How much do you think the Duggars get paid by TLC?

[Justme]

Anybody in the TV industry who could give an educated guess?

 

I'd think that Josh & Anna would get paid as well as everyone over 18. I'd hope that Josh & Anna aren't just signing their "rights" away to Boob. They way these two are producing offspring, they're going to need a bigger house soon.

[tehgoobster]

Anybody in the TV industry who could give an educated guess?

I'd think that Josh & Anna would get paid as well as everyone over 18. I'd hope that Josh & Anna aren't just signing their "rights" away to Boob. They way these two are producing offspring, they're going to need a bigger house soon.

I read an article a while back from E! that said they probably get paid between $20K-$40K per episode.

[JenniferJuniper]

I'm not in the industry, but here's a site that quotes a reality show producer (although it's from 2009).

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/ask_the ... _draw.html

Networks usually won't disclose the deals they make with individual families. But according to reality producer Terence Michael, the general rule of thumb is that reality-show families earn about 10 percent of a show's per-episode budget. So, if TLC budgets about $250,000 to $400,000 per episode—and Michael suspects it does—that would mean $25,000 to $40,000 in the Duggars' pockets for four or five days' work, which is roughly how long it takes to film a typical episode.

I believe in Arkansas, children on reality shows are considered "participants" and not actors, so they are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Unless the parents specifically set up their own trust fund for them, this means they will collect nothing from their appearences on the show.

[lilwriter85]

I think the $20-$40 k sounds about right. I can't see TLC paying them any more than that.

[activespinster]

Does anyone know how many shows are in a season? And do they get residuals for when the shows are re-run?

[lilwriter85]

Does anyone know how many shows are in a season? And do they get residuals for when the shows are re-run?

The number of episodes has varied. In season 1, I think there was only 7 episodes and in the other seasons it was between 11 or more episodes.

They probably do get residuals when the shows are re-run.

[Jessica]

From Amazon:

Season 1: 17

Season 2: 13

Season 3: 21

Season 4 on amazon is just for the specials (Mackynzie's first birthday, Josh & Anna's wedding, etc.)

Season 5: 18

Season 6: 19

Season 7: 12

[Visionoyahweh]

From Amazon:

Season 1: 17

Season 2: 13

Season 3: 21

Season 4 on amazon is just for the specials (Mackynzie's first birthday, Josh & Anna's wedding, etc.)

Season 5: 18

Season 6: 19

Season 7: 12

Soooooo...that's about 100 episodes. 100 * $20,000 = a conservative income of two million dollars. I'm sure JB knows his way around a tax shelter too. Not to mention, book, dvd, and speaking appearance sales or love offerings. So yeah, why don't these people buy new shoes or eat off fine china?

Of course, I'm sure Gothard is entitled to half their income. It's gotta be in the bible somewhere.

[snarkykitty]

JB recently said in the episode where they were on the radio, that their family has been "rather sheltered" (I think that was the phrase he used) from the current recession. The TLC money must definitely come in handy. The level of financial security of $20-40k a week for a few months, even for a family of 20, is pretty sheltering, especially considering how they shop.

That being said, I do wish that they would provide a more robust eduction for their kids. Homeschooling with their financial resources could provide a top-notch education.

[xDreamerx]

I heard in the heyday of Jon and Kate, they were raking in 50, 000 an episode which I thought was a bit high for a small cable network show. But I don't know true it was. But even if you figure 40-50 thousand per episode, times however many episodes, the Duggars must have made a couple million by now (before taxes).

[lilah]

I think someone looked at the credits and saw that the Duggar Family is listed as one entity, and then Josh and Anna are listed as a separate entity (and same with the Bates, Grandma Duggar and Amy although I bet they don't get as much money. Oh remember when the Duggars went out to dinner with the Bates and Gil told his kids for the first time in their lives they could order whatever they want, including sodas? I bet he knew JB/TLC would foot that bill)

I think the laws and rules around reality tv are very nebulous, I think some TWOPers were speculating that hat the money is paid to the family ie (Jim-bob and Michelle) as a whole rather than to individuals (so hmm reason number 234 why we haven't had any more Duggar courtships, JB doesn't want to have to legally share his TLC money with any more of his sons and daughters if they were married and had established a separate household) So that means the Duggars aren't obligated to share their money with either their adult kids or set aside money in a trust for those under 18.

Why aren't they flashing more cash? Well part of it is habit of being thrifty and wanting to use the money wisely. And of course part of is that they've still got to play the part of the super-thrifty megafamily. Look at the backlash the Gosselin family received when they moved into a mcmasion, did embedded product endorsements and took her kids on expensive vacations. I bet the women on Teen Mom are in the same boat, they have to portray themselves as struggling young mothers when in reality they are probably making close to 100,000 or more from a whole season's worth of filming.

[lilwriter85]

Soooooo...that's about 100 episodes. 100 * $20,000 = a conservative income of two million dollars. I'm sure JB knows his way around a tax shelter too. Not to mention, book, dvd, and speaking appearance sales or love offerings. So yeah, why don't these people buy new shoes or eat off fine china?

