Actress Amy Schumer has said she sought more money from Netflix after learning what fellow comedians Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle were being paid by the streaming service for their stand-up specials but she didn’t ask the makers to match her fee to theirs.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, Schumer confirmed a report that Netflix agreed to increase her fee for “The Leather Special” after a deal had already been set, reports variety.com.
Schumer also said she never sought pay equal to what Rock and Chappelle were making.
“I believe women deserve equal pay. However I don’t believe I deserve equal pay to Chris and Dave. They are legends and (two) of the greatest comics of all time,” she said.
She continued: “I would like to say that I have been selling out arenas these last couple years. Something a female comic has never done.
“That’s a big deal to me, especially because I know I do my best every night on stage for the audience and they have a good time. I didn’t ask for the same as my friends. I did ask for more than the initial offer.”
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According to a report, Schumer set a deal last year to star in a comedy special for Netflix “The Leather Special”, which premiered in March.
“But when Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle made headlines for commanding eye-popping deals for $20 million per special, Schumer’s team went back to Netflix and flatly asked for more money,” stated the report.
According to a source, Schumer was initially paid about $11 million for her special. She received significantly more “compensation after she raised the question of fairness relative to the Rock and Chappelle deals”.