If you have been making $400,000 for the past 25 years and someone asks you to go down to $150,000 or $200,000, it's like a kick in the stomach. In most other jobs, your salary increases as you gain more tenure, not decreases. I guess Mr. Moss has been saving his pennies and is prepared to spend the indefinite future as an unemployed actor. Maybe he can revive his musical career???

Okay, maybe not. But I feel that these people make so much money and get their egos pumped so much that being asked to take less money is like being asked to admit defeat. Personally, I would have taken the paycut if I were a millionaire, but I have no idea what his financial obligations are, or if it's just a pride issue.

I say, good for him for standing up for his principles. Just hope it doesn't bite him in the butt.

Is she commenting on Ronn Moss or Peter Reckell or Eric Braeden or her co-stars?!

I'm all for her taking a stand but Nancy takes the stand on everything when it's not fair to her. I wonder if she will be complaining when they ask her to work for the same rate as, let's say, one of the actresses playing her daughter on the show.

I will say it again and I think it should happen. For soaps to survive they need to reduce the size of their casts and tell compelling story with a smaller and more talented cast. Or hire half the cast for half the year as you would on a movie. The actors would be contracted to work let's say January to May and their stories would be told and then they would have 6 months off to try their hands at other things. Maybe, like with movies, the producers would sign them on for 6 months a year from then so that these actors could then go out and find other work and know when they would be working and would not be working.

I think soaps don't need to change the format of what daytime is but just how it works. Do we need story on General Hospital for a cast of close to 30 or even on Days?! Does B&B with only 22 minutes a day to tell story need a cast that just sits around?! Y&R could be a very dynamic show if it eliminated all the people who enter a room for a story.

For example, were Kyle and Daniel required to be at the hypnosis session with Eden and Christine and the doctor?! NO... they added nothing to the story and Kyle could have easily shown up afterwards when everyone else had left. DO we need Neil, Harmony, Lily, Cane and Tucker in a room to hear Devon's newest JUST RECORDED song? No. One of them would have made the scene just as dull.

On GH, do we need Trey, Kristina, ALexis, Sam and the nerd daughter around in one scene to discuss a dumb reality show and Sam's troubles with Jason yet again?! NO. There is compelling story for all 3 of Alexis' kids that could be told over 3 days and have a lot more discussion within each so that we actually care more about each story.

Do we need all those people walking around Horton square or even in the Brady pub?! Sit down and stay awhile in the conversation but have it at your apartment, house or on a bench where no one else is around.

On B&B they are telling ONE STORY... the love triangle between a spineless jelly fish of a man, a HOPEless and pathetic whining nimrod of a woman, and a party girl who could easily find someone HOTTER to be with BUT THEY HAVE 20 or so other people in the story as well which just makes NO sense budget wise.

Taking a paycut IS a kick in the stomach but when you aren't doing the same work load (screen time) you were 5- 10 years ago, of course you will be expected to take a cut; If everyone else on the show is in the same boat and has to take a cut or is working more for way less money, suck it up folks or move on. If actors think they can make more elsewhere- well have at it- don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.

OTOH, It's certainly understandable if actors want to be free to do other things and not stuck under a contract. They don't owe fans or their shows their whole lives. Most people these days do not do the same job for 25 years, fans shouldn't expect soap actors to be any different.

Alstonboy,

The top actors made over a million. Eric Braeden still makes over $700K. It may suck to take a huge pay cut but lets be real that these folks can't go anywhere else to make the same kind of money. And, making 6-figures amidst the worst economic decline in 80 years is pretty damn SWEET.

I'm far more concerned about the school teacher who sees her salary cut from $50K to $36K while she supports her family and tries to pay her mortgage.

Nancy wants Mo and Steve to take a paycut.

Josstheguy-

In my VERY VERY VERY VERY humble opinion, if Ronn Moss was making a million bucks a year before he was asked to make this paycut, that was about $999,999 too much. lol.

they should all make minimum wage like the rest of the working population in the USA.

