Do celebs actually make money on 'The Masked Singer'? Showrunner spills the tea — and it's kind of wild
'The Masked Singer' draws crazy fans from all over because of its unique, fun format and the mysterious celebrity participants hiding behind hideous costumes. With a long list of elite contestants, the main question remains under wraps: do the celebs get compensated for their singing and dance routine? Some reports have earlier suggested that they go unpaid in return for publicity. However, show creator James Breen clarified, "Listen, obviously, there's compensation. We have a lot of SAG-AFTRA members to start. So no one's doing it technically for free," he exclusively told CinemaBlend.
The contestants range from pop icon Demi Lovato to the recent Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi. Meanwhile, Breen revealed that the celebrities are not paid big bucks to appear on the show. "But I will say they're not compensated to the level where anyone's doing it for the money. That's what I would say. And, it's the kind of show. You can't do it halfheartedly. You have to throw yourself in it," he said. "You have to have a sense of fun. You have to be able to celebrate the craziness of the show and enjoy it. I wouldn't say anyone's doing it completely for free, but I don't think anyone's ever done this show just for the money," he added.
Celebrities continue to get attracted to the hit Fox show despite facing scheduling challenges, entertaining in risky costumes, facing altering issues at the last minute, managing stage technicalities, and even getting stumped live on stage because of mic malfunctions. According to an in-depth report by The Sun, the payment of each celebrity varies, and they get paid as on their appearances on the show. There is no definitive amount; their compensation could be meagre or astronomical, depending on their star status. In addition, they also receive a singing bonus. The winner of the show is not entitled to any cash prize, he/she just receive a grand trophy with a mask symbol.
As per The Things, "Each person behind the masks is a celebrity of some kind who presumably has plenty of money and opportunities, so it wouldn't make sense to give them even more," it was reported by Bustle. On the other hand, the judges are making somewhere around $250,000 per episode, The Things reports. The disparity in pay between the judges and the contestants is glaring, but it so happens because the panel is present for every episode, whereas the contestants perform only once or twice a week. A Reddit thread went into debate about the pay for contestants.
Most of the fans pointed out that the show did not have a million-dollar budget to pay A-listers. "The number of episodes someone appears on does affect how much they're getting paid, but they are probably paying some celebrities more than others based on how famous they are and how badly they want them to do the show," an online user commented. "There are definitely celebrities that probably say yes strictly for the opportunity, whether they’re fans of the show or they have kids/family that are fans. But for some people, I think it’s also a job, and they’re in it for the bonus of getting more exposure… and they probably do get paid, at least a little bit," another Reddit user chimed in.