Trinity Rodman Becomes Highest-Paid Women’s Soccer Player in the World

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Trinity Rodman’s ability to kick it into high gear has paid off—literally.

The 23-year-old soccer player has re-signed with the Washington Spirit for three more years in a deal worth over $2 million per year, according to reports from The Athletic and her agent, Mike Senkowski.

For Trinity, finalizing this agreement—which makes her the highest-paid athlete in her sport—is a major step toward achieving a lifelong ambition.

At a recent event, the Olympic gold medalist – whose parents are NBA star Dennis Rodman and Michelle Moyer – explained that she’s always known what she wanted to achieve. ‘We’re making that happen,’ she said, ‘and I’m really thankful.’

There was talk that limitations on player salaries in the NWSL might lead Trinity to consider playing in Europe, as several of her U.S. teammates, including Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson, had recently signed with European teams. However, Trinity ultimately decided she wanted to continue playing in Washington D.C.

When I finally made my decision, someone asked me if I felt like I was done with everything and if I could confidently move on. I didn’t hesitate at all. I immediately said, ‘No, I’m not ready to choose something else.’

Oh my gosh, you guys, everyone was SO excited about Trinity’s amazing achievement! And even though Ben Shelton – yes, the Ben Shelton, my tennis obsession – is all the way in Australia crushing it at the Australian Open, he was celebrating her too! I checked his Instagram, and it’s clear he’s incredibly proud of her. Seriously, they are the cutest!

I was so thrilled to see Ben post about Trinity on his Instagram Stories! He shared a clip of her playing – it’s amazing to see her back in action after her injury in 2025 – and also celebrated her incredible salary achievement with a special graphic. It really shows how much he appreciates her!

He captioned the former, “She’s back! Love you and so proud.”

For a closer look at celebrities’ paychecks, read on.

Honestly, she is the Spirit. Her whole career has been built here, and it’s amazing to me. She was talking about getting drafted and growing up with the team, learning from her mistakes with the Spirit in D.C., and it just… it is her story, her legacy. But what gets me even more is that she doesn’t think she’s done yet! She feels like she has so much more to offer, so much more she wants to achieve. It’s just… incredible. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

And for Spirit Owner Michele Kang, the role Trinity holds on the team is irreplaceable.

She’s an integral part of the Washington Spirit, and I hope the team has been just as important to her career. This is a huge moment, especially for our fans who were eager to see her continue with the team.

Michele wasn’t the only one thrilled with Trinity’s success. Even though he was competing in the Australian Open, Trinity’s boyfriend, Ben Shelton, acknowledged and celebrated her achievement.

Ben posted a video of Trinity—who couldn’t play in 2025 due to an injury—on his Instagram Stories, along with a post celebrating her new salary.

He captioned the former, “She’s back! Love you and so proud.”

For a closer look at celebrities’ paychecks, read on.

According to Joe Giudice, he and his ex-wife, Teresa Giudice, barely made any money during the first season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. He revealed on his daughter Gia Giudice’s Casual Chaos podcast in August 2025 that they earned around $25,000, which he considered a very small amount, but they accepted it.

Creating the first season of the show wasn’t inexpensive. The father of four remembered, “I believe that initial party we threw in my living room cost me around $150,000.”

Although the winner of Dancing With the Stars doesn’t receive a cash prize, everyone who reaches the finale is paid for their time on the show, and they also receive a bonus, according to season 33 champion Jenna Johnson, who won with partner Joey Graziadei.

Johnson explained that winning doesn’t come with a huge financial reward; it’s mostly about the trophy. While professional dancers earn between $1,200 and $1,600 per episode—potentially reaching $100,000 for the entire season, though ABC hasn’t confirmed these figures—celebrities start at a $125,000 salary. As they progress, celebrities receive bonuses, with those reaching the semifinals and finals earning up to an additional $50,000. Dancers are guaranteed a certain number of weeks on the show regardless of when they’re eliminated.