I imagine that taking a pay cut would be a kick in the stomach for anyone but some of these vets are way over paid. I think that soap vets deserve to be treated with respect but I also think soaps rely way too heavily on their vets instead of trying to create new super couples, leading men, and heroines. These vets were given large salaries a long time ago when the soap business was booming and it made sense for them to make a lot of money. With the soap business future looking as bleak as it is it no longer makes sense. I doubt RM is pulling in any new audience to BB anymore. If an actor who makes a million dollars is asked to make a little less for the benefit of his co-workers and show, he should do it. Getting upset just seems greedy. I’m quit sure he would still be able to afford his big house and swimming pool even with the pay cut. If soaps weren’t shelling out so much money to a lucky few they may be able to pay better salaries to everyone. They might be able to hire more experienced & trained ingénues instead of hair models. I am so glad Nancy said something because someone should.

Tris Drake - They should take a pay cut if they never did when everyone else did as it is rumored. There is no reason that they should be making so much more than rest of cast just because they were Guza and JFP’s pets. I follow a lot of the GH stars on twitter. When Steve Burton is posting pictures of his fancy back yard swimming pool and Brandon Barash lives in an apartment you know there is a BIG gap. And one of those guys is a much better actor than the other. I personally hope that they don’t resign Steve when his contract is up. The show can survive without him. Fans love the less focus on mobsters.

soaps need to start cutting the dead weight i dont know why they waste money on characters/stars they dont need NLG on GH is one of them she does nothing year after year and still gets nominated for an emmy come on people get rid of her if they arnt gonna do something for her...same on Days with Lisa Rinna doesnt make sense...cut em until you gonna use em.

I don't think actors' pay should be equal just because they are on the same show.

Some have years of history on the show. Some are on more frequently, driving more story.

In my profession, salary is dependent on what you provide to the employer. New, inexperienced folks aren't paid the same as those bringing large sums of money to the company. And they shouldn't be. That is what drives new employees to continue to do better, the desire and need to achieve more.

Should Tony Geary be paid the same as the new actress portraying Kristina?? I truly don't think so.

@dmswmn you hoping that Steve's contract isn't resign? You do realize he married with children. I wouldn't wish my worst enemy not to be able to take care of their family. Yes in every job field there are those who make more vs. those who makes less. Yes it's not fair, there always choices to be made in this life.

As for Nancy Lee she needs to tread lightly, because Big Anne is counting the days she'll cut GH off ABC. It wouldn't surprise me if Big Anne is checking out her tweets.

As for Ronald Moss I hope his agent told him that he's not the only one in daytime to take a pay-cut. I'm sure all the veteran cast Susan Flannery, John McCook, Hunter Tylo, Katherine Kelly Lange all have taken cuts too. What makes B&B & Y&R different is The Bell's pay really nice! I'm sure Bradley has to streamline his budget like every business that out there.

However Ronn Moss needs to understand that, but your dealing with actors who egos get bruised. I think Ronn should take the pay-cut, if he wants to continue working. Again we don't know what his financial situation is; if he's paying alimony to his ex-wife (Third Ashley on Y&R who was awful). I would assume and assuming is wrong, but has a nice portfolio. Like Jamey said this isn't 1985 and nobody making DIVA Money.

for the "work" Tony Geary has been doing lately, HE SHOULD be paid the same as nuKristina.

and actually, that goes for Maurice, Steve and a lot of the other actors.

they need to step up their game and prove beyond a doubt they deserve those high salaries.

just because he had a A-game in the 70's 80s, don't mean squat to what he's done in 2012.

First off I love that NLG speaks her mind on twitter.. It is totally her right to have an opinion on everything.. Don't we all- I don't mind reading her's or any others even if it is different than mine..

Being as GH is the only soap I watch I will say that they could totally downsize Sonny and Jason. I am a huge fan gurl wont lie- but it's the same story for them over and over. They clearly are not bringing in the same fans as before.. I would love to see NLG and certain others in bigger stories..

If they want to cut the budget, they should cut salaries but also cut the workload. Give Steve and Maurice 3 days rather than 5 and cut a third of their salaries. Give them a full week off every month and let them pursue outside projects. Don't block them from finding work elsewhere. Give the lesser used actors more days with their smaller salaries. I think most of GH 's problem is they are boring the heck out of the audience. Same old tired mob crap day in and day out isn't going to cure viewer fatigue.

It's hard to take a pay cut. I get that there is a lot of ego involved. But in the end, I agree with NLG. If we take the Ronn Moss situation for example. I think he was making good money for the last 25 years.
But if you look at the industry, on the show's budget and the reduced air time you should either take the cut - or leave. Ronn Moss left. Which I understand. But then there shouldn't be talk of respect and all that. Yes Ronn Moss has been a big part of that show's history. But look around ... only four fighters left. You can't act like it's the same as 20 years ago.

