Reality TV Stars Who Demanded Raises But Left Instead

Appearing on a reality TV show and asking for more money to do so seemingly go hand in hand these days. There are multiple examples of times those who got a little taste of fame in front of the cameras felt they deserved to be paid more — with varying results.

There are those who asked for more money and got it, like that time the cast of VH1's "Basketball Wives" reportedly banded together back in 2012 to demand as a group that they all got a pay raise. TMZ reported that the cast were all "renegotiating their contracts" with more money very much in mind. The beauty of that? It seems they got it! The show continued on for another season, Season 5, with Evelyn Lozada, Tami Roman, and Suzie Ketcham and Shaunie O'Neal (who were all named in the report) and it seems like everyone was pretty happy. So happy that Evelyn, Shaunie, and Tami returned for the 2017 revival.

But while there are plenty of financial demand success stories (including Teresa Guidice's alleged bump from $1 million a season for "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" or Porsha Williams' reported raise to a similar amount over on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta") that's not what we're talking about here. Nope. We're taking a look back at some of those infamous stories about supposed salary demands that evidently weren't quite as successful. 

Let's kick things off with a big one. In one of the most public cases of a star seemingly getting the boot over money woes, former "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Tamra Judge alleged during an Instagram Live with "Real Housewives" executive producer Andy Cohen that she was let go because her salary demands were too high.

"I'm not cheap Andy, and that's why I got fired!" an emotional Tamra exclaimed in January 2020 (via The Sun). "It's kind of like a death. I've been in the Bravo family for 12 years. I'm a red-headed stepchild now. It is what it is. It's a very long run. I've been crying for three days. I haven't slept or eaten. But I'll be alright."

The star announced she'd be exiting the show after 12 seasons earlier that month, around the same time co-star Vicki Gunvalson also confirmed her departure. Tamra claimed to People that she "was offered a chance to come back to the show in a limited role," but left instead.

For his part, Cohen admitted that Tamra's salary was pretty steep during the Instagram Live, but stayed coy when asked about how it's decided who stays and who goes. He said on SiriusXM's "The Jenny McCarthy Show" in February 2020 that he and producers have "a long conversation that goes on through the season and even during production" about who will and won't be back, while doing "massive research."

NeNe Leakes' relationship with "Real Housewives" can probably be described as a rollercoaster at best. As one of the original stars of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," the catchphrase machine became one of the most famous people to come out of the franchise, leaving the show a couple of times over the years.

NeNe's (seemingly) final "RHOA" departure happened in 2020 after The Sun claimed NeNe wanted her own spin-off reality show with E! (which is part of the NBCUniversal family). Of course, being the main star on her own show would likely have come with its own pay bump, as a source claimed NeNe "felt like her time at Bravo has been up for a while" amid reports of serious contract negotiations. Well, that spin-off she was after never came to fruition, and NeNe confirmed via YouTube in September 2020 —three months after the spin-off report surfaced — that she was done with "RHOA." E! did commission a competition series she was tipped to co-host, titled "Glamsquad Showdown," in summer 2020, per Deadline, though the show is yet to hit the airwaves as of January 2022.

NeNe made no secret of the fact that she wasn't afraid to ask for what she thought she deserved, too. "All of us deserve a raise," she confessed to Life & Style in 2014 of herself and her "RHOA" co-stars. "I haven't asked for more money yet, but I damn sure plan to!" she added (via HuffPost).

In what may be one of the most high-profile reality TV salary disputes, Paul Abdul famously left her judging gig on "American Idol" in 2009 after an alleged dispute over money. It was reported she made between $2 million and $3 million a year as one of the original judges on the show (first sitting alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson until songwriter Kara Dioguardi joined the panel in 2008), but wanted more to stick around.

In July 2009, tipsters told TMZ that Abdul apparently hoped to get "somewhere between 2 and 3 times" the amount she was getting at the time to appear on future seasons — still far less than the reported $45 million Ryan Seacrest was said to be making per season. Weeks later, a source claimed to The Hollywood Reporter she asked for a whopping $20 million to judge on a few more seasons. That was purportedly shot down by the "American Idol" higher-ups, though they supposedly gave a counter offer of a 30 percent raise instead, which she supposedly, in turn, turned down.

Abdul confirmed her departure on Twitter, writing, "With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to #IDOL. I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all I'll miss nurturing all the new talent,but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day1become an international phenomenon."

