Ellen Cleghorne Exposes ‘SNL’: Was Comedian Paid the Least Out of All Cast Members?
"Saturday Night Live" is one of the most iconic TV shows of all time, but little did fans know that there was unfair treatment behind closed doors during its prime years in the 90s.
According to BuzzFeed, the famed NBC comedy program had its golden era in the early 90s as it was filled with renowned cast members like Adam Sandler, David Spade, Phil Hartman, Rob Schneider, and many more.
However, despite having a number of hilarious casts, a lack of diversity was very apparent as there was only one woman of color among the stars.
Ellen Cleghorne was known for popularizing hilarious fictional characters like Queen Shenequa, Zoraida the NBC Page, and many more.
The comedian worked on the program from 1991 to 1995, and she recently exposed the show's unfair treatment as she only received a small amount of money during her four-year stay on the show.
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Ellen Cleghorne Exposes 'Saturday Night Live'
Speaking to the "Fly on the Wall" podcast with "SNL" co-stars David Spade and Dana Carvey, the prominent television figures discussed how much money they made back when they were still working on the Emmy Award-winning show.
Carvey began by saying he was paid $4,500 back when he started working in 1986.
On the other hand, Spade received $900 to write spiels and content for the show, and he also got a $1,500 "bump" if he starred in a skit.
Cleghorne joined the conversation and shocked the two as she revealed that she only received $245 per episode and never got anything when she wrote content.
"When I left there after almost five years, I was making $4,500 an episode - nothing for writing, and that's it. No bumps or nothing," she added.
Earning less than $1,000 became the norm for the comedian as she only made that much in her first three seasons. She only got a raise of $4,500 during her last two years.
In order to pay her bills and earn more compensation, the star was forced to travel across the United States doing stand-up comedy gigs.
Her co-stars were shocked upon finding out the news, as Carvey said he was pissed about how much she got paid because she was doing "as much as anyone."
As of this writing, neither NBC nor representatives of "SNL" has publicly commented on the matter.
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