The Brett Cooper Show

Episode 65: The Dark Truth Behind Child Acting
September 15, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Brett Cooper investigates the harsh realities of child acting in Hollywood, spotlighting the exploitative systems that often leave young performers underpaid, unprotected, and silenced. Through her own experiences, viral testimonies from former child stars, and deep-dive discussions around residuals, contracts, and union loopholes, Brett exposes how the entertainment industry systematically profits from child performers. The episode draws connections between famous examples—from Nickelodeon and Disney shows to pop supergroups like *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys—revealing a culture where fame masks systemic exploitation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Residuals and the Payment System

• Explanation of Residuals: Brett breaks down how residuals work—actors receive ongoing payments when shows are rerun or licensed, helping to provide consistent income between jobs.
  • “As an actor, you get paid for your time...but then after the show has been released...you get residual checks in the mail for every time that it airs.” (A, 01:17)
  • Shows like Friends and This Is Us generate significant annual residuals for their casts (up to $20 million and $70,000/year, respectively).
• Children's TV Discrepancy: Child actors on major children's networks often receive minuscule, if any, residuals.
  • Example: Ryan McCarten from Disney’s Liv and Maddie received a check for $0.41 (03:58), and Daniella Monet (Trina on Nickelodeon’s Victorious) shared a residual check for $0.16.
  • “When you are the lead in a show that was beloved by an entire generation...and you are getting 16 cents and you were the lead actor, that is crazy.” (A, 04:38)

2. Nickelodeon’s Union Loopholes and Lack of Residuals

• Older Nickelodeon Contract Issues: Before reaching agreements with SAG-AFTRA, Nickelodeon did not pay residuals to its child stars.
  • “Our union at the time made a deal with the studios to not pay their leads residuals. And that has had lasting impact on our life.” (B, 05:35)
  • Even as their faces remain on globally-streamed shows, these actors receive nothing for their past work.
  • Guest stars, ironically, received residuals—lead actors did not.

3. Industry Shifts and the SAG-AFTRA Strike

• The transition from cable to streaming has rendered many residual contracts outdated, compounding existing inequities.
  • “As the entire Hollywood model has shifted more towards streaming and away from cable, a lot of those contracts and those residual contracts are now outdated.” (A, 06:20)
• 2023’s SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes addressed outdated contracts, residuals, and concerns over AI ownership.

4. Disney Channel’s Wage Suppression Tactics

• Disney's “Training Wage” Loophole: Disney had special contracts for child actors, paying only 88% of the union minimum (“scale”) for the first three seasons.
  • “Disney had a special contract where they only had to pay their actors 88% of that scale. So they were getting less than minimum wage.” (A, 10:36)
  • Shows were routinely “rebooted” every three seasons (e.g., “Hannah Montana Forever,” “Liv and Maddie: Cali Style”) to avoid raising wages.
  • “They can go back to paying you like shit.” (D, 11:29)

5. Child Actors’ Lack of Leverage and Replaceability

• Companies routinely reminded children they were expendable:
  • Power Rangers season one cast was fired after asking for better pay, replaced entirely for season two.
  • “We can replace you. Just like that. It won’t change the series. We don’t need you.” (A, 12:27)

6. Suppression of Credit and Ownership

• Attempts by child stars to exert creative control or secure fair compensation were often rebuffed or erased.
  • Cole and Dylan Sprouse’s proposal to evolve The Suite Life was rejected and co-opted; producer credits were denied.
    • “They pitched us our idea in Miami with Selena Gomez. And Cole and I...basically laughed in their face and walked out.” (F, 18:45)
  • “That interview is basically nowhere to be found… It kind of seems like Disney didn’t want the world to know how little they trusted or respected their biggest stars of the time.” (A, 19:10)

7. Industry-Wide Exploitation: NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and Lou Perlman

• Lou Perlman, manager of major pop acts, embezzled over $300 million, while keeping his acts impoverished relative to their success.
  • “I knew we had worked so hard. I knew what that check should be...But when they opened their checks...the amount was for $10,000 each.” (NSYNC member via Brett, 21:14)
  • Contract reviews revealed “the worst contract I have ever read in my entire life.”
• Bands that tried to leave encountered lawsuits, NDAs, and non-disparagement clauses, keeping stories silent or hidden for years.

8. Systemic Nature of Abuse

• The problem is not isolated to “bad apples,” but is built into the industry’s structure.
  • “It is the entire structure of this industry and the entire way that this model is used to manipulate and exploit children.” (A, 24:34)
  • Fame is used as a distraction while contracts and loopholes work quietly against young performers.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Hollywood is not a fairy tale. This is a story of stolen money, abuse of power, and nonexistent residuals.”
  — Brett Cooper, [00:03]
• “Actors like Danielle and Ryan should count themselves lucky because some actors, some older actors, literally get zero.”
  — Brett Cooper, [05:00]
• “Our union at the time made a deal with the studios to not pay their leads residuals. And that has had lasting impact on our life.”
  — Ned’s Declassified Star (B), [05:35]
• “We’re like, okay, cool. I got rent this month. There’s three channels doing Drake and Josh marathons… and I gotta figure out how to pay my rent this month. And some fat cat… at the top of Viacom… getting around? Isn’t it great?”
  — Drake Bell (C), [07:12]
• “Disney had a special contract… they only had to pay their actors 88% of that scale. So they were getting less than minimum wage. These children who are out of school, working all day long, making millions for Disney, were getting paid less than the union’s minimum wage.”
  — Brett Cooper, [10:36]
• “We can replace you. Just like that. It won’t change the series. We don’t need you. You do not matter.”
  — Brett Cooper relaying the Power Rangers story, [12:27]
• “They pitched us our idea in Miami with Selena Gomez. And Cole and I turned to each other and we basically laughed in their face and walked out.”
  — Dylan Sprouse (F), [18:46]
• “At the end of dinner, we all have these envelopes sitting in front of us. I knew my life was about to change. …But when they opened their checks…the amount was for $10,000 each.”
  — NSYNC’s Lance Bass via article, [21:14]
• “This is not just one bad guy. It's not just one bad experience…It is the entire structure of this industry and the entire way that this model is used to manipulate and exploit children.”
  — Brett Cooper, [24:34]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–03:30: Overview of child star residuals issue, viral Drake Bell & Ryan McCarten moments
• 04:00–05:35: Examples of meager residual checks; Daniella Monet, Ned’s Declassified cast testimonies
• 05:35–06:30: Union loopholes and the lasting impact on child actors
• 07:12–07:34: Drake Bell on financial struggles despite “Drake & Josh” success
• 10:15–11:08: Disney’s wage loophole explained by Joey Bragg
• 12:00–13:15: Power Rangers original cast replaced for demanding fair pay
• 17:55–18:49: Cole & Dylan Sprouse recount Disney co-opting their idea and refusing credit
• 21:14–22:30: Lance Bass (NSYNC) on shockingly low payout and exploitative contracts
• 24:34–25:00: Brett Cooper on the systemic nature of exploitation in child performance industries

Conclusion

Brett Cooper exposes a deeply-rooted culture in Hollywood and the wider entertainment world that systematically leverages young performers’ dreams and naivety for corporate profit. Through first-hand accounts, industry research, and analysis of recent labor movements, she emphasizes the urgent need for reform and transparency. The episode is a clarion call for parents, young actors, and audiences to recognize—behind the glittering façade—there are longstanding patterns of manipulation, silencing, and abuse. The only path to change, Brett argues, is continued exposure and courageous testimony from those who lived through it.

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