Kerry Washington Lands on Highest Paid Actors List, but is She Underpaid?

caribe kerry washingtonKerry Washington has officially become Hollywood’s newest ‘it’ girl, and with that label should come a higher payday. For the first time, Washington made Forbes‘ annual list of the highest-paid actors in television, ranking at No. 20. It’s been argued, however, that Washington may be underpaid as the lead actress on ABC’s hit series “Scandal.”

According to the Grio.com, Washington reportedly earned just $3 million from the show, “despite its reported $100 million in ad revenue generated by its average 8.3 million viewers a week.”

Washington ranks below other female actresses including Lena Dunham (Girls), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation), Ellen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy) and Mariska Hartigay (Law & Order: SVU).

Last February, Atlanta Black Star argued for Washington to be featured on more mainstream magazines. Shortly thereafter, Washington has taken the magazine industry by storm, gracing the covers of Elle, Vanity Fair, and Glamour among others.

No doubt the actress who carried “Scandal” to a record 10 million viewers for its Season 3 premiere, is due a salary increase.

Do you believe Washington is underpaid compared to her counterparts?

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top