Yahoo Lifestyle Kenan Thompson Says ‘You Gotta Pay Your Dues’ After Pete Davidson Reveals ‘SNL’ Starting Salary Was $3,000 per Episode
Kenan Thompson tells Variety that new cast members at “SNL” have to “pay [their] dues a little bit” when it comes to starting salaries at the NBC sketch show.
“It’s pretty notorious that it’s more so about having the job than getting paid for the job,” Thomspon, who declined to give specific salary numbers, told Variety at the American Museum of Natural History gala on Thursday night. “You gotta pay your dues a little bit, yeah.”
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Thompson’s comment comes after his former costar Pete Davidson made headlines this week when he revealed that new cast members get paid around $3,000 per episode. “Do you guys know what they pay us?” Davidson, who spent eight seasons as an “SNL” cast member from 2014 to 2022, said in a video roundup for New York Magazine. “It’s like three grand an episode. I think I got dinner.”
Jason Sudeikis shared a similar sentiment about his “SNL” salary in the video roundup, saying, “I mean, you don’t make enough money to make big purchases.”
Thompson was joined by fellow “SNL” cast members Bowen Yang, Colin Jost, Chloe Fineman, Sarah Sherman, Heidi Gardner, and Marcello Hernandez at the New York City museum’s star-studded gala on Thursday night. Other bold-faced names in attendance include Paul Mescal, who will make his “SNL” hosting debut this weekend, alongside Lorne Michaels, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Martin, Shaun Levy, Fred Armisen, Alec Baldwin and more.
After a brief red carpet, attendees made their way into the museum’s famous “Whale Room,” where a seated dinner and auction took place underneath the iconic, 21,000 pound blue whale model.
Jost hosted the evening, while Sen. Chuck Schumer made opening remarks about his love for New York City and his passion for making museums in the city accessible to all. The auction kicked off right away, with attendees making their bids with glow sticks. Items for auction included a night a one-on-one astronomy lesson with Neil deGrasse Tyson, and four tickets to an “SNL” show and after party, which ended up going for $100,000.
The gala ultimately raised more than $2.5 million, with proceeds going to support the Museum’s educational programs and scientific research.
After dinner, Arcade Fire took the stage to perform a few of their top hits. Johansson, Jost, Armisen, Michaels and the entire “SNL” crew danced along to the band’s top hits, such as “Wake Up” and “Rococo” at their seats, throwing flowers onto the stage (and each other).
Check out more photos from the night below:
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