Lizzo once said, “It’s about damn time,” and those words of wisdom most certainly apply here. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are getting the major pay raise they deserve! If you’ve been watching America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on Netflix, you already know just how underpaid these women have been. Some of the wildly talented and hard-working girlies weren’t even making enough to cover their rent. It was totally unacceptable, especially considering the ridiculous amount of money the Cowboys football players make. But after the 2024–25 football season, the Cowboys execs finally stepped up and gave the squad a much-needed raise… and I’m thanking the sports gods.
Season 2 of America’s Sweethearts, now streaming on Netflix, follows the team through the 2024–2025 season (from auditions to the final game) and dives into the details of their long-overdue pay raise. So, how much is the squad making now? Here’s everything to know about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ exciting new salary increase.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Pay Raise: How Much They Get Paid Now
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Pay Raise Details
Toward the end of season 2, four-year veteran Megan announces a “life-changing” 400% pay increase for the cheerleaders. TBH, I teared up a little bit. The squad members will also be getting paid more for their appearances outside of cheerleading, which is beyond deserved.
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Five-year veteran Jada McLean, who nearly got evicted from her home, played an important role in the pay negotiations. During an interview with TIME, she explained how the show helped spotlight the issue and get the girls this needed raise. “Having people watch the television show and speak up honestly on behalf of us and say, ‘Hey, this is not right. We weren’t aware that these girls are making so little ’— that motivated us to speak up more for ourselves,” Jada said.
Tad Carper, the senior vice president of communications for the Cowboys, shared in an email statement to the outlet: “We’re pleased, as you’ll see in the series, that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were happy with the outcome.”
How Much Did The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Get Paid Before?
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I kid you not: Around minimum wage! The audacity! Fans of the show learned that distressing info during the first season. These women work their asses off, preparing for games hours ahead of time and practicing for 30 to 40 hours a week. And yet most of them still had to somehow juggle second or third jobs. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are worth more than $10 billion… an aggressively clear example of the gender pay gap.
In the second season, a few leaders of the group spoke about their contracts for the 2024-25 football year and called the lack of pay increase “heartbreaking.” Squad member Kylie Dickson told the cameras, “We got our contracts and probably wrongly assumed that it maybe would have been different, just because of everything that was on TV. The world was kind of telling us, ‘Girls, fight for more!'” And thank goodness they did.