our fifth and closing yr, the best wage amongst us children was $1,100 every week,” he shared. Though Williams acknowledged that incomes roughly $24,000 throughout the closing season was “not dangerous for a teen,” he additionally famous the cash disappeared shortly after taxes, commissions, and household bills.
“It was sufficient to bask in toys, however hardly sufficient to hold you thru the gradual intervals that inevitably adopted,” he defined.
The unique solid additionally included Maureen McCormick, Mike Lookinland, and Christopher Knight, all of whom turned completely linked to their iconic Brady characters.
‘Brady Bunch’ Cash Drama Seems Worse Subsequent To ‘Pals’ Success
The whopping monetary distinction between “The Brady Bunch” solid and fashionable sitcom stars turned much more noticeable after Lisa Kudrow just lately mentioned “Pals” residuals.
Kudrow admitted that she and her co-stars nonetheless earn large payouts from reruns of the beloved NBC comedy.
The actress, who performed Phoebe Buffay from 1994 to 2004, starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and the late Matthew Perry.
In contrast to the Brady solid, the “Pals” stars famously negotiated collectively all through the present’s run. Their salaries ultimately climbed from $22,500 per episode throughout the first season to a staggering $1 million every by the ultimate two seasons.
Stories have additionally claimed the solid nonetheless earns round $20 million yearly from the present’s continued recognition. The celebs later reunited for HBO Max’s 2021 reunion particular and reportedly acquired $2.5 million every for the looks.
Susan Olsen Opens Up About The Downsides Of Taking part in Cindy Brady
In April 2025, Olsen opened up in regards to the lasting influence of being typecast as Cindy Brady, admitting the position adopted her lengthy after “The Brady Bunch” ended.
Talking on “The Actual Brady Bros” podcast with former co-stars Williams and Christopher Knight, Olsen mirrored on continuously being solid because the “ditzy” or “silly” youngster, saying, “That’s simply how my profession was, and it was one thing I needed to settle for.”
As reported by The Blast, she recalled how irritating it was to play a personality so completely different from her actual character, with Williams telling her she was “a lot smarter” and “edgier” than Cindy.
Olsen additionally shared that even her son ultimately seen the sample after watching one in every of her previous Disney motion pictures, joking, “So that you at all times play the silly youngster.”
The actress admitted the position affected her deeply as a baby, explaining she dreaded returning to public faculty as a result of classmates handled her like Cindy in actual life and teased her over the character’s “silly” moments and lisp.