US soaps need to adopt the telenovela model. Tell stories in 26-week and 13 week arcs, where someone who is the protagonist of one arc is not seen or is a supporting player in the next. Pay actors according to the type of role they are playing and for actual days worked. Give them time off to do other projects.

Or the US soaps could hire the producers of the British soap "EastEnders" as consultants. Now there is an amazing soap. It's a nightime show, not on every day of the week, nor on at the same time every time. Yet it is extremely popular and even got a shout out during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. As has happened with other things originated in the US, they do it better abroad nowadays.

the USA soaps should've taken the telenovela route DECADES ago, not now when they're all being cancelled left & right.

i think TPTB know this but they're either powerless to do something or refuse to change.

Nancy Grahn makes a valid point. If you are doing the same amount of work year after year after year as someone making triple your salary, and are then asked to take a 50% pay cut, you have a right to be angry. While I do believe that there should be some form of compensation made to all the actors monetarily, and understand that soap is the hardest job in the profession, with the least amount of recognition either financially or professionally, I believe that there are some soap vets who are quite simply put: WAY OVERPAID. In a genre where shows are being cancelled left and right and actors are being fired on a regular basis to keep budgets in check, everyone has had to do some belt tightening. When you have veterans like Robin Strasser saying they would work for scale (actor's version of minimum wage) someone throwing a hissy fit over a pay cut that still keeps them above 95% of the United States in net income is ludicrous. Maybe there needs to be a revision on the way all daytime actors are paid: Ilene Kristen had some great ideas on this recently: keep everyone on a recurring status, and only pay them on the days they work-but let them know far enough in advance of their shoot days that they can book other jobs in between. I know many actors wouldn't go for it, but it sure beats the $409 a week New York pays for Unemployment!

I don't know about you, but minimum wage wouldn't even BEGIN to cover my living expenses in NYC, much less in LA, where you have to have a car and the like. There is an expectation of a certain level of comfort-ability and glamorous living that comes with being on television 5 days a week, and it is no longer the networks who cover those costs (there was a time when the networks clothed and prepped the actors for public appearances-those days are long over.) If you can manage to live in a city like NYC or LA on minimum wage, more power to you-but most of these actors are college educated, and have families to support and images to maintain. In some cases, they even have to maintain a bodyguard because of stalkers and the like. I agree that some are grossly underpaid, but many have taken pay cut after pay cut with grace and dignity in order to keep their shows on the air.

I don't know about you, but I don't wanna see my soap stars showing up at the Emmy's in a dress from the GAP.

Just sayin...

Sometimes I wonder about NLG. Love an actor who speaks out, but at the same time, everyone has their own angle. If NLG was on the higher end of the pay scale, I wonder if she would have these same sentiments.

That being said, given the way things are set up, there are some actors on contract...and others in recurring roles. I think, that given the disparity in airtime and the "preferred" status that some get...they should be paid more. Going back to the days of Guza. If MB, SB, and JJ were on every day, on a daily serial..with limited opportunities to work elsewhere...they deserve a different level of pay than say...a recurring actor who airs once a month. I'm sorry, if the amount of work is different, the pay should be too.

Some actors that have a lot of air time, may be willing to cut their pay. RS and SL are among them. While they should be applauded for their sacrifice, it doesn't mean that those that don't choose to make that same sacrifice should be demonized. And sorry...NLG, I have sympathy for anyone that has a standard of living based upon their salary and have to cut back, while those that are really in power don't have to do the same. It is still an adjustment, regardless of how much money is in the pot.

I think that in this day and age for soaps the actors shouldn't be surprised if they are asked to take pay cuts. GL filmed with handcams for heaven sake! Do they think those actors didn't take cuts? OLTL's top stars were making pennies compared to some of the second billing actors or certain shows. They can stick there heads in the sand all they want but it doesn't change the fact that paycuts are going to happen. YES its a kick to the gut but you either get over it and realize your still going to be making a ton of money or you move on to something else, obviously Ron chose the latter.

I would guess that Nancy Lee Grahn is probably the 2nd highest paid actress on GH behind Laura Wright.

