Credit: Gizelle Hernandez/Bravo
The Vanderpump Rules cast’s salaries have just been revealed.
Amid the 11th season of the Bravo reality series, which was launched in January 2013 as a spinoff of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, news of how much the original cast was paid for its 10-episode debut season has been confirmed, as has the amount they are making for the current season.
In a February 20 article in the New York Times, it was revealed that the season one cast, which consisted of Scheana Shay, 38, Jax Taylor, 44, Tom Sandoval, 41, Kristen Doute, 41, Stassi Schroeder, 35, Tom Schwartz, 40, Katie Maloney, 37, and, of course, Lisa Vanderpump, 63, whose SUR Restaurant served as the home base, made $10,000 for the entire season — just $1,000 per episode (Kristen previously claimed she was paid an additional $5,000 for season one, for a total of $15,000).
Years later, the Pump Rules cast’s salaries are looking much different, with the OGs of the series, including Scheana, Sandoval, Schwartz, Katie, and Lisa, making close to $35,000 per episode. That means if there are 20 episodes in the season (there have been more in the past), the cast is set up for a nearly $700,000 payout — and that doesn’t include all of the money they’re raking in through their side gigs, which include podcasts, brand partnerships, and appearances, which the Times said can bring in up to $250,000.
Also in the article, executive producer Alex Baskin said that despite Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, 29, complaining that she wasn’t able to profit on “Scandoval,” which saw Sandoval cheating on Ariana Madix, 38, with her amid season 10, in the way her castmates did, she was paid a whopping $19,000 per episode for each of the 18 episodes of season 10. That’s a $342,000 salary for the season.
Raquel was only a full-time cast member for two seasons, season nine and season 10, which means that the series’ current stars, including Lala Kent, 33, and James Kennedy, 32, who aren’t OGs but who have been on the show longer (Lala since season six and James since season four), likely make much more for season 10 and season 11.
In January 2020, The Hollywood Reporter said the cast began making around $25,000 per episode in 2017, likely signaling to a payday between $525,000 and $600,000 for season six and season seven.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
