Will The Walking Dead Cast Walk Out On The Show?

It’s not often that The National Enquirer can make me take one of their headlines seriously, but when it comes to The Walking Dead, I’m all ears.

Yesterday, the National Enquirer website ran an article about how actors from the popular show are threatening to leave the show unless they get a significant pay raise.  At first, I dismissed the idea of this article being anywhere near legitimate until I read the rest of the article.

If the figures that are given in the article are correct, then the cast and crew of The Walking Dead are due for a pay increase.  Sadly, the article doesn’t give much as far as information from a reliable source.  Every detail described in the article says that they information was from “a source”.

The “source” reports that the show generates approximately $11 million per episode from advertising revenue.  When you think of that kind of money, it’s hard to imagine an established actor and celebrity like Andrew Lincoln making only $90,000 per show.

Here’s what the “source” said to the Enquirer:

"“The cast would like a piece of that pie and they’re willing to band together to do it, just like the ‘Friends’ cast did before they got their record-setting $1 million an episode deal. Until now, the implied threat for most cast members has been that they’re expendable. Any one of their characters could end up getting killed at any time. But they’re willing to take that risk now. And if they don’t get their way, they’re going to walk!”"

As a fan of the show, I’d hate for The Walking Dead to lose any of their cast members to save such a small amount of money relative to the show’s income.  But I also understand that this is a business and the livelihood of themselves and their family is something they have to prepare for.

What do you think?  Is the cast of The Walking Dead underpaid?  Is the Enquirer’s source about walking out true?  And do you think that would ever happen?

This article by The National Enquirer asks more questions than it answers.