Drake & Josh was a hit Nickelodeon show, which followed the comedic adventures of two stepbrothers. The series ran for four seasons and even aired two TV films. With that, you may think that the popular Nick sitcom generated some massive revenue for those involved. Although, it turns out that's not actually the case, as co-lead star Josh Peck reveals that the series did not make him nearly as rich as his fans might think.
Don't get it twisted, there are plenty of child stars who earn big bucks for TV roles. For example, THR reported in 2010 that the highest-paid child star at the time, then-17-year-old Angus T. Jones, was making $300,000 per episode for his work on Two and a Half Men -- TV's top sitcom at the time. Things were very different for Josh Peck, though, as he revealed his past income while on the Trading $ecrets podcast:
I can only speak to my experience, but I think it’s quite public that if you were on a show like Two and a Half Men or Modern Family, and you were the kid on a massive network, syndicated show, the case could be made that you’d have enough money to last you for the rest of your life. The reality is that, when we were making the show, we did 60 episodes and we made about $15,000 an episode. So, when all is said and done, we were sort of left -- after agents and managers and taxes -- with about $450,000 over five years, which breaks down to a little less than $100,000 a year.
Sure, you can make a very good living as an actor, but that doesn’t always mean you're totally covered for years to come. Later in the interview, the Amanda Show alum shared how his wages impacted his and his mother's living situation at that time:
Now, certainly a great amount of money, but not enough to set you up for life. And a lot of it, we lived on, and I'm not gonna brag: My mom and I had a used BMW 5 series. We lived in a two-bedroom apartment with amenities.
He's far from the only child actor not to be paid a massive sum for a hit series. For example, you would think Miley Cyrus would've been paid more than anybody for playing the titular role in Hannah Montana. However, there were others who were actually paid more than Cyrus. There are certain factors that need to be considered when analyzing these seemingly lower-expected-sums, such as the fact that some younger actors aren't as savvy when it comes to contracts.
Still, the Turner & Hooch star seems to be doing quite well for himself. Right now, he has a recurring role on Hulu’s How I Met Your Father and has released a memoir called Happy People Are Annoying. He's also guest-starring on iCarly Season 2, reuniting with former Drake & Josh co-star Miranda Cosgrove in the process.
While he's still close to his on-screen stepsister, the same can't be said for Drake Bell. The Grandfathered alum also appeared on the podcast BFFs and discussed the ugly feud he had with Bell. When the star got married, Bell was not invited to the wedding, leading to a bit of controversy. While it appeared that the two patched things up after that, Josh Peck was recently asked if he and Bell were still friends to which he responded, “Not really. No.” (Doesn’t look like Peck will be hollering “Hug me, brother!” anytime soon.)
But regardless of any strained relationships, pay discrepancies or even the demolition of the show's iconic house, Josh Peck is still thriving, and longtime Nick fans still appreciate his work on the beloved sitcom. You can currently watch episodes of Drake &Josh with your Paramount+ subscription or a Hulu subscription.