As a lifestyle expert, I always find it fascinating to peek behind the curtain of Hollywood salaries! It’s interesting to learn that Jennifer Lawrence earned a fantastic $25 million for her work in the hit comedy Don’t Look Up, directed by Adam McKay. However, her incredibly talented co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio, actually received $30 million for the same film. It just goes to show how much factors like experience and negotiation can play into these numbers!

As someone who’s been in the industry a while, I’ve definitely seen some things when it comes to pay. While I’m incredibly grateful for my success – and yes, Leonardo DiCaprio often pulls in bigger numbers at the box office – I’ve noticed a pattern. It’s often really awkward to even ask if you’re being paid fairly, especially as a woman. And the frustrating part is, if you do bring up a potential difference, you’re often told it’s not about gender, but they won’t give you a clear explanation of why there’s a disparity. It’s a situation I know many women in all sorts of workplaces can relate to.

I was absolutely floored when the Sony hack revealed how much less Jennifer Lawrence was paid for American Hustle! It wasn’t just a little difference, it was a huge disparity compared to her male co-stars. Honestly, it made me so angry, but it also sparked this massive conversation about how women are paid so much less than men in Hollywood, and it felt like a really important moment. You could tell it hadn’t been easy for her to stay so positive, knowing she’d been unfairly compensated, but she did, and it really brought the issue to light.

Lawrence explained in a 2017 interview with Channel 4 News that she wasn’t worried about earning less money. She said, ‘It’s not about the millions I made from a film. I was upset by the injustice and the fact that things weren’t fair for everyone.’

Compared to Leonardo DiCaprio’s earnings, Jonah Hill made a relatively small $60,000 for his work in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street – before taxes and commissions. This is significantly less than the $10 million earned by the film’s lead actor.

Hill said on The Howard Stern Show in 2014 that he was offered very little money for the role. However, he was eager to appear in a film directed by Martin Scorsese, so he quickly agreed to the deal, not wanting anyone to back out.

According to actor Jonah Hill, he’d be willing to sacrifice everything to work with director Martin Scorsese. He explained that earning money isn’t the primary goal for him; films like 22 Jump Street simply allow him to cover his expenses. He’d happily work for Scorsese again, even without financial gain, because pursuing passion projects is what truly matters. He said he’d ‘sell my house and give him all my money’ for the opportunity.

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

In a 2023 interview with Essence, the media mogul said they were only paid $35,000 for the film, but it was the most valuable $35,000 they ever made. They explained that the experience was transformative and taught them a great deal.

Jennifer Lopez made history when she played the late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 movie Selena. She was the first Latina actress to be paid $1 million for a film role.

Looking back at the movie that launched her career, Lopez admitted to Variety in 2019 that she was naive at the time and didn’t fully understand what was happening. She was thrilled with the million-dollar offer and believes everyone involved was trying to prove a point.

This success allowed her to earn hundreds of millions of dollars more, and sometimes she doesn’t even need to invest any money of her own.

In a 2019 interview with GQ, Jennifer Lopez explained that she pursues projects out of passion, not just for financial gain. She shared that she wasn’t highly paid for the film Hustlers, and even produced it herself without charge, because she believes in investing in herself and following her creative instincts – much like the spirit behind her song Jenny From the Block.

Adrien Brody wasn’t motivated by money when he made The Brutalist. He chose the role of a struggling Hungarian architect in post-World War II America, earning $250,000 and ultimately winning his second Best Actor Oscar.

Brody told Variety he’s ready for a big studio film, explaining he’s invested everything he has into renovating a large, castle-like barn in upstate New York.

When asked about his early spending habits, Pete Davidson joked to New York magazine, “Do you know how much we made?” He explained that when he started at Saturday Night Live in 2014 at age 20, he earned around $3,000 per episode, which he quipped was just enough to cover dinner.

It’s noteworthy that pay for new cast members on Saturday Night Live has stayed consistent over time. In 1975, original stars like John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, and Chevy Chase each earned $750 per episode. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $3,300 in 2014, and roughly $4,428 in 2025.

