Jodie Sweetin revealed how much she received from a recent residual check for her starring role on Full House.
“I got a one-cent check the other day,” Sweetin, 44, said during a recent appearance on the “McBride Rewind” podcast. “There’s no syndication anymore because it’s all in streaming. Who gets paid for that? Nobody gets paid for that.”
The actress explained that she used to receive a decent residual check before streaming took over. Back in the day, actors earned a certain amount from residuals thanks to syndication and cable reruns. In the streaming era, residuals are lower due to the payment structure design, which includes a fixed fee based on subscriber count.
“Sure, in my 20s, there would be money, but not reliable,” she said. “You don’t know how much it’s going to be or how often they’re going to run the show. So, sometimes you’re like, ‘Oh, cool. That was nice.’ Then sometimes you’re like, ‘All right, well, there’s a nice dinner out.’”
Sweetin shared that a residual check in today’s media landscape is “not something” an actor “can rely on.”
“Honey, I drive my 2023 used Hyundai Sonata that I love. I rent my house. I have credit cards that are maxed out,” she said. “I live a normal life. There are moments when you’re like, ‘This is going well,’ and there are times when you’re like, ‘I need a day job.’”
Sweetin rose to fame as a child actress thanks to her role as Stephanie Tanner on the beloved sitcom. Full House also starred John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, Candace Cameron Bure, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Lori Loughlin and Andrea Barber. The show ran for eight seasons from 1987 to 1995.
More than two decades after Full House ended, Sweetin reprised her role for the Netflix reboot, Fuller House. She was reunited with Cameron Bure, Barber, Stamos, Saget, Coulier and Loughlin. The show ran from 2016 to 2020.
Sweetin is not the only star who has publicly spoken out about low residual payments over the years. The issue became a hot topic during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, while members of the union fought for fair wages regarding residual checks and more. Mandy Moore revealed she received an 81-cent check for her starring role on the award-winning drama This Is Us.
“The residual issue is a huge issue,” she told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. “We’re in incredibly fortunate positions as working actors having been on shows that found tremendous success in one way or another … but many actors in our position for years before us were able to live off of residuals or at least pay their bills.”
