Pete Davidson reveals the amount he gets in his 'Saturday Night Live'paycheck

Los Angeles, Dec 5 (IANS) Actor-comedian Pete Davidson has revealed the paycheck of stars on the iconic American late-night live sketch comedy variety show ‘Saturday Night Live’, and it doesn’t sound very exciting considering the show’s legacy.

Pete Davidson claimed that stars get paid $3,000 per episode on the show, reports ‘Female First UK’.

The comedian-actor, 31, has an estimated net worth of $8 million but has now divulged most of it did not come from his stints on ‘SNL’. He said in a video roundup for New York magazine when he and his past and present co-stars on the show what their biggest splurge was after they got their first ‘SNL’ paycheque, “Do you guys know what they pay us? It’s, like, three grand an episode. I think I got dinner”.

As per ‘Female First UK’, the sketch comedy show is in its 50th season and has been a launching pad for the careers of stars from Dan Aykroyd to Adam Sandler and Pete. It airs one season per financial year, with each season typically between 18 and 22 episodes. Going by Pete’s claim about its stars’ pay, it means a cast member who appears in every episode in a season would earn from $54,000 to $66,000 per year.

Current star James Austin Johnson, 35, told New York magazine he bought “the most uncomfortable West Elm couch of all time” with his first ‘SNL’ paycheque.

He said, “I swear to God, it’s, like, made of bricks”. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 63, said she bought a pair of shoes that were out of her “budget”.

The ‘Seinfeld’ actress was on the sketch comedy show from 1982 to 1985, and admitted the shoes cost $75. Sarah Silverman, 54, said she bought a $300 cashmere sweater, while 31-year-old comic Sarah Sherman splashed out on a “nice mattress”.

Like James Austin Johnson, actor Seth Meyers, 50, said he used his initial ‘SNL’ cheque to buy a “really big couch”. The late-night talk show host added he then went to Best Buy and picked up a “really big TV” to match his purchase.