‘Baywatch’ cast complains they get $3,500 while ‘Friends’ cast gets $1 million per episode

Despite the show’s worldwide success, the “Baywatch” cast doesn’t receive the big bucks.

The cast of the hit ’90s series opens up about their low salaries in a new four-part docuseries, “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun.”

“At the time, they were offering everybody $3,500 per show,” said Nicole Eggert, who plays Summer Quinn on the show.

Eggert said: “I think at that time ‘Friends’ was making $1 million an episode.”

“Baywatch” premiered on NBC in 1989 but was canceled after just one season. However, the show’s creator and star David Hasselhoff revived the show in syndication in 1991, making it one of the most popular shows of the time.

The series ran for 10 more seasons before ending in 2001.

Meanwhile, “Friends” became an instant hit when it first aired on NBC in 1994. It went into syndication in 1998.

By Season 8, which aired from 2001 to 2002, the sitcom’s cast — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry — successfully negotiated their contracts, which had them earning $1 million per episode by Season 8.

The show ended in 2004 after 10 seasons.

As revealed in a new documentary series, the cast of “Baywatch” did not enjoy the same financial success that the cast of “Friends” did.

“I actually remember when I got my first paycheck after taxes, I was so nervous,” said Erika Eleniak, who played Shawnee McClain in the first two seasons of “Baywatch.”

She said, “It was like, ‘What? What just happened? How am I honestly going to live on this money?'”

Billy Warlock, who plays Eddie Kramer, said that “there isn’t a single rich actor in ‘Baywatch.'”

He added: “And it’s weird, because when you’re on a hit TV show the wealth is always shared.”

The 63-year-old actor claimed “everyone was useless” on the show.

“And if you didn’t fit their brand and the price they were offering, you would walk away,” he said.

ABC News reporter Chris Connelly also gave his opinion on the ongoing discussion about the “Baywatch” cast’s salaries.

“Baywatch made a lot of money — not just for the actors,” he said. “They treated being in ‘Baywatch’ like being a college athlete. ‘Oh, you’ll make your money later on. You’ll make your money because you became famous from ‘Baywatch.'”

Out of all the “Baywatch” cast members, Pamela Anderson has the highest net worth at $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

By comparison, Aniston’s net worth is $320 million, the most of anyone else on “Friends.”

Cox is in second place with a net worth of $150 million. Kudrow is worth $130 million, Schwimmer is worth $120 million, and LeBlanc is worth $85 million.

Perry’s wealth was estimated to be approximately $120 million when he dies in October 2023 at age 54.

In her 2022 memoir, Perry recounted how the “Friends” cast made history in 2002 by becoming the first to earn $1 million per episode in pay. She said it was Schwimmer’s idea to negotiate higher salaries for all six cast members.

“It was a decision that turned out to be extremely profitable,” Perry wrote. “David was certainly in a position to take the most money, but he didn’t do it. By the eighth season, we were making a million dollars an episode; by the tenth season we were making even more. We were making $1,100,040 an episode, and we were asking to do fewer episodes.”

In contrast, Anderson told Variety last year how he barely made any money playing C.J. Parker on “Baywatch,” especially compared to Hasselhoff, who was also a producer on the series.

“The producers of ‘Baywatch’ made a lot of money. I didn’t have representation at the time. Or information. When you’re doing a TV show you don’t realize it’s going to be so popular, so you put your life on hold,” he said.

Her son, Brandon Thomas Lee, 26, said his famous mom was “definitely being taken advantage of” while she was on the show.