How Kevin Jonas early Lost “Most” of His Money During Band’s Hiatus

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Kevin Jonas is only human.

Therefore, it was because of these poor business choices that he found himself in financial trouble following the Jonas Brothers’ split in 2013, which he is now trying to rectify.

Kevin, aged 37, shared insights from his experiences during the July 7 episode of Lewis Howes’ “The School of Greatness” podcast. He explained that he had witnessed two extremes: the start of success leading to financial success, and being unfamiliar with money, to not having it, and almost losing all of it.

Since 2005, Kevin has been part of the band alongside his brothers Nick Jonas (aged 32) and Joe Jonas (aged 35). Recently, he confessed that a poor business decision left him with minimal financial resources.

The host of “Claim to Fame” remarked, “The vast majority, even the 10 percent that remains, is what we’re talking about here. I had a significant investment in real estate and other ventures while also constructing something at the time. Regrettably, it turned out not to be a suitable partnership.

Additionally, Kevin didn’t elaborate on the specifics of the partnership, but the “Sucker” performer shared that the insights gained from this encounter significantly shifted his perspective once the Jonas Brothers reunited in 2019.

Kevin, father of Alena (11) and Valentina (8), with wife Danielle Jonas, expressed gratitude for a second chance or opportunity, likening it to getting another shot at eating an apple after it has fallen. He added that this unexpected turn of events allowed him to reassess his life and focus on the future.

He remarked, ‘Simultaneously, I truly appreciated the opportunity to take another crack at it.’

Surely, Kevin too grasped the importance of patience before taking significant steps, a wisdom derived from his younger brother and bandmate Nick.

Kevin expressed his thoughts as follows: ‘From this experience, I’ve come to understand that it’s alright to take some time before making a decision, and it doesn’t have to be done on the spot. Nick is particularly skilled at doing this, he often says, “I’ll get back to you,” and there’s nothing wrong with not knowing immediately.’

Moving ahead to the present time, the threesome is all geared up to kick off their Jonas20: Living the Dream Tour in August.

In an interview with TopMob News in May, Kevin expressed that the ability to keep playing music and performing live is truly unique. He added that this particular event will be exceptionally memorable, serving not just as a celebration, but also as a preview of what’s yet to unfold.

For more on celebs who have shared details about their finances, keep reading…

Jenna Johnson, the winner of season 33, mentioned that although there’s no monetary reward for winning the mirrorball trophy on Dancing With the Stars, those who reach the finale are compensated until then. She also added that there’s an additional bonus to be received.

If you emerge victorious in this dance competition, Johnson pointed out that professional contracts are based on seniority and it’s not about receiving a million dollars; rather, it’s more like receiving an attractive trophy instead. For those who exit the ballroom earlier, Johnson clarified that they are guaranteed for a specific number of weeks.

(It has been reported that dancers start with a salary ranging between $1,200 to $1,600 per episode, which may reach up to $100,000 during an entire season. However, ABC has not confirmed these reports. In contrast, celebrities receive a starting salary of $125,000. As they progress in the competition, stars earn additional bonuses, with semifinalists and finalists earning up to $50,000 extra.)

Jennifer Lawrence, a renowned Academy Award winner, received a remuneration of $25 million to act in Adam McKay’s ensemble comedy about disaster titled “Don’t Look Up”. However, her costar and fellow Oscar laureate Leonardo DiCaprio earned $30 million for his role.

In an interview with Vanity Fair for their December 2020/January 2021 issue, Lawrence stated, “Leo earns more at the box office than I do.” She continued, “I’m incredibly content and grateful for my contract. However, in many instances, it can be uncomfortable to ask for equal pay. And if you do raise concerns about what seems unfair, you’re often told it’s not due to gender discrepancy, but they can’t explain what else it might be.

Her optimistic outlook on things was earned through struggle: When the difference in Lawrence’s salary compared to her male costars for the 2013 film “American Hustle” became public knowledge following the 2014 Sony email leak, it sparked a widespread discussion about the wage gap between genders in Hollywood.

