Billy Porter is opening up about the recent actor’s strike and its effect on himself and fellow artists.
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“I’m making six cent checks on ‘Pose.’ A show that I won an Emmy for,” Porter said during an interview with U.K.-based Channel 4 for its “Ways to Change the World” podcast.
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@c4news “I’m making six cent residual cheques on Pose – a show I won an Emmy for.” Billy Porter talks about the reality of being an actor in the golden age of streaming, saying “everybody in this business is three months away from homelessness”, in this week’s Ways to Change the World podcast. #billyporter #pose #actor #actorslife #streaming #interview #podcast #c4news ♬ original sound – Channel 4 News
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The television show, which was a drama centered around New York City’s underground ballroom culture (and ran 2018-2021), featured stars including Porter, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, and a host of others.
Despite receiving critical acclaim, Porter revealed that the small residual payments that he and other cast members received were part of the reason for the strike in the first place.
The 2023 SAG-AFTRA Strike was led by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union because of its labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and ended Nov. 9, 2023.
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“That’s why we were on strike for 118 days,” he told Channel 4. “No. Ya’ll don’t get to do that to us anymore… Everybody in this business, except for the ones who are making the F-you money, are three months away from homelessness.”
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What’s more, in August, Porter shared that he was forced to sell his home amid the strike and his ongoing divorce after six years of marriage.
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“The life of an artist, until you make F-you money — which I haven’t made yet — is still check-to-check,” Porter told England’s The Standard at the time. “To hear [Disney CEO] Bob Iger say that our demands for a living wage are unrealistic? While he makes $78,000 a day? I don’t have any words for it, but: f—k you.”
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Porter isn’t the only actor speaking up about questionable payouts for previous projects.
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Recently, Terrence Howard shared that he was only paid $12,000 for his role in the 2005 film “Hustle & Flow.”
Additionally, the “Best Man” actor said he was never paid royalties for the songs he performed in the film.
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“I made $12,000 for doing ‘Hustle & Flow.’ And then on top of it, what Paramount did, instead of putting my name as ‘Terrence Howard’ performing the songs, they put ‘performed by Dejay,’” Howard said in an interview with WREG News 3 in Memphis, TN. “Well, they owned Dejay. So guess what? The performance royalties went to Paramount.”
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It is unclear whether or not Porter will bring his disdain for the “Pose” residual checks forth to network executives. However, Howard disclosed his plans for legal action against Paramount Studios for allegedly withholding his funds.
