Why Sting Says Letting His 6 Kids Not Work Would Be a “Form of Abuse”

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Sting doesn’t want to leave his children with literal fields of gold.

More than ten years after saying he wouldn’t leave a large portion of his wealth—estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars—to his six children, Sting has reaffirmed that remains his intention.

A Grammy-winning artist recently shared that telling a child they don’t need to work is, in their opinion, a harmful thing to do. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, they stated they hope they’ve never done that, calling it a form of abuse.

Plus, he doesn’t think they need it. 

My children all share a remarkable work ethic. I’m not sure if it’s something they were born with or if it’s from me always telling them they need to contribute. I’ve always emphasized that since I’m providing for their needs – like education and clothes – they should put in the effort and get to work.

He explained that wasn’t a harsh decision, but rather an act of kindness and a sign of his trust in his children’s ability to succeed on their own. He believes they are resilient and capable individuals.

The singer, known as “Desert Rose,” recently shared thoughts similar to ones he’s expressed before about his money and family. He has two grown children with his former wife, Frances Tomelty, and four children with his current wife, Trudie Styler.

In a 2014 interview with the Daily Mail, Sting (Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) explained that he was spending money as quickly as he earned it. He pointed out that with over 100 people working for him, he had many financial obligations and wasn’t accumulating much savings.

Even at that point, the musician observed that his children – now between 30 and 49 years old – were quite independent.

He said he really respects and appreciates that they’re so independent and don’t often ask for help. While he’d definitely be there for them if they needed it, they’ve always been driven and prefer to rely on their own hard work to achieve their goals.

Sting isn’t alone in feeling this way. Soon after his son Wyatt Morgan Cooper turned one, CNN host Anderson Cooper talked about what he hopes for his son’s future.

He explained in an interview on the Morning Meeting podcast that he doesn’t plan to leave a large inheritance. He’s not particularly motivated by money and doesn’t want his son to rely on a fortune. Instead, he intends to follow his parents’ example: paying for college, and then letting his son support himself.

For more insight into celebrities’ financial situations, read on. 

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 winner Jenna Johnson, who won with partner Joey Graziadei.

Johnson explained that winning doesn’t mean a huge payout—it’s more about the trophy. And while dancers are guaranteed a paycheck for a certain number of weeks, professional contracts depend on how long they’ve been with the show. Reports suggest dancers start earning around $1,200 to $1,600 per episode, potentially reaching $100,000 for the entire season, though ABC hasn’t confirmed these figures. Celebrities, on the other hand, begin with a $125,000 salary, and can earn up to an additional $50,000 as they advance to the semifinals and finals.

Jennifer Lawrence, who has won an Academy Award, earned $25 million for her role in the Adam McKay-directed comedy Don’t Look Up. However, her co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio—also an Oscar winner—received $30 million for the same film.

Jennifer Lawrence acknowledged that Leonardo DiCaprio earns more at the box office than she does. While she’s happy with her own earnings, she explained to Vanity Fair that it’s often awkward for women to ask for equal pay. She’s observed that when discrepancies are questioned, explanations are vague and often avoid addressing potential gender bias directly.

Jennifer Lawrence’s optimistic outlook came after a difficult battle. When the 2014 Sony email leak revealed she was paid less than her male co-stars in the 2013 film American Hustle, it sparked a widespread discussion about unequal pay for women in Hollywood.

In a 2017 interview with Channel 4 News, Lawrence explained she wasn’t worried about her earnings. ‘I’m lucky to have the job I do,’ she said, ‘and it wasn’t the amount of money I made from a film that bothered me. I was upset by the broader issues of unfairness and inequality.’

Compared to Leonardo DiCaprio’s earnings, Jonah Hill received 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 lead actor.

Hill remembered being offered very little money during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in 2014. However, the opportunity to be in a film directed by Martin Scorsese was too good to pass up, so the Moneyball actor was eager to finalize the agreement quickly, before anyone reconsidered.

Hill, a two-time Best Supporting Actor nominee known for his role as a frantic stockbroker, said he’d be willing to make huge sacrifices to work with director Martin Scorsese. He explained that while films like 22 Jump Street are good for earning a living, he’d do anything – even sell his house and give away all his money – to be part of a Scorsese project. For Hill, passion and meaningful work are far more important than financial gain, and he’d jump at the chance to do it all over again.

