Josh Peck revealed exactly how much he earned from Drake and Josh despite having no residuals
Although a lot of people who grew up watching Drake and Josh would presume that the stars of the show became filthy rich from it, that apparently wasn't the case.
Millions of fans tuned in to watch the Nickelodeon series that was fronted by Drake Bell and Josh Peck from 2004 until 2007, so you'd imagine that would equate to a pair of monster paycheques.
But according to the double act, they didn't earn half as much as you might think.
Bell, 39, has previously spoken out about his earnings from the teen sitcom and how people often assume he 'must live in a mansion in Hollywood' and is 'rich' beyond his wildest dreams.
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"And that’s far from the case," he said earlier this year. "Which is the bummer for most of us on Nickelodeon, we don’t get residuals for our shows."
He pointed out that most TV stars 'make the majority of their money' from residual payments, which is the cash that actors receive for reruns and airings after the project's initial release.
But both he and his co-star were given salaries instead of this - and Peck previously revealed how much his acting skills in Drake and Josh earned him.
The New York-born actor, 38, dished the dirt on how much he was paid for his role on the hit kids' TV show in his 2022 memoir, Happy People Are Annoying.
In the book, Peck explained that he made $15,000 (£11,400) per episode - which totals up to $900,000 (£684,000) for the entirety of Drake and Josh. But after stumping up some money to his agent and managers, the father-of-three was only left with $450,000 (£341,905).
Although it's certainly not a figure to turn your nose up at, Peck explained that he and Bell weren't as wealthy as a lot of people thought.
"Spread that over five years, which is how long it took us to shoot all 60 episodes, and it breaks down to a little less than $100,000 (£76,965) a year," he wrote in Happy People Are Annoying.
So, you can understand why both stars of the show have found their lack of residuals quite the bitter pill to swallow.
During a previous appearance on the BFF's podcast, Peck said: "It aired from 2004 to 2007, but - fun fact - because kids’ TV doesn’t have residuals, it’s still on every day. I’ve worked through it. It’s taken a while."
He also touched on his Drake and Josh earnings while chatting to Steven Bartlett on The Diary Of A CEO podcast a couple of years back.
Peck said that his wages allowed him to lead a 'lovely middle class lifestyle' and the total figure he walked away with was 'great money' - however, his role as Josh Nichols didn't exactly set him up for life.
LADbible has contacted Nickelodeon for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, Entertainment
Olivia Burke