Kenan Thompson earns significantly more than $3,000 per episode of Saturday Night Live these days, especially since he’s starting his 22nd season on the show. However, like everyone, he had to begin with smaller roles early in his career.

In Demi Lovato’s 2024 documentary, Child Star, a former cast member of All That shared that their first paycheck was $800. They joked that, being 12 years old at the time, it felt like a fortune – practically a million dollars.

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

Lauren Graham, best known for playing Lorelai Gilmore for seven seasons and in the 2016 revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, recently shared that she doesn’t receive any ongoing payments (residuals) from Netflix. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live in March 2025, she jokingly said she’s been compensated with ‘love and appreciation’ instead.

During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, actress Tommy Dorfman revealed how little she was paid for her work on 13 Reasons Why. The strike, like the WGA strike happening at the same time, was partly caused by streaming services such as Netflix not offering extra pay to actors and crew even after a show became successful.

Dorfman revealed on Threads on July 24th that she earned $29,953.24 for the first season of 13 Reasons Why before her agency, manager (combined 20%), and taxes took their share. She worked on 8 episodes over six months, doing all the promotional work and appearing in key promotional images for the show. She also traveled frequently between New York City and San Francisco to film, often working for days without pay and barely qualifying for health insurance.

Okay, seriously, can we talk about this show? It’s HUGE! I mean, within the first month – just 28 days! – people watched a total of 476 MILLION hours of season one! That’s why we’re all out here fighting for it – it’s a phenomenon, and they need to understand that!

Dax Shepard recently shared with Lauren Graham, a former co-star from their show Parenthood, that he was one of the lowest-paid actors on the NBC drama during its six-season run. He didn’t mention specific salaries or names, but confirmed he earned significantly less than many of his colleagues.

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

I’ve always been really curious about salaries – before becoming a parent, it was something I made a point of finding out in every job I had. I’d either just ask people directly, or I’d work through my agent to get the information. It was just something I always did!

He deliberately avoided finding out details about his family’s history with the company, which allowed him to enjoy the experience, even when he started to realize his position within the company’s hierarchy.

In 2005, George Clooney told the Los Angeles Times that he and Grant Heslov each only made one dollar from their film, Good Night, and Good Luck. Clooney explained that to get the movie made, he had to cash his directing check and forgo his acting salary, and Heslov did the same.

George Clooney’s passion project, a play about CBS News journalist Edward R. Murrow and his courageous reporting in the 1950s, proved to be a success. Clooney made his Broadway debut playing Murrow, finishing a months-long run in June 2025. The play earned a record-breaking $3.3 million during previews – before its official opening on April 3rd – demonstrating its popularity and financial success, far exceeding Clooney’s initial $1 investment.

Christian Bale revealed in a 2022 interview with GQ that he was paid very little for his role as Patrick Bateman in the 2000 film American Psycho. He explained that the production didn’t initially want to cast him, and he only got the part because director Mary Harron was a supporter.

Bale recalled earning so little during one job that the makeup artists on set actually joked about him being paid less than they were.

Although his uncle was Rico, Jon Heder revealed in 2010 that he originally earned just $1,000 for his role in Napoleon Dynamite.

Once the unexpectedly successful comedy took off, he was able to negotiate a share of the earnings. He told the New Zealand Herald that the offer was increased.

Despite a successful career with acclaimed films like Amistad and Blood Diamond, Djimon Hounsou believes he doesn’t earn enough money in Hollywood.

The Beninese actor shared with CNN’s Larry Madowo in January 2025 that despite working in film for over twenty years, and having received two Oscar nominations and starred in several major blockbusters, he continues to struggle financially.

In her 2024 memoir, Rebel Rising, Rebel Wilson revealed she earned $3,500 for her work on Bridesmaids, but the entire amount went to joining the Screen Actors Guild. Essentially, she didn’t receive any pay for the film.