The actress hinted that the main cast of Friends—Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc—each earn around $20 million annually from the show’s continued broadcasts. She jokingly suggested to The Times in April 2026 that the reason is simply “Because Phoebe Buffay was so great!”

But in actuality, she praised the talents of her costars for their performances.

I thought my performance was decent, but Jennifer and Courteney were incredible! David and Matt had me cracking up, and Matthew—he was in a league of his own.

As a long-time fan, I was fascinated to hear Joe Giudice talk about their early days on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. He revealed on Gia’s podcast, Casual Chaos, that they barely made anything for the first season! He said it was around $25,000, which he thought was pretty laughable, but they took it anyway. It’s wild to think how far they’ve come since then!

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve seen firsthand how quickly things can add up, and this story really illustrates that! One dad, reflecting on the first season of his family’s reality show, admitted it wasn’t a small investment. He remembers throwing a big party in his great room, and estimates the whole first year cost him around $150,000. It just goes to show, creating that initial buzz definitely comes with a price tag!

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 billionaire said they were initially offered just $35,000 for the film, but it turned out to be 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 film Selena. She was the first Latina actress to be paid $1 million for a movie role.

Looking back at my first big movie role, I realize I was so young and honestly, a little lost! It was amazing to be offered a million dollars – it felt like everyone involved was trying to prove something, and I was just along for the ride. It was a whirlwind, but a really exciting one.

This success allowed her to earn hundreds of millions of dollars, and occasionally she doesn’t even have to lift a finger to do so.

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 even produced and acted in Hustlers without a large salary, choosing to invest in herself and follow her creative instincts – just like she did with her song Jenny From the Block. She believes in backing her own vision and doing what she loves.

Adrien Brody wasn’t motivated by financial gain when he accepted the role in The Brutalist. He chose to play a Hungarian architect struggling with his work in post-World War II America, and his performance earned him a second Academy Award for Best Actor, despite a salary of only $250,000.

Brody told Variety he’s ready for a big studio film, explaining he’s invested everything he has into renovating a unique property – a barn he describes as resembling a castle – in upstate New York.

When asked about his early spending habits after joining Saturday Night Live in 2014 at age 20, Pete Davidson joked to New York magazine, “Do you know how much we make?” He then quipped, “It was like $3,000 per episode, so I probably just bought dinner.”

It’s notable that pay for new cast members on Saturday Night Live has stayed consistent over the years. In 1975, the original season one stars – John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, and Chevy Chase – each reportedly earned $750 per episode. When adjusted for inflation, that’s about $3,300 in 2014, or $4,428 in 2025.

Kenan Thompson earns significantly more than $3,000 per episode of SNL these days, especially as he begins his 22nd season on the show. However, he didn’t always make that much and started with much smaller paychecks early in his career, when he was a star on Nickelodeon.

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 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 then returning for the 2016 revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, recently shared that she doesn’t receive any residual payments from Netflix. Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live in March 2025, Graham joked that she’s been compensated with “love and appreciation” instead.

During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Tommy Dorfman revealed details about her pay for 13 Reasons Why. The strike, like the WGA strike, was partially caused by streaming services such as Netflix not consistently offering extra pay to actors and crew when a show became popular, and she felt undervalued as a result.

Dorfman revealed on Threads that she earned $29,953.24 for the first season of 13 Reasons Why before her agency, manager (who together took 20%), and taxes were deducted. She worked on 8 episodes over six months, doing all the promotion and appearing in key promotional artwork. 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.

Dorfman also noted that the show’s first season reached 476 million viewing hours within its first 28 days, which is why they decided to go on strike.

Dax Shepard recently shared with Lauren Graham, a former co-star on their show Parenthood, that he was one of the lowest-paid actors during the show’s six-season run on NBC. He didn’t reveal 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.

Before becoming a parent, I always made it a priority to find out how much my coworkers were earning. I’d usually ask directly or, if that wasn’t possible, I’d discreetly check through my agent.