In an interview with Channel 4 News in 2017, Lawrence expressed gratitude for her job and mentioned that her concern isn’t about money. Instead, she voiced frustration over the unfairness and inequality she encountered. She wasn’t upset about receiving only a certain amount of millions for a movie; she considered such concerns as preposterous.

Compared to Leonardo DiCaprio’s salary, Jonah Hill earned only around $60,000 (pre-commissions and taxes) for his role in “The Wolf of Wall Street” in 2013, whereas the film’s title character took home $10 million.

Hill stated on The Howard Stern Show in 2014 that they received the smallest amount of money one could offer. However, it was an opportunity to star in a Martin Scorsese film, which was enticing for the Moneyball alum. They wanted to secure the deal before anyone else could reconsider.

Hill stated, “I’d be willing to sell my home and empty my bank account just to work with Scorsese. Money isn’t the purpose here. You could take on roles like those in ’22 Jump Street’ or others for income, but I would do anything possible. I’d gladly do it again. This isn’t about financial gain; it’s about doing things that matter to you.

Oprah Winfrey happily accepted only a little bit of green to star in 1985’s The Color Purple.

In 2023, I gleefully shared with Essence that I was offered a mere $35,000 to be part of this remarkable film. Looking back now, it’s the most rewarding $35,000 I’ve ever spent. This experience revolutionized my perspective and imparted invaluable lessons to me.

In 1997, Jennifer Lopez made history when she portrayed Selena Quintanilla in the biopic “Selena,” marking the first time a Latin actress received $1 million for her performance in a movie.

In an interview with Variety back in 2019, Lopez shared that she was quite young and found the situation confusing at the time of her breakout film. “They paid me a million dollars, which was fantastic,” she added, implying that everyone seemed to be sending a message or making a statement.

Her success opened up opportunities for her to earn hundreds of millions more, even when her involvement didn’t require any financial investment.

Lopez shared with GQ in 2019 that he does things out of passion rather than money. He didn’t earn much for Hustlers; instead, he did it without pay and even produced it. Essentially, he relies on his own abilities, similar to the message in Jenny From the Block – he follows his heart and does what he loves.

As an ardent admirer, let me share that I firmly believe Adrien Brody didn’t embrace “The Brutalist” for the riches. Instead, he immersed himself in portraying a tormented Hungarian architect navigating post-WWII America for a modest $250,000 fee. And with unparalleled dedication, he clinched his second Oscar, triumphing as the Best Actor.

In response to Variety, Brody said, “I urgently require a studio film production now, as I’ve invested everything into it,” expressing his current project – a renovated barn that resembles a castle in upstate New York.

Pete Davidson jokingly responded to New York magazine by saying, “Did y’all know what they were paying us?” when asked about his spending habits upon joining Saturday Night Live at the age of 20 in 2014. Essentially, he was saying that each episode paid him around $3,000, so he would usually just spend it on dinner.

It’s worth noting that the starting salaries for newcomers on Saturday Night Live have kept a similar rate since its early days. For instance, stars like John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, and Chevy Chase were said to earn $750 per episode in 1975. This translates roughly to about $3,300 in 2014, as calculated by the Consumer Price Index Inflation calculator (although $750 from 1975 would be approximately $4,428 in 2025).

In his current 22nd season on SNL, Kenan Thompson earns significantly more than $3,000 per episode, but as a former Nickelodeon star, he had humble beginnings.

In Demi Lovato’s 2024 documentary, “Child Star,” the All That alum disclosed that when they received their first commercial paycheck, it amounted to $800. Since I was only 12 at the time, that sum felt like a fortune, almost equivalent to a million dollars.

It turns out Gilmore Girls’ status as a beloved rewatchable classic is literally priceless.

Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai Gilmore for seven seasons and then again in 2016’s ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’, shared on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ in March 2025 that there are no residual payments from Netflix. However, she mentioned that she has been compensated with love and appreciation instead.

