Mandy Moore Shocks Fans with Astonishingly Low Residual Checks from ‘This Is Us’ Streaming!

Mandy Moore. MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Mandy Moore, a well-known celebrity, revealed that streaming her previous work does not result in substantial financial gain, despite her fame. While participating in the SAG-AFTRA strike and joining the Disney picket line in Burbank, California, Moore emphasized the significant problem of residuals. She acknowledged that although she and other fortunate actors have achieved success, previous generations could sustain themselves financially through residuals or, at the very least, cover their expenses.

The former This Is Us star, known for her role as Rebecca Pearson on the NBC drama between 2016 and 2022, recently shared that she has been receiving remarkably small streaming residuals for the acclaimed Emmy-winning series, equating them to mere 81-cent checks.

Moore told the outlet that her business manager informed her about receiving a residual payment of just one or two pennies.

Hulu secured the streaming rights for This Is Us in May 2017, surpassing Netflix and Amazon. Since then, Hulu has held co-exclusive rights with NBC, the original broadcaster, for any digital release of the drama.

One aspect of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which coincides with the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike, revolves around the demand for fair wages, transparency in streaming residuals, and regulations pertaining to the utilization of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry.

On Thursday, July 13, SAG president Fran Drescher announced that the union, consisting of over 160,000 TV and film actors, would be joining the WGA strike, which began in May. Drescher expressed the gravity of the situation during a press conference, stating that the strike affects not only the union members but also numerous individuals in related industries worldwide. Despite the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) refusing to agree to any of the union's terms, Drescher emphasized that the union had no other option but to take this action, as they felt like victims of a highly avaricious entity.

Unionized actors participating in the strike are prohibited from working on any projects affected by the strike and are also not permitted to engage in any form of promotion for their work, whether it be past, present, or future shows or films.

As for Moore, she was among the numerous actors who rallied with the masses on the strike's initial day, which took place on Friday, July 14. Accompanied by her This Is Us co-stars Chrissy Metz and Jon Huertas, she found herself in a supportive circle.

Moore shared a photo with her former castmates on Friday, captioning it as "My forever family." In the picture, they were all holding signs to show their support for the cause. Although fans may be surprised by Moore's story of receiving small streaming residuals, she is not the only actor who has spoken out about this issue.

Gilmore Girls actor, Sean Gunn, expressed his desire to protest against Netflix due to the lack of financial benefits for the original cast, despite the WB series bringing in significant profits for the streaming platform. After his initial interview with THR was removed, Gunn provided clarification on his statements through a tweet.

Yesterday, I conducted an interview for The Hollywood Reporter from the picket line at Netflix. However, they decided to remove the interview since I failed to mention that my residuals are not paid by Netflix, but rather by the production company, Warner Bros. On Saturday, July 15, I expressed this frustration, emphasizing that streaming platforms like Netflix still bear responsibility for this issue. Gunn, 49, is best known for his portrayal of Kirk in all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls and its subsequent Netflix revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

The main issue of my interview is that Netflix does not provide actors with residuals, meaning they do not receive a cut of the profits from a successful show on Netflix. While it is true that Netflix pays a licensing fee to Warner Bros., who then pays residuals based on that fee, the amount is typically very small, especially for shows that have been off the air for a long time. The problem arises when a show becomes a huge success on Netflix and generates millions of dollars in profits, as actors do not receive any share of those profits. This is mainly due to the lack of transparency regarding Netflix's financial figures. However, our ultimate goal is fairness for everyone involved. We simply want to ensure that we receive a fair deal and are able to participate in the success of a show if it becomes popular. This seems like a reasonable request.