Of course, I'm sure Gothard is entitled to half their income. It's gotta be in the bible somewhere.

Gothard probably does get a good chunk of it. I have heard that the Duggars haven't extremely well with book and DVD royalties and I'm not really surprised by that. The first book only cracked with the NYT Bestsellers list maybe 4 or 5 times but it never cracked within the top 20. Also the audiobook sales for the first book weren't good at all. Let's face it not a lot of people want to hear a book narrated by little girl voiced Michelle. Also the Duggar books aren't lucrative for foreign countries. With the DVD sales, I think it is the probably the hardcore Duggar lovers that are buying DVD sets.

[lilwriter85]

I think someone looked at the credits and saw that the Duggar Family is listed as one entity, and then Josh and Anna are listed as a separate entity (and same with the Bates, Grandma Duggar and Amy although I bet they don't get as much money. Oh remember when the Duggars went out to dinner with the Bates and Gil told his kids for the first time in their lives they could order whatever they want, including sodas? I bet he knew JB/TLC would foot that bill)

I think the laws and rules around reality tv are very nebulous, I think some TWOPers were speculating that hat the money is paid to the family ie (Jim-bob and Michelle) as a whole rather than to individuals (so hmm reason number 234 why we haven't had any more Duggar courtships, JB doesn't want to have to legally share his TLC money with any more of his sons and daughters if they were married and had established a separate household) So that means the Duggars aren't obligated to share their money with either their adult kids or set aside money in a trust for those under 18.

Why aren't they flashing more cash? Well part of it is habit of being thrifty and wanting to use the money wisely. And of course part of is that they've still got to play the part of the super-thrifty megafamily. Look at the backlash the Gosselin family received when they moved into a mcmasion, did embedded product endorsements and took her kids on expensive vacations. I bet the women on Teen Mom are in the same boat, they have to portray themselves as struggling young mothers when in reality they are probably making close to 100,000 or more from a whole season's worth of filming.

I have heard different things over the years about the laws and rules about reality TV and it seems to vary from networks and production companies. Years ago, a person who worked for the production company that producers The Real World said that the cast members were only paid $4,000-5000 for three months of living in the RW houses. I have read some of the TWOP speculation on the Duggars and I have wondered if the kids that are over 18 get their paychecks from TLC. Some people have theorized that the reason Josh was able to open a second lot was because of TLC.

Last season and this season, people have noticed that the family is less thrifty. Some of the kids are wearing Aeropostale clothes and for awhile I saw some twopers speculate that the Aeropostale clothes was purchased at thrift stores, but in one episode an Aeropostale bag was shown in one of the rooms that some of the girls share. I remember reading on the old FJ that a nightgown that Johanna was wearing was an expensive brand nightgown. I also noticed that Michelle had a few bottles of Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer in the house. I think the Duggars are spending more money.

Several months back, Amber Portwood one of the cast members from Teen Mom was arrested for domestic violence. A few days after her arrest, her tax records were made public because of the investigation. She made $68,000 from the previous season of TM. The Teen Mom girls have bashed quite a bit from different viewers about how they make themselves out to be struggling young mothers. One of the girls Catelynn has been bashed on different sites, because one website Jezebel.com set up a special fund to collect money for her and her boyfriend Tyler to go to college.

[silverspoons]

I think Jim Bob is smart with what he asks TLC for. It has been rumored on many sites that Kate is being paid 250k per episode for Kate plus 8(which has to be near getting cancelled since seveal episodes are under 1 million viewers) and that the Roloffs were being paid more then the Duggars plus asking for big comps(trips with first class treatment), and Sarah Palin made over 500k an episode(some reports were closer to 1 million). If Jim Bob gets 20 or 30k he must be laughing at how much money he is making. He used to be happy making 3k selling a few used cars or 10k off a real estate quick flip. TLC has not made the family do anything they didn't want to do. Jim Bob also isnt asking for expensive trips (yet). He is probably very happy that TLC might pay for the gas in the bus and the meals. Jim Bob gets to go to his religious conferences at no cost so he is happy and TLC has lower costs. The Duggars ratings arent the highest on the netowrk but it is probably one of the cheaper salaries they pay. If Jim Bob is not greedy he will be able to stretch more seasons then most shows.

Johannah's nightgown, she has worn 2 nightgowns in the last 6 months that were current year retail gymboree. My daughter has one of the nightgowns and the other one, which Johannah worn during the episode when the older kids were on the mission trip was one I really wanted to buy my daughter but it was full price $32.50 at that time. There are also other gymboree outfits and dresses I have seen over the last 2 years that are new lines(out within the last 3 months) worn by the girls. I buy alot of gymboree on sale, have my daughter wear them and then trade/sell and try and break even on my clothes so I can spot a line from the last 10 years. Gymboree also does not give clothes away to tv shows after they gave to Kate years ago. I spoke with the corporate office and they give freebies to charity now only and I have a personal experience with ths so I believe they are not giving away clothes to the Duggars. So either the Duggars have the best thrifts stores or they are buying full price! At least the girls are getting cute NEW clothes and some of the money is being spent on them!

