Friends’ Fan Favorite Makes No Money From Show While Main Cast Still Cashes $20M in Royalties
Something unfair is going on here.
Friends gave us a lot of core memories. Hardcore fans will never forget the sitcom's iconic moments, which can be described in just a few words. There's "Unagi!", there's "We were on break!", and of course let's not forget the epic "I'm fine" scene.
Those three legendary moments are the ones that Ross gave us. But there's also a lot of stuff from other characters. And not just the main ones.
One of the most popular characters on the show is Mike Hannigan, amazingly portrayed by Paul Rudd. These days, he's a major Marvel star, but back then fans loved him as this charming newcomer to the Friends show.
He appeared in the show in the beginning of season 9, and stayed until the end of it. He became Phoebe’s boyfriend and later husband. You may also remember him by the “Crap Bag” name (although it didn’t last for long).
“I love Mike and I always maintained he was the perfect match for Phoebe, exactly for these reasons. He's not afraid to call her on her crap, but he's also just really sweet and supportive. She needs someone who can stand up to her,” Redditor deadange1 said.
Well, as it was recently revealed, Paul Rudd, despite being one of the best characters on the show, is not making any money from starring in the popular sitcom.
The thing is, even though he was and still is very popular for his role in Friends, the actor doesn't receive any royalties from the show. And it's important to note that Warner Bros. still makes over $1 billion every year.
This revelation shocked his fans. The thing is, the rest of the Friends cast, such as Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc and others, still earn over $20 million a year in royalties.
For those who want to remember and rewatch the most iconic Friends scenes, the show is streaming on Netflix.