Grey’s Anatomy Stars Gets Pay Raises

James Joyner @ Gone Hollywood | Saturday, March 10, 2007

If you were worrying that your favorite “Grey’s Anatomy” stars weren’t making enough money, you can now rest easy.

“Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo has closed a new deal for her services on the hit ABC medical drama. Original cast members James T. Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson also have agreed to new contracts, with Justin Chambers and T.R. Knight close to new pacts to continue on the Golden Globe-winning series.

Under the new deals, all actors will receive salary bumps. Pompeo now will be at nearly $200,000 per episode, while Pickens, Wilson, Chambers and Knight will be paid about $125,000 per episode, sources said. (A season consists of about two-dozen episodes.) It is understood that the new terms are retroactive, going back to the first episode of this season.

The contract status for “Gray” co-star Isaiah Washington was not clear. It has been rumored that he might continue on the show without a raise in light of the recent controversy surrounding his use of a homophobic slur, but his communication with the show’s producer, ABC TV Studio, has been kept under wraps. Representatives for the studio and for the actors declined comment Thursday.

Yet to close new deals are Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh and Katherine Heigl. Details on Heigl’s stalled contract renegotiations were leaked to the media late last month, which triggered a statement on the matter from ABC TV Studio. “Fortunately, we have a long-term contract to ensure she’ll be with the show for several years to come,” the statement said. “In recognition of her tremendous talent and value to the show, we recently approached Katherine with an offer to raise her compensation significantly above the terms of her current contract.”

All cast members on “Grey’s Anatomy” are under long-term (reportedly seven-year) deals with the studio. It has become customary for the original casts of hit shows to renegotiate their contracts and receive raises after two seasons. Since “Grey’s” debuted as a midseason replacement in March 2005, the renegotiations were held now when the show marks two full seasons on the air as opposed to the more common between-seasons period in the summer and fall.

It’s actually interesting that the whole cast was locked in to such long-term deals. It seems reasonable enough, though, for them to get pay raises if the show is incredibly popular.

Grey’s Anatomy Stars Gets Pay Raises

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