Lisa Whelchel's Facts of Life salary in 1988 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

RetroGuy2000 · 05-09-2020, 11:44 AM

This website confirms the general amount Lisa was making during her last year on FOL: more than $50,000 per episode.

Quote:

“So, when I heard that was going to be one of the storylines for that year, I did come to the producers and say, ‘I don’t think I can be a part of that.’ Because for one thing, I really felt a big responsibility of knowing that there were young girls watching this show and that you can’t deal with that topic in 20 minutes with a couple of commercials.” Lisa explained.

And even though another actress in the series stepped up to take the storyline, Lisa was still concerned about being associated with the controversial topic. So she asked the writers if they would please write her out of that episode completely–a decision that would cost her more than $50,000!

FOL-FAN-ITA · 05-09-2020, 06:47 PM

Interesting info, Retro! I wonder if the Core Four had the same salary during the last season. I also wonder how much Charlotte was payed per episode.

RetroGuy2000 · 05-09-2020, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FOL-FAN-ITA

Interesting info, Retro! I wonder if the Core Four had the same salary during the last season. I also wonder how much Charlotte was payed per episode.

This states Mindy was making $10,000 per episode in 1983, so I don't think she was making nearly what Lisa was making. I don't know what Charlotte made, but this states Gary Coleman, star of DS, was eventually making $64,000 per episode. That might have been a similar amount to Charlotte's pay, as she stated NBC offered her "millions" to stay (but she left anyway).

cfr1970 · 05-09-2020, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

This states Mindy was making $10,000 per episode in 1983, so I don't think she was making nearly what Lisa was making. I don't know what Charlotte made, but this states Gary Coleman, star of DS, was eventually making $64,000 per episode. That might have been a similar amount to Charlotte's pay, as she stated NBC offered her "millions" to stay (but she left anyway).

Originally I thought to myself $10k an episode is peanuts because you figure 1/2 is yanked out for taxes and also her agents cut so she was probably taking in more like $5k per episode but then you times that by 24 episodes....and that's $120k/year....which is really not bad for a kid working 6 months out of the year.

RetroGuy2000 · 05-09-2020, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfr1970

Originally I thought to myself $10k an episode is peanuts because you figure 1/2 is yanked out for taxes and also her agents cut so she was probably taking in more like $5k per episode but then you times that by 24 episodes....and that's $120k/year....which is really not bad for a kid working 6 months out of the year.

Well, adjusted for inflation from 1983 dollars, $10,000 becomes $25,915 per episode, times 24 episodes is $621,960 per season. Which seems very reasonable, considering she was previously just a student at a girls' school.

80s Dude · 05-09-2020, 07:45 PM

This article also mentions Lisa's arranged marriage.

Hoagie78 · 05-09-2020, 10:31 PM

Lisa's arranged marriage just puzzles me. I know she wanted to marry a christian man, but she let her father, soon to be husband, and church push her into marriage. She admits she had no attraction or romantic feelings for him at all. I bet that was hell on earth for over 20 years. She did get 3 great kids from the marriage.

I remember people posting on the internet back when she was still married to him that she acted like she had a passive aggressive relationship with him. Once he fell off the roof and got hurt pretty bad while hanging x-mas lights and she grabbed the video camera and filmed it.

I hope this guy she is getting married to now will bring her happiness.

'80sSitcoms · 05-10-2020, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I don't know what Charlotte made, but this states Gary Coleman, star of DS, was eventually making $64,000 per episode. That might have been a similar amount to Charlotte's pay, as she stated NBC offered her "millions" to stay (but she left anyway).

Hmm, but $64 K times even 26 episodes is still not even $2 million.

RetroGuy2000 · 05-10-2020, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Hmm, but $64 K times even 26 episodes is still not even $2 million.

Who said the offer from producers was for a single season? A two-season extension at $64k per episode would be worth over $3 million, right? They might have even offered several different types of offers, as different ways of enticing her to stay, maybe even including breaks like she had in seasons 6 and 7.

I also wonder if they offered her a piece of the "back end" (not an intentional Mrs. Garrett joke

). These are just the numbers I've been able to source, so as always, they would just be rough estimates.

'80sSitcoms · 05-10-2020, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Who said the offer from producers was for a single season?

I did, but I wasn't thinking beyond a single season.

cfr1970 · 05-10-2020, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Hmm, but $64 K times even 26 episodes is still not even $2 million.

I know today that's peanuts, but I think $2 million back in the 1970's was damn good money to be making on a TV sitcom.

Gemini_89 · 06-29-2020, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

This states Mindy was making $10,000 per episode in 1983, so I don't think she was making nearly what Lisa was making. I don't know what Charlotte made, but this states Gary Coleman, star of DS, was eventually making $64,000 per episode. That might have been a similar amount to Charlotte's pay, as she stated NBC offered her "millions" to stay (but she left anyway).

I hope Kim Fields made more than Mindy. Mindy wasn't an experienced actress. Kim Fields was just as much as an experienced actress as Lisa Whelchel but I still don't think she was making the same pay as her.

RetroGuy2000 · 06-30-2020, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini_89

I hope Kim Fields made more than Mindy. Mindy wasn't an experienced actress. Kim Fields was just as much as an experienced actress as Lisa Whelchel but I still don't think she was making the same pay as her.

No. The writers mainly focused on Blair and Jo, so it seems likely to me that Nancy and Lisa made more than Mindy or Kim.

valentina warner · 06-30-2020, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

No. The writers mainly focused on Blair and Jo, so it seems likely to me that Nancy and Lisa made more than Mindy or Kim.

You're right about that: the writers definitely concentrated on the JO/BLAIR dynamic (at least up to season 6) during the earlier seasons, but between season 7 and 9, TOOTIE and NATALIE had just as many stories and episodes focused on them from what i have noticed.

Whats more: TOOTIE and NAT remained true to their character until the very end.
I don't think i can say as much for BLAIR and JO though: those 2 were turned eventually into PODS!!!!!!

05-09-2020, 06:47 PM	#2
FOL-FAN-ITA Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 29, 2019 Location: Italy Posts: 1,473	Interesting info, Retro! I wonder if the Core Four had the same salary during the last season. I also wonder how much Charlotte was payed per episode.

05-09-2020, 07:45 PM	#6
80s Dude Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 24, 2019 Location: Toronto Posts: 3,820	This article also mentions Lisa's arranged marriage.

05-09-2020, 10:31 PM	#7
Hoagie78 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 23, 2011 Location: TN Posts: 122	Lisa's arranged marriage just puzzles me. I know she wanted to marry a christian man, but she let her father, soon to be husband, and church push her into marriage. She admits she had no attraction or romantic feelings for him at all. I bet that was hell on earth for over 20 years. She did get 3 great kids from the marriage. I remember people posting on the internet back when she was still married to him that she acted like she had a passive aggressive relationship with him. Once he fell off the roof and got hurt pretty bad while hanging x-mas lights and she grabbed the video camera and filmed it. I hope this guy she is getting married to now will bring her happiness.