Tommy Dorfman openly discussed her earnings from “13 Reasons Why” during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which was initiated in response to streaming platforms like Netflix not regularly providing extra remuneration to actors and crew when a series becomes successful.

In a post on Threads dated July 24th, Dorfman revealed that her total earnings during the first season of 13 Reasons Why amounted to $29,953.24 before agency and manager fees (amounting to 20%) and taxes were deducted. This was for eight episodes over a span of six months. She added that she handled all promotional work and had the main artwork for this show, traveled round-trip from NYC to SF for each episode shoot, and was kept for extended periods without pay or insurance, barely meeting the requirements for insurance coverage.

Moreover, Dorfman stated, “During the initial 28 days after its launch, our show’s season 1 accumulated a staggering 476 million viewing hours. This is the reason behind our strong stance.

Dax Shepard, during an interview with former co-star Lauren Graham on his podcast, revealed that he was aware he earned one of the smallest salaries among the cast members in the TV series “Parenthood,” which aired for six seasons.

But, the Armchair Expert host stressed that he did not mind.

He mentioned that before becoming a parent, he always took the initiative to discover how much his colleagues were earning in every job he held. He would either manage to extract this information during conversations or use indirect methods like contacting their agents.

Instead, he deliberately avoided learning details about his lineage related to his parental family, which contributed to his enjoyment of the experience despite occasionally sensing his position within the company’s hierarchical structure.

George Clooney revealed to the Los Angeles Times in 2005 that he personally invested a dollar to make his movie “Good Night, and Good Luck”. He had to cash his check as a director and give up his acting salary. Co-writer and co-producer Grant Heslov also earned a dollar for their contributions.

The passionate exploration about CBS News journalist Edward R. Murrow standing up against authority in the 1950s has proven to be quite successful: Clooney is set to make his Broadway debut portraying Murrow in a stage adaptation of the movie. Notably, during its pre-opening week, the play broke a Broadway record (for a nonmusical) by grossing an impressive $3.3 million, indicating that it’s bringing in substantial earnings even before its official premiere on April 3rd.

In the role of Patrick Bateman in the 2000 film “American Psycho,” Christian Bale was compensated with the absolute minimum possible, he revealed to GQ in 2022, as the production team had reservations about hiring him except for director Mary Harron.

In his own words, Bale mentioned that he earned such a small amount that he distinctly recalled moments when the makeup artists would chuckle at him during breaks in the makeup trailer since he was receiving less payment compared to all of them.

As a lifestyle guru, I’d share that while my uncle might have been famously known as Rico, the truth is, I myself, Jon Heder, was initially compensated a mere $1,000 for my role in “Napoleon Dynamite” back in 2010.

Following the unexpected success of his irreverent comedy, he managed to renegotiate a share in the earnings, expressing to the New Zealand Herald, “They bumped it up a notch.

Djimon Hounsou admitted that he feels undervalued in the film industry, despite having a notable resume with films such as Amistad and Blood Diamond.

In an interview with Larry Madowo at CNN in January 2025, the Beninese actor shared that he has been involved in filmmaking for more than two decades. Despite having received two Oscar nominations and appearing in numerous blockbuster movies, he continues to face financial difficulties in sustaining his livelihood.

In her 2024 memoir titled “Rebel Rising”, Rebel Wilson revealed that she was compensated $3,500 for her role in Bridesmaids. However, this amount had to be used to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild, which essentially meant she received no actual payment for her work.

Still, she wrote, the experience was “everything!”

The Australian actress saw a significant increase in her career success, as her salary for Pitch Perfect 2012 rose from the SAG minimum scale of $65,000 to $10 million for Pitch Perfect 3 in 2017. According to Wilson, she made a total of $20 million for the third installment, Isn’t It Romantic, and The Hustle, although it’s important to note that she “lost nearly half to taxes, a tenth to agents, and five percent” to her lawyer. However, even after covering expenses like taxes, agent fees, legal costs, publicist fees, business management costs, and assistant wages, Wilson still earned a substantial amount of money that she considered an enormous fortune.

