Drake and Josh star Josh Peck exposes how much money he made on the show
For many of us, Drake & Josh was an unforgettable part of growing up.
The beloved sitcom followed stepbrothers Drake Parker and Josh Nichols as they navigated family life, school, and one outrageous adventure after another, quickly becoming one of Nickelodeon's biggest hits.
Starring Drake Bell and Josh Peck, the fan-favourite series aired on Nickelodeon for four seasons, spanning 57 episodes, and cemented its place as a 2000s TV classic.
Now, years after the show wrapped, Josh Peck is lifting the lid on what it was really like behind the scenes, including revealing the surprisingly modest paycheque he earned while starring on the hit series.
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Speaking on the podcast Financial Tea with Mrs. Dow Jones, he claimed he earned far less than what many fans may assume. He said his take-home pay was around $125,000 a year.
Drake & Josh was a spin-off of The Amanda Show, starring Amanda Bynes. Peck said the cast made $3,000 an episode on the Nickleodeon sketch show before moving on to Drake & Josh.
By the time Peck’s sitcom ended, the average per-episode rate was $15,000
“So over four years, we wound up making about $900,000 but I think we probably, between agent, manager, and taxes, we cleared half of that.”
Taking into account the show's four-year run, Peck estimated he earned around $125,000 a year. He also revealed that the cast didn't receive any residual payments from reruns, explaining that it was simply the standard arrangement for children's television at the time.
Peck also opened up about his upbringing, revealing that he was raised by a single mother and that his family often fluctuated between being lower-middle-class and struggling to make ends meet.
Becoming the main breadwinner as a teenager, he said, had a lasting impact on his relationship with money, leaving him anxious about spending and focused on even the smallest expenses long after his career took off.
Peck said his sensible approach to money was shaped by the people closest to him, crediting his mother, his accountant and his Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor, Dan, with encouraging him to focus on long-term investing rather than chasing risky financial opportunities.
Despite finding success at a young age, he revealed he didn't buy his first home until his mid-30s, choosing instead to build up a financial safety net in case acting work ever dried up.
Topics: Celebrity, TV And Film, Money
Greg Harris