How could we possibly discuss drama on reality TV without MTV's "Teen Mom" franchise popping up at some point? Well, in this case it's all about "Teen Mom OG" star Amber Portwood's ex-boyfriend Andrew Glennon. In a March 2020 episode, Andrew took the real part of reality TV to a whole new level when he actually asked for more money to appear on the show on camera following Amber's domestic violence arrest. Well, breaking the fourth wall is one way to get word to the higher-ups.

This all went down when producer Larry Musnik sat down with Andrew and explained he wanted him on the show to tell his story about what really went down on Amber. His response? "I think before any filming goes on, if I'm going to be part of this show, it is not worth it unless, like, I'm getting like the same pay as some of the other people on this show after the hell that I've been through" (via People). It was then revealed that Andrew did not film anything further, suggesting his request for a whole lot of cash was likely turned down by MTV.

Andrew later explained his decision to The Ashley's Reality Roundup, saying in part, "If we are not seen as equals to the person who abused us, then we cannot work with her handlers and must separate ourselves as much as possible." He added he "knew" producers would turn down his financial request.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

We all know by now that "Keeping Up with the Kardashians'" iconic run on E! came to an end in 2021, but reports have swirled that it may all have come crashing down because of money. The Kardashians' contract with E! may have ended because momager Kris Jenner supposedly demanded "at least $40 million per season to continue" with the network, which homed the reality TV hit since it began in 2007. A source alleged to OK! in 2020 that the fam already made an eye-watering $30 million every season, but they wanted more. "The negotiations were going nowhere... there was no way the network could continue paying the family the same amount of money for almost half as many viewers," the insider claimed.

Page Six also reported money woes supposedly contributed to the demise of "KUWTK," claiming the network didn't have the financial capabilities it once had to increase pay, which meant any requests for more money were denied. The plug was then pulled on "KUWTK" after 20 seasons.That wasn't the first time it was reported the Kardashian-Jenner matriarch wanted extra cash to keep filming for "KUWTK" either, as Jenner allegedly asked for $300 million in 2019 to extend the family's contract with the network, per Radar Online. No wonder there are so many billionaires in that family.

Things worked out okay here though, as the Kardashians inked a deal with Hulu to bring "The Kardashians" to life in 2022.

A few years before "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" said goodbye to the E! network, Kim Kardashian said goodbye to her longtime assistant (and frequent co-star) Stephanie Shepherd in 2017. A source claimed to Life & Style that Stephanie asked for a raise from $65,000 to $85,000, and that's apparently why Kim cut ties. On the flip side, Suggest (the site formerly known as Gossip Cop) maintained this report didn't hold water. Make of it what you will.

Either way, Stephanie is no longer Kim's right hand. "Kim made a decision to let Stephanie go. She was a good assistant but when Stephanie wanted to transition into a larger role with Kim's brand and businesses, it just didn't work," a source told People. Meanwhile, an Us Weekly tipster said, "There isn't bad blood there. They still hang out and are friends, but they have gone their separate ways and are not working together anymore."

Perhaps being buds is the better move for both parties. On a 2017 episode of "KUWTK," Stephanie admitted to Kourtney Kardashian she didn't exactly enjoy the gig. "She feels, like, maybe she's in a place in life where she's unfulfilled, job-wise," Kourtney later told Kris Jenner's second-born (via Fansided). And it seems like they've taken to being pals: In 2021, Stephanie posted on Instagram that she was helping Kim run lines for "Saturday Night Live" — you know, like a real pal.

Bethenny Frankel is worth a lot of money — around $80 million, in fact! — and it sounds like she could've been worth even more if she got the cash she wanted from the "Real Housewives" franchise. Bethenny became one of the breakout stars of "The Real Housewives of New York City," but has had a bit of an up and down relationship with the show since then. After leaving the series following Season 3, she returned for Season 7. She stepped away yet again in 2019, last appearing on Season 11.

As for why she left? Well, that's the contentious part. Bethenny's co-star, Luann de Lesseps, said on "Naughty But Nice with Rob Shuter" in April 2020, "I know more or less what she makes and, I don't know, but I heard through the grapevine it was contractual, so I assume it's about money." When asked if Bethenny wanted more cash, Luann responded, "Well, who doesn't want more money?" The Countess also hinted Bethenny may have asked for a raise she maybe didn't get, stating, "I don't think she expected it to go that way." 

Luann's comments came in response to Bethenny's remarks the month prior, in which she claimed her departure had nothing to do with the cold, hard cash. "Everyone thinks I left because of money," she told Variety. "I wasn't leaving because of money, I was staying because of money."

