All We Know About Mandy Moore’s Residual Pay For This Is Us (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Mandy Moore starred in one of the biggest TV dramas of the past decade, but her residual checks barely cover a pack of gum. The This Is Us star revealed she has received paychecks as low as 81 cents from the show’s streaming deal with Hulu. “The residual issue is a huge issue,” Moore told The Hollywood Reporter.
“We’re in incredibly fortunate positions as working actors… but many actors in our position for years before us were able to live off of residuals or at least pay their bills,” she added. The actress wasn’t exaggerating. Moore said her business manager even received checks for just one or two cents.
Residuals have been a lifeline for actors, ensuring they still get paid when a show re-airs. In the past, stars of hit network shows could count on a steady income from reruns. But with streaming platforms changing the game, many actors, including prominent names like Mandy Moore, see that income dwindle to almost nothing.
Mandy Moore joined fellow SAG-AFTRA members on the picket line outside Walt Disney Studios, demanding a more equitable pay structure for streaming during the historic SAG-AFTRA strike. The strike, in partnership with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), was the first time both unions walked out together since 1960.
The rise of streaming didn’t just alter how people watch TV; it completely upended how actors get paid. Traditional TV shows ran for 20+ episodes per season, giving actors a steady paycheck. Streaming slashed that model — seasons got shorter, breaks between filming got longer, and residuals shrank.
SAG-AFTRA and the WGA have been vocal about the financial strain this causes, especially for working actors who aren’t A-listers. “It’s increasingly difficult for our members to achieve and maintain a middle-class lifestyle working as a performer,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement at the time.
This fight wasn’t just about small checks. Both unions pushed for fairer contracts that reflected how streaming reshaped the industry. That included higher residuals, better wages, and safeguards against artificial intelligence replacing human performers. Mandy Moore’s This Is Us checks may be shockingly low, but they symbolized a larger issue—one that eventually pushed the SAG-AFTRA and WGA members to fight for their rights.