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

The Australian actress’s career soared, and her salary increased dramatically. She earned the standard union rate of $65,000 for the 2012 film Pitch Perfect, but by 2017’s Pitch Perfect 3, she was commanding $10 million. She reported earning a total of $20 million from Pitch Perfect 3, Isn’t It Romantic, and The Hustle. However, after paying nearly 50% in taxes, 10% to her agents, and 5% to her lawyer, along with other professional fees, she still considered her earnings a huge success.

In late 2017, Ellen Pompeo successfully negotiated a new contract for her role on Grey’s Anatomy. She earned $575,000 per episode, plus a significant signing bonus and a share of the show’s profits, estimated to be worth between $6 and $7 million.

In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 48-year-old Pompeo explained that she’s reached a point in her career where she confidently asks for what she’s worth, something she feels comes with experience. She acknowledged the industry often sees her as less ‘relevant’ after playing the same character for 14 years, but argued that while many actors can deliver in a show’s first couple of seasons, maintaining that quality for over a decade truly demonstrates skill.

Ellen Pompeo recently thought about the fact that she consistently earned less than her “Grey’s Anatomy” costar, Patrick Dempsey, despite being the show’s central character. However, she says she doesn’t resent him for it.

In a March 2025 episode of her podcast, Call Her Daddy, she explained that because the show was named after her, she felt she deserved equal recognition. She wasn’t upset about his success, but rather that her contributions weren’t valued as highly, and she believed that would never change.

Jamie Lee Curtis remembers earning $2,000 per week, totaling $8,000, for her first movie, the 1978 film Halloween. As she explained to Rotten Tomatoes in 2018, very few people involved in the film received any significant payment.

As a lifestyle expert, I always find it fascinating to hear the behind-the-scenes stories of iconic films! Everyone knows the ‘scream queen’ did really well with Halloween, earning a nice four-figure paycheck. But it’s funny to think that John Carpenter’s friend, Nick Castle, felt like royalty getting $25 a day to share the role of Michael Myers. And here’s a little trivia for you: it’s actually Anthony Moran whose face you briefly see when Michael’s mask comes off – pretty creepy, right? Tommy Lee Wallace, the editor, even stepped in front of the camera as Michael for some scenes too!

Looking back, it was a really intense time,” said Castle, who went to film school with Carpenter at USC. He told Vanity Fair in 2018 that he was initially drawn to the project simply to learn about filmmaking firsthand. “I just wanted to be on set and see how movies were made. I figured I’d work for free, but I ended up getting paid $25 a day – all I had to do was wear a rubber mask!”

Taraji P. Henson received an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. However, she was still frustrated years later that she only earned $150,000 for the movie, despite initially requesting $500,000.

In a 2021 interview on the Ladies First With Laura Brown podcast, producer Scott Henson discussed the high salaries paid to stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. He explained that while $20 million paychecks for actors were becoming less common at the time, he believed Pitt and Blanchett were worth the money.

She explained that she was also bringing value to the project and believed her salary request was reasonable, considering how much the film would likely earn from ticket sales. She wouldn’t have accepted anything less. Henson said she was very disappointed when they initially offered her only $100,000. Ultimately, she ended up with $150,000, but admitted it was difficult to accept less than she felt she deserved.

Henson understands some people might think $150,000 is a lot of money, but she wants to be clear she’s not ungrateful. However, after taxes and paying her team, the actual amount she receives is significantly less. She estimates that after the government takes its 50% share, she’s left with $75,000. Then, after paying her team 30% of the original amount, she might only have around $40,000 remaining.

Cate Blanchett has earned a significant income throughout her career, but her role as the elf Galadriel in the highly successful The Lord of the Rings films – which made $2.9 billion worldwide – wasn’t her sole source of wealth.

When Andy Cohen speculated on Watch What Happens Live in August 2024 that The Lord of the Rings was her highest-paying role, she jokingly replied, “No way!” She explained that the cast didn’t actually receive salaries for the film, and her compensation consisted of free food and being allowed to keep her prosthetic ears.

Orlando Bloom, known for his role as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, revealed on The Howard Stern Show in 2023 that he earned only $175,000 for all three films.

Hopefully he also got to keep his ears.

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2026-01-23 19:49