In the last quarter of 2017, Ellen Pompeo renegotiated her contract for Grey’s Anatomy, securing a paycheck of $575,000 per episode, along with a significant upfront bonus and two backend equity points valued between $6 million and $7 million.

In 2018, Pompeo shared with The Hollywood Reporter that at the age of 48, she has reached a point where she feels comfortable asking for what she rightfully deserves. She explained that this confidence comes with time because, in the industry’s view, she may not be the most ‘current’ actress due to playing the same character for 14 years. However, Pompeo pointed out that maintaining skill and success over such a long period is no small feat.

More recently, Ellen Pompeo has been contemplating the fact that she earned less than her co-star Patrick Dempsey, despite being ‘Grey’ herself. However, she made it clear that she didn’t harbor resentment towards him for earning more money.

In a March 2025 episode of Call Her Daddy, she expressed, “Since my name is on the show title itself, I felt I deserved equal treatment. It was tougher to obtain this than seeing him receive what he did. I wasn’t resentful about his gains. I was resentful because they didn’t appreciate me as much as they appreciated him, and that never will change.

In 1978, when Jamie Lee Curtis made her film debut with Halloween, she was earning $2,000 per week, amounting to a total of $8,000 for the entire project. However, as she explained to Rotten Tomatoes in 2018, “to be honest, nobody received any payment at all.

Yet, even though the ‘scream queen’ received four-figure earnings, John Carpenter’s friend, Nick Castle, felt like royalty with his daily pay of just $25, splitting the role of Michael Myers. It was Anthony Moran whose visage you catch when the killer’s mask momentarily comes off in a chilling moment, and editor Tommy Lee Wallace also accumulated screen time as Michael.

At that moment, it was quite a lot! As shared with Vanity Fair in 2018, Castle, a fellow film school student of Carpenter at USC, explained. It’s essential to recall: My motivation for participating in the film was gaining set experience to unveil the mystery of filmmaking and directing. I assumed I would simply be present without pay. However, that turned out to be $25 per day, and all I needed to do was wear a rubber mask.

Taraji P. Henson received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” in 2008, but even years later, she remained passionate about the $150,000 she was paid for the film – a sum that was offered to her after producers declined her initial request for $500,000.

Regarding the main actors of the movie, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, Henson stated on the Ladies First With Laura Brown podcast in 2021 that at that time, it was common to hear about $20 million salaries. He added that their high pay was justified since he wasn’t implying they shouldn’t have been paid what they rightfully deserved.

She added, “I was also contributing a specific sum to the project’s seat, and at that point in my career, what I was asking seemed reasonable considering the ticket sales for this large movie. I wouldn’t agree to it.” Henson felt disappointed when they initially offered $100,000, she mentioned later. “In the end, I received $150,000, but I had to put my pride aside,” she said.

Henson pointed out, “People might say, ‘Wow, $150,000 is a big sum!’ But let me clarify, I wouldn’t want anyone to perceive me as ungrateful because that’s not my character. After considering taxes and team compensation, Uncle Sam will take half of it, leaving you with about $75,000. Before taxes, I need to pay my team 30%, so after the government takes its 50%, another 30% goes to my team, leaving me with approximately $40,000.

Although Cate Blanchett has amassed significant wealth throughout her career, it’s important to note that not all of her earnings stemmed from portraying the royal elf Galadriel in the The Lord of the Rings series, despite its impressive $2.9 billion global box office take.

When asked if it was a joke that she was paid for Lord of the Rings on “Watch What Happens Live” in August 2024 by Andy Cohen, she replied, “Absolutely not.” She explained, “No one received payment for that movie… I merely got some complimentary sandwiches, and I got to keep my ears as a memento.

In fact, they didn’t receive a substantial sum of money, as one might expect. Orlando Bloom, who portrayed the elven warrior Legolas, revealed on The Howard Stern Show in 2023 that he earned only $175,000 for the entire trilogy.

Hopefully he also got to keep his ears.

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2025-07-09 16:48