If you thought raking in $1,000,000 per episode during their final seasons sounded a bit pricey for the Friends' cast, wait until you find out how much they were reportedly paid for their recent reunion.
Getting the gang of six actors—including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc—back together for their HBO Max reunion, which premiered on May 27, was no easy feat and cost quite the pretty penny. According to Variety, the stars were paid at least $2,500,000 each for their appearance!
Yes, you read right. For the cast's recent reunion, it's reported to be at least an estimated $15,000,000 payout for the entire group of friends.
The cast was reportedly originally offered a payout $1,000,000 each (which is what they were paid during their final two seasons of Friends) but, US Weekly stated that all six cast members turned it down. This also isn't the first time the cast has allegedly worked all together to negotiate a higher salary.
Not only were they able to negotiate for their million-dollar paychecks back in 2002, but also according to Business Insider, they have been negotiating their salaries as a group since the show's third season.
Although Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer were billed as the show's central couple and reportedly both made more money during the show's first season, they had the foresight to insist that all six cast members be paid equally from their third season on, and successfully negotiated each season to even better results. According to the publication's various sources, the actors were able to gradually go from making $75,000 each during season three to $1,000,000 by season nine.
So, it's not that much of a surprise that getting the cast back together for their final on-screen reunion could be worth at least twice as much.
Haven't had a chance to catch the reunion just yet? Not to worry, we've rounded up some of the best moments from the special just for you.