hollywood | The Afro-Voice

“Gabrielle Union” and “Being Mary Jane” are trending on social media today after it’s being reported that Gabrielle is suing BET for trying to combine the fourth and fifth seasons of Being Mary Jane in an effort to get more episodes out of the celeb and pay her less money. According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), “The actress claims the network agreed it would never produce more than 13 episodes per season, but now is trying to tape two 10-episode seasons back-to-back to ‘cram all of the episodes into a single season in order to fraudulently extend the term of Ms. Union’s contract.'”

Source: VH1

Right, Gab?!?! This was my reaction, too! Let me provide you with some more context. Gabrielle is set to receive 150k per episode for season 4 of Being Mary Jane, and 165k per episode for season 5. Now, to the average person this may seem like a nice chunk of change. But it’s important to put her salary in context with what white women get paid in TV. Earlier this month, Variety published a list of the highest paid actors/actresses on TV, and it’s no surprise who’s at the top of the list – white men and women. Specifically, Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco from “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS) top the list making $1,000,000 per episode!

Well, now we know, and we’re talking about how Black women are grossly underpaid in Hollywood! Tracee Ellis Ross is at the bottom of the list for Comedy making a mere 80k per episode of Black-ish, while Anthony Anderson is making 100k per episode. I remember watching Girlfriends back in the day, and I still watch re-runs of it online! Girlfriends undoubtedly made its mark in Black television history, so it’s hard to believe Tracee is only making 80k per episode. In the Drama category, Viola Davis How to Get Away with Murder (ABC) and Kerry Washington Scandal (ABC) make 250k per episode, and Taraji P. Henson Empire (Fox) makes 175k per episode. I digress – Gabrielle Union is spot on for asking for the money she is due! THR also reports that “she’s seeking damages of at least $1 million and an order that her contract be amended to reflect that there be a maximum of 13 episodes per season.”

Also, let’s not forget, Gabrielle Union isn’t some rookie asking for a raise. She’s a seasoned actress and has been in the game since the early 90s. Many of us remember Gabrielle from one of her first major movie roles in Bring it On, but her career has since blossomed. She’s had roles in City of Angels, Deliver Us from Eva, Bad Boys II, Daddy’s Little Girls, Think Like a Man, The Birth of a Nation, and the list goes on. So you know what? Go get your money, Gabby!

Some may argue that Gabrielle is being greedy, she’s already getting paid as an executive producer on the show, Gabby has other acting roles (like her new movie coming out Almost Christmas), and she’s not that great an actress. Regardless of what you think about her acting skills, numbers don’t lie. According to a Multichannel News article published in December 2015, Being Mary Jane generated 1.7 million viewers for its season 3 finale on Dec. 15. The article further states that “On a Nielsen Live +3 ratings basis, Being Mary Jane averaged 2.54 million viewers through its first nine episodes, a lift of 55% over its Live+same day rating, according to BET.”More viewers = More advertisers = More money for the network.

Admit it – “Being Mary Jane” was on the tip of everyone’s tongue when it came on Tuesdays at 10 PM. After season 3, Mara Brock Akil, creator of Girlfriends, The Game, and Being Mary Jane, stepped down as showrunner to partner with husband Salim Akil for a multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. According to Deadline, Erica Shelton Kodish has been tapped as executive producer/showrunner for the upcoming fourth season, and Will Packer signed on as an executive producer.

Fingers crossed that Gabby gets her money and Being Mary Jane stays on air!

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