Yahoo Finance How Much Award Show Hosts and Performers Get Paid
Jerrod Carmichael will host the 80th annual Golden Globe awards on Jan. 10 — another feather in the cap for the actor-comedian, whose 2022 stand-up special, “Rothaniel,” received critical acclaim.[x]
He’ll preside over a Golden Globes ceremony that viewers must hope will return more to normal. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were on opposite costs as they hosted the 2021 event without a live audience because of the pandemic. And last year, following a Los Angeles Times investigation that revealed allegations of ethical and financial lapses, as well as a lack of diversity, at the hands of awards’ sponsor — the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — NBC declined to televise the show. Instead, it was held quietly, again without an audience and not even streamed live.
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But the ceremony will be aired live on NBC this year and streamed on Peacock as part of a one-year deal, and Carmichael will take center stage as the 2023 awards season kicks off. Hosting an awards show is a huge deal, as the live program is televised to millions, and venues typically are filled with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Therefore, you would think hosts are paid a premium — but is that really the case?
It’s tough to keep secrets in Hollywood, but the salaries of the show hosts never are made public. Still, from the reports that leak out — and what the hosts themselves are willing to tell us — we can see a range of pay. And the Golden Globes pay pretty well compared, to say, the Oscars.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reportedly earned top dollar — in terms of award show host pay — in the past for their work on the Golden Globes. The duo previously hosted the awards show from 2013-2015 and reportedly were paid in the low six figures, according to Variety, during that span.
Ricky Gervais has hosted the Golden Globes five times, and when The Hollywood Reporter asked him in 2020 if the job paid well, this was his response: “Yeah, of course, but that’s not why I do it. I’ve got enough … money. I said to my agent, ‘I won’t do for money anything I wouldn’t do for free.’ He went, ‘Please don’t say that ever again.'”
Although the Golden Globes are dwarfed by the Academy Awards in the Hollywood hierarchy, it appears they have the upper hand over the Oscars when it comes to pay. Largely considered Hollywood’s biggest night, the Oscars are filled with glamour but apparently the cost of one star’s gown easily can outprice the host’s pay.
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Alec Baldwin hosted the Oscars in 2010 with Steve Martin and later hinted about his earnings to The Hollywood Reporter.
“They don’t pay you any money; the Oscars pay you like chicken feed,” Baldwin told the publication in 2013. “It’s all about the honor of helping to extol film achievement.”
Baldwin didn’t cite an exact salary, but in 2013, The Hollywood Reporter revealed the average Oscars host fee was $15,000 to $25,000. Seth MacFarlane hosted that year and reportedly was paid above the SAG-AFTRA minimum.
Jimmy Kimmel, who will host the Oscars for the third time in 2023, confirmed more recently that the pay hasn’t gone up.
On his late-night talk show in 2022, “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” he discussed the pay with guest Wanda Sykes, who hosted last year’s festivities with Amy Schumer and Regina Hall.
“I don’t even know it’s, like, scale probably,” Sykes said before her turn as host, referring to the base wages paid to those in the SAG-AFTRA union, reported Us magazine.
“It’s less than that,” Kimmel told her. “I got paid $15,000 to host the Oscars. And there’s one of me! You guys will probably have to split that.”
Kimmel added the hours are extensive.
“It sounds like a lot for one night, but it’s months of work leading up to it,” Kimmel told Sykes.
While the pay for hosting the Oscars isn’t great, it’s thought to be the only major awards show that compensates performers.
Recent salary information isn’t available, but in 2013, The Hollywood Reporter shared data that offers a general idea. Specifically, artists performing a nominated song earned at least $3,500, while union rates for solo artists started at $2,400 and ensembles were paid at least $5,000.
Stars won’t get rich hosting the Grammy awards, either. In 2017, a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson confirmed to Forbes the minimum required salary for a Grammys host is $5,000. However, James Corden hosted the Grammys that year and Forbes estimated he earned around $20,000 for his work.
Corden’s salary certainly isn’t much by Hollywood standards, but it’s a lot more than Tiffany Haddish was offered to host the 2021 Grammys pre-show. In an interview with Variety, the comedian revealed she was asked to host the three-hour live-streamed event for free, while also footing the bill for her hair, makeup and wardrobe.
Haddish turned down the offer, and shortly after the interview was made public, Recording Academy CEO and president Harvey Mason Jr., then the interim chief, apologized for the incident. He referred to the situation as a “lapse in judgment” made by a talent booker.
While they weren’t asked to work for free, Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming certainly didn’t get rich from their 2015 Tony Awards hosting gig. The duo reportedly was paid $2,700 each, according to Page Six.
So there you have it — hosting an A-list awards show doesn’t typically come with a hefty paycheck. Celebrities chosen for these gigs likely earn more by doing pretty much anything else. However, the right person can likely have a lot of fun with the gig and enjoy the bragging rights that come with having hosted one of the most glamorous nights in show business.
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