Alex Honnold reveals he was paid 'embarrassingly small' amount to climb 1,667ft tower without safety gear
Alex Honnold has said he was paid an 'embarrassingly small' amount to scale a 1,600ft skyscraper for Netflix.
In case you missed it, yesterday (or overnight if you're in the UK), US rock climber Alex Honnold climbed Taipei 101, a skyscraper in Taiwan's capital city, live on the streaming platform.
The stakes were massive; climbing the 101-story building without a single rope or any safety equipment meant that a single error would be fatal for the 40-year-old climber.
Fortunately for everyone involved, Honnold made good on his promise not to die and completed the death-defying climb in just over an hour and a half, even posing for a selfie at the very top.
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Given the very real risk of death or injury, you'd imagine the Free Solo would've been paid very handsomely for essentially turning himself into a real-life Spider-Man, right?
Well, apparently not as much as you'd think.
How much was Alex Honnold paid for Skyscraper Live?
Prior to his climb, Honnold sat down with The New York Times to answer some burning questions about his ascent of Taipei 101, which, of course, included the topic of money.
When asked if it was the biggest payday of his career, Honnold declined to disclose exactly how much he was earning but revealed it was 'embarrassingly small' when compared to the salaries of other mainstream sporting stars.
"If you put it in the context of mainstream sports, it’s an embarrassingly small amount," he revealed, adding: "Major League Baseball players get like $170 million contracts.
"Like, someone you haven’t even heard of and that nobody cares about."
While he didn't confirm the specific amount that he'd be earning, the outlet added that sources told them that Honnold would receive 'mid-six figures' for the stunt, which is somewhere in the region of $400,000 and $600,000.
Which is, of course, nothing to be sniffed at, as it's a lot more than most people are earning at the moment. Although it's unlikely that any of our jobs include climbing skyscrapers without safety equipment.
However, the payout wasn't the biggest draw for Honnold, who revealed he'd have happily climbed the building for free.
"I would do it for free. If there was no TV programme and the building gave me permission," he said.
"I would do the thing because I know I can, and it’d be amazing. I mean, just sitting by yourself on the very top of the spire is insane," he continued.
"I’m not getting paid to climb the building. I’m getting paid for the spectacle. I’m climbing the building for free."
Topics: Extreme Sports, Netflix, Entertainment
Brenna Cooper