[cjsmom]

Jon and Kate +8 were paid between 25K and 75k/episode, plus money from promoting companies (Allstate was one), and freebies, eg the washers/dryers from Whirlpool, so I would imagine the Duggars are receiving a similar amount.

[tehgoobster]

Jon and Kate +8 were paid between 25K and 75k/episode, plus money from promoting companies (Allstate was one), and freebies, eg the washers/dryers from Whirlpool, so I would imagine the Duggars are receiving a similar amount.

In an interview with Larry King (I think), Jon's attorney confirmed that the Gosselin's made $22,500 per episode. I don't remember where I read this, but I read that they started out making $5,000 per episode. When the show started to get popular, they hired a manager, and that's when their salary increased. They were getting pretty good ratings at that point, too. There were also rumors that Kate was getting around $250K per episode after she broke up with Jon, and that may or may not be true. It wouldn't surprise me, though, because Jon and Kate were all over the tabloids and the news in 2009. They were getting shockingly high ratings during their breakup.

[Lillybee]

I read somewhere that some of the Real Housewives earn over 200k a season.Granted that is on Bravo, but some reality show stars make mucho bucks. I think Snooki etal. may be making more than that.

[Justme]

Perhaps TLC either purchases clothes for them, or gives them a clothing allowance.

[moreorlessnu]

Johannah's nightgown, she has worn 2 nightgowns in the last 6 months that were current year retail gymboree. My daughter has one of the nightgowns and the other one, which Johannah worn during the episode when the older kids were on the mission trip was one I really wanted to buy my daughter but it was full price $32.50 at that time. There are also other gymboree outfits and dresses I have seen over the last 2 years that are new lines(out within the last 3 months) worn by the girls. I buy alot of gymboree on sale, have my daughter wear them and then trade/sell and try and break even on my clothes so I can spot a line from the last 10 years. Gymboree also does not give clothes away to tv shows after they gave to Kate years ago. I spoke with the corporate office and they give freebies to charity now only and I have a personal experience with ths so I believe they are not giving away clothes to the Duggars. So either the Duggars have the best thrifts stores or they are buying full price! At least the girls are getting cute NEW clothes and some of the money is being spent on them!

(Bolding added for emphasis)

Frankly, they would be stupid not to give the clothing for free to the Duggars, for exactly the reasons you've given. While TLC can fuzzy out the brand name on a ketchup bottle (if the manufacturer does not pony up money for product placement), they are not going to fuzzy out the pattern on a nightgown, and customers like you can identify the brand, the year, and the line. It's free advertising.

There was a bit of an uproar when the Gosselin children were receiving free Gymboree clothing, especially when it became obvious that the Gosselins were making enough money to purchase the clothing themselves. Is it possible that Gymboree is not being totally forthcoming about their product placement? Is it possible they are not 'giving' the clothing to the Duggars, but, rather, paying the Duggars to wear the clothing, as a form of product placement?

[sparrow]

Yes! Real dishes! They're always eating off of Styrofoam plates. It drives me nuts. I don't think Jesus would approve of Styrofoam.

[Justme]

Yes! Real dishes! They're always eating off of Styrofoam plates. It drives me nuts. I don't think Jesus would approve of Styrofoam.

I know, I see all that paper ending up in landfills. Styrofoam is the worst for breaking down, too. They have dishwashers (machines & girls), so it's not like Michelle or Boob has to wash dishes.

[apple1]

It wouldn't have to be "fine china". It could be Corelle, or even some cute melamine from Target.

(I hate eating from throw-away dishes; I hate the waste and I hate the way it feels when you are eating from it. When my daughter was dating *gasp* the man who is now my son-in-law, early on, he said to her, "Your mom doesn't believe in paper plates, does she?" LOL).

I don't know much about Gymboree, but they have an outlet in my area. The stuff is not cheap, but it is reduced from list prices, maybe 25-30%.

[uber frau]

Jesus doesn't care about styrofoam or global warming. It's going to be the end-times soon anyway :rolleyes.

Geez, even thrift shop specials are better than eating off disposable 'crockery.

[lilwriter85]

(Bolding added for emphasis)

Frankly, they would be stupid not to give the clothing for free to the Duggars, for exactly the reasons you've given. While TLC can fuzzy out the brand name on a ketchup bottle (if the manufacturer does not pony up money for product placement), they are not going to fuzzy out the pattern on a nightgown, and customers like you can identify the brand, the year, and the line. It's free advertising.

There was a bit of an uproar when the Gosselin children were receiving free Gymboree clothing, especially when it became obvious that the Gosselins were making enough money to purchase the clothing themselves. Is it possible that Gymboree is not being totally forthcoming about their product placement? Is it possible they are not 'giving' the clothing to the Duggars, but, rather, paying the Duggars to wear the clothing, as a form of product placement?

I could see product placement happening with the Duggars. Paid product placement has happened on other reality shows. Under Armour has been known to provide and pay participants on different MTV shows to wear their clothes.

[Jessica]

Their dishwashers are industrial ones and according to Michelle, can do a load "in minutes". What is the point of having that?