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

In 2005, George Clooney told the Los Angeles Times that he and Grant Heslov each only made one dollar from the film Good Night, and Good Luck. Clooney explained they had to use all the profits to get the movie made, even cashing his directing and acting checks to fund it. Heslov, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film, did the same.

George Clooney’s passion project, a play about CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow and his courageous reporting in the 1950s, proved to be a success. Clooney made his Broadway debut playing Murrow, wrapping up 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, proving it was a much bigger hit than just a personal endeavor.

Christian Bale revealed in a 2022 interview with GQ that he earned very little for his iconic role as Patrick Bateman in the 2000 film American Psycho. He explained that the production wasn’t initially eager to cast him, and he was paid only the legally required minimum wage, thanks to the support of director Mary Harron.

Bale recounted earning so little money that he recalled makeup artists on set joking that he was 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.

I was thrilled when that hilarious movie unexpectedly became a huge success! It was amazing to hear that the star was able to get a better deal after that – he even told the New Zealand Herald they increased his share of the profits, saying simply, ‘They went a little bit higher.’ It’s great to see someone benefit from their hard work when a project really takes off!

Despite a successful career with acclaimed films like Amistad and Blood Diamond, Djimon Hounsou feels he isn’t paid enough for his work 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 many successful blockbusters, he still finds it difficult to make ends meet.

In her 2024 memoir, Rebel Rising, Rebel Wilson revealed she earned just $3,500 for her work on Bridesmaids. However, she had to use the entire amount to pay her Screen Actors Guild initiation fees, meaning she effectively received no payment for the film.

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

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

In late 2017, Ellen Pompeo successfully renegotiated her contract for Grey’s Anatomy. She secured $575,000 per episode, a substantial signing bonus, and a stake in 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 fair compensation. She attributes this to gaining experience with age. While she acknowledges the industry sees her as less ‘relevant’ after playing the same character for 14 years, she argues that it’s easy to do well on a show for a season or two, but maintaining that quality for over a decade requires real talent.

Ellen Pompeo recently shared that she didn’t resent her Grey’s Anatomy costar, Patrick Dempsey, despite consistently earning less than him, even though her character was the show’s namesake.

In a March 2025 episode of her podcast, Call Her Daddy, she explained that she felt she deserved equal recognition, considering the show was named after her. She wasn’t upset that someone else received success, but rather that her contributions weren’t valued as much, and she believed that would always be the case.

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, hardly anyone on the film received significant pay.

Although the actress playing Laurie Strode made a good amount of money – around four figures – director John Carpenter’s friend, Nick Castle, felt like he was living large earning $25 a day for sharing the role of Michael Myers. (Actually, Anthony Moran is the face you briefly see under the mask, and editor Tommy Lee Wallace also appeared on screen as Michael.)

Looking back, it was a really intense experience!” Castle, a USC film school classmate of Carpenter’s, told Vanity Fair in 2018. “I was mainly interested in getting on set to see how movies were made and to learn about directing. I figured I’d be working for free, so getting paid $25 a day just for wearing a rubber mask was a bonus.”

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, which the producers turned down.

In a 2021 interview on the Ladies First With Laura Brown podcast, producer Scott Henson discussed the high salaries of the film’s stars, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. He noted that $20 million paychecks for actors were less common then, but added, “I’m not saying they shouldn’t have been paid what they deserved.”

She explained that she was also bringing value to the project and believed her salary request was reasonable, considering how much she’d contribute to the film’s ticket sales. She wouldn’t have accepted anything less. Taraji P. Henson said she was very disappointed when they initially offered her only $100,000. In the end, she negotiated a salary of $150,000, but it was difficult to accept, even with the increase.

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 explained that the government will take about half, leaving $75,000. Then, she needs to pay her team 30% of the original amount before taxes are taken out. So, after both taxes and team payments, she estimates she might only have around $40,000 left.

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

When Andy Cohen suggested on Watch What Happens Live in August 2024 that The Lord of the Rings was her most lucrative role, she jokingly replied, “No!” She explained that the cast didn’t actually receive significant salaries, saying she was mostly paid in meals and got 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 – a surprisingly small amount.

Hopefully he also got to keep his ears.

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2026-05-06 17:19