Pete Davidson Reveals Incredibly Low ‘SNL’ Salary

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Pete Davidson’s fame reached new heights after he joined the cast of Saturday evening livebut he claims that his pockets have not grown much.

The 31-year-old appeared in a New York Review Instagram Reel was posted on Wednesday, December 4, in which she was asked, “What was your biggest splurge after your first ‘SNL’ paycheck?” The comedian repeated the question then replied, “It’s like three thousand dollars an episode.” He then answered the initial question about how he spent his first SNL paycheck, saying, “I think I’ve had dinner.”

Fans of the NBC sketch comedy show took to Reddit to share their thoughts on the salary Davidson received.

“$3,000 per episode seems way too low. Even 10 years ago you couldn’t afford to live independently in Manhattan on $60,000 a year. Even 10 years ago you were paying around 40,000 $ rent per year for a single bed,” one fan wrote. A second added: “Aside from Lorne and execs, no one gets rich off SNL. But if you play your cards right, you get rich AFTER SNL.” Meanwhile, a third noted: “I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that it’s a little over $100,000 a year for new actors. Which in NYC isn’t a ton. Like you’re not poor, but you’re definitely not rich.”

Saturday evening live has an average of 18 to 22 episodes per season, at the rate of one season per financial year. This means that if Davidson’s numbers are correct, actors appearing in each episode earn on average between $54,000 and $66,000, depending on the number of episodes.

Davidson joined the cast of SNL in 2014 and remained there for eight seasons before retiring in 2022. The comedian recently made headlines after reports emerged in late November that he had checked himself into a rehabilitation center in Florida. All claims were dispelled when he was spotted at a Brooklyn Nets game with his mother after the rumors spread.