Gym, tan, raise? Eh, so not quite. It turns out the "Jersey Shore" cast's salary was admired by their fellow MTV reality stars. "Teen Mom 2"' personality Jenelle Evans hit out at MTV in December 2020 on the "This Family Tree" podcast, stating she felt she "wasn't paid enough" (via The Sun). She alleged she and her co-stars asked for a raise at least once, but were never offered more than five percent, despite the stars of "Jersey Shore" being paid much more. For context, in 2018 she raked in $400,000 for her work on the show, according to court docs obtained by Radar Online; Celebrity Net Worth estimates Nicole Polizzi makes $150,000 an episode for "Jersey Shore."

Jenelle hinted her departure from the show could have been mercenary, as she admitted she found the official reason she was let go "weird." MTV claimed to have cut ties with Janelle over a serious controversy involving her husband, David Eason, and their dog, though she shared how that "caught [her] by surprise" as she'd been filmed doing some questionable things before that she considered to be worse.

"MTV ended its relationship with David Eason over a year ago in February 2018 and has not filmed any new episodes of 'Teen Mom 2' with him since," an MTV spokesperson told E! in February 2020. "Additionally, we have stopped filming with Jenelle Eason as of April 6, 2019 and have no plans to cover her story in the upcoming season."

Shereé Whitfield is another "Real Housewives" star who left the show under a cloud of money controversy, as the original "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star hit out at Bravo for refusing to pay her what she felt she deserved. This all went down in 2018 when she said via Instagram Stories that she had been given a "low ball offer" from the network to return for another season (via People). "Currently living my best life" she wrote on the social media site, adding that the figure was so low she "was not interested in entertaining" it. She then urged her followers to "Know ur worth." 

Shereé's had a complicated relationship with the franchise. She appeared on Seasons 1 to 5 before taking a break, then showed up as a "friend of" on Season 8. She returned full time for Seasons 9 and 10, which is when all the money controversy came to the surface.

Evidently, whatever did or didn't happen at the negotiation table wasn't enough to sever ties for good. Proving she's the Terminator of "RHOA" (because she's always back! Get it?), Variety announced she will be on Season 14 in 2022.

Nothing is too good for Joseline "The Puerto Rican Princess" Hernandez. And she made that pretty clear back in 2017 amid a reported salary dispute over her appearance on "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta." This all went down after Joseline shared in a June 2017 Instagram post that she left the show. In the since-deleted post, she wrote, "Make your next move your best move!!" (via Hello Beautiful).

Her announcement came shortly after rumblings surfaced about some serious drama behind the scenes between Joseline and "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" creator Mona Scott-Young. Joseline supposedly was asked "to take a reduced role, for less money" in Season 7, according to an All About The Tea source. It was alleged that Joseline "demanded more money" and "would not listen and refused to compromise," which meant "negotiations fell through." It sounds like things got pretty contentious too, as the inside claimed the creator even supposedly "talked about firing her."

But the drama didn't stop there. During an Instagram Live captured by The Shade Room, Joseline referred to Scott-Young as a "b****" and alleged she hadn't been treated the way she wanted to be on the show. "I'ma let everybody know. I want you to hashtag Oprah and I want to go sit down with Oprah," she added. As of January 2022, Joseline hasn't returned to the reality series, nor has she had a sit down with Oprah Winfrey.

Ah, one more "Real Housewives" salary dispute before we go. It turns out the franchise may lose yet another big star, and — you guessed it — rumor has it money is the issue at hand. Per the Bravo gossip mill, Ramona Singer could potentially be poised to say sayonara to Bravo.

It was alleged in July 2021 that "Real Housewives of New York City" stalwart Ramona would not be back for Season 14 because her salary demands supposedly were over the limit. A source told Radar Online that the reality star allegedly "will not be invited back to the next season of the show" because she wants too much money and isn't in the market for a pay cut. That said, a Daily Mail insider claimed she "isn't going anywhere" and called the other report "complete rubbish." As of January 2022, it's still yet to be confirmed who will be taking part in Season 14 or when the season will even premiere.

There's even been some whispers about if the show could return at all, though "Real Housewives" producer Andy Cohen made it pretty clear to ET in August 2021 that "RHONY" will be back. He teased there could potentially be a "shakeup coming" in new episodes though, adding of filming Season 13 during the coronavirus pandemic, "We had to spend extended time at Ramona's house and in Salem and just doing things that maybe otherwise life would have been different."