I think it's just like every acting gig in the business, you continue or not based on whether you think the conditions and salary are acceptable. I don't praise or condemn any particular one because I don't know their circumstances.
There are 2 sides of the spectrum - Say Melody Thomas Scott who played hardball on salary and Robin Strasser who took multiple cuts.
Then there are people in between such as Peter Reckel who said it wouldn't work for them anymore.
It's all good.

I do see Nancy's point though about "sharing the pain". Some may see Maurice Benard as this top player who deserves a much higher salary than others on the cast. I do not agree with that. I think Nancy has been a top player on GH for what, 20 years, and if she has to take the cut, so too should Burton and Benard. Sure, there is the risk they will walk. But I think one of GH's problems is that it's too Jason and Sonny-heavy anyway. OLTL viewers would have been in heaven if they put ONE QUARTER of the effort to have Dorian and Viki on their screens in frontburner stories.

Incidentally, I get the impression Tony Geary has been told that is the top he is getting. His last renegotiations went by without comment.

@pjc722: I think your post (#2) is brilliant.

If NLG believes as strongly in "equity" as she claims, she should have never submitted herself for a Best Supporting Actress Emmy nomination for her work last year when she was barely featured. That Emmy was undeserved and should have went to Rebecca Herbst.

If NLG had such strong feelings about Lexi Ainsworth (ex-Kristina) being fired, she should have quit.

As much as I have enjoyed NLG's performances over the years (primarily Julia Wainwright on SB and the first years of Alexis Davis on GH) she's become rather one-note in a very non-essential role in recent years as the mother of lame characters. NLG should raise hell over her role!

I read Nancy's tweets all the time as I am a political buff besides watching GH. Having said that, Nancy is only talking in general terms. She is not talking about Moss in particular, etc. Just general. The point is that vets on all the shows are making high salaries. They got into the business when the shows were high in ratings and actually made up for primetime misses for the networks. That is not the case now, Bottom two shows have two million, give or take and top two have three million give or take. Having said that, the ratings do not justify maintaining the salaries of yesteryear and staying on the air.

I am dating myself but I still remember the character Ellen on ATWTs, back in the day, was taken off contract and despite being on the show for a long time, she quit. At the point she was taken off contract she was only there on holidays, weddings, etc. They cut her loose rather than pay the high salary to someone not on camera. Of course, anyone is going to stay at the deal she had. Sure the show lost a loved character but isn't it the same as paying people in other professions. Other professions do not pay people who are not on the job. She was missed but it would have been waste of money to keep her.

I don't look at LW as star of GH. Some fans do but not me. Not so sure what her rate is either. She is on screen a lot which probably brings it up. Many of the newer actors want to be on all the time and bring their salaries up.

Some vets have taken cuts. Maybe some we don't know about. I don't understand in this economy how some refuse to negotiate. Lets face it, some who don't negotiate may have made their fortune and want to move on anyway. Sometimes actors do admit they want to do other stuff but vets are almost afraid to say that so as not to offend.

OLTL in its last four years was creeping up to 3rd place quickly and staying under budget. Great stories/actors. All cooperated. ABC cancelled that show in lieu of GH. I wonder if the person who made that assessment is still working for ABC/Disney. I never saw such a dumb decision in my life. It is a "What were they thinking?" moment. (Please bear with me here as I still think oltl should be on the air)

These are actors playing parts and they are going to assess their individual situations as decisions come up. I just remember how quick that actress was to quit way back in the day. Bottomline, these are jobs. These are fictional characters/stories being played by actors with real lives. It is their decision on what is best for them.

Totally agree with NLG, with things the way they are today in the soap world, it is better to accept that you still have a job. Asking for a raise or even not understanding that you might have to take a 3% cut is just not facing reallity.

I have always loved NLG. Right now it's growing hard to continue that love. She calls out movies for violence while she's on a show featuring multiple rapists and killers. A proclaimed feminist, yet she tweets comments about "all of Sonny's hoes". More recently she tweeted some nonsense about Jerry Jacks, chloroform and foreplay. And now of all things she wants to speak up about actor's salaries! Really? That's what has killed soaps. It's not people like her dear friend JFP who have killed soaps? It's not people like the current regime who she keeps tweeting her love for who are killing soaps? It's very telling that NLG would go after fellow actors.

I will continue to love NLG for many reasons. But she's been on the wrong side of way too much lately. Here's hoping she uses her voice for some good. Pitting actors against each other only plays into the hands of those who are killing the soaps.