You know Alana Thompson as Honey Boo Boo. She first appeared on TLC on the show Toddlers & Tiaras where she competed in a child pageant. Out of all of the contestants on that show, Honey Boo Boo was easily its breakout star, which meant there was plenty of opportunity for making bank - but did she?
On that show, Thompson reportedly made no money whatsoever, but for her spin-off show, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Thompson and her family made between $15,000 to $20,000 per episode, which is certainly a pay raise to say the least. The show was canceled, however, when it was discovered that her mother's boyfriend was a registered sex offender.
Kody Brown of Sister Wives is part of a show that depicts a polygamist family. Father Brown has four wives: Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn, and 18 children. While the exact amount is not known, it is believed that the amount Kody Brown and his family receive is around $25k to $40k per episode.
While that may seem like a decent salary, for a family with 18 kids, it's really not. For that reason, the Brown family has numerous side businesses that allow them to earn some extra cash. Some additional sources of income come from small business ventures such as a bed and breakfaster, as well as book royalties.
Kate Gosselin was the star of two hit TLC shows: Jon & Kate Plus 8 and Kate Plus 8. Viewers watch as she and her husband raised their eight kids until they couldn't stand each other anymore. When the show first aired, they made between $25,000 to $50,00 per episode.
However, once Jon and Kate spilt up, Kate's salary was reduced to around $40,000. Jon and Kate Gosselin split in June 2009 and their divorce was finalized in 2009. Since then legal custody over the children has changed with two living with Jon and the other six living with Kate.
Kat Von D of LA Ink is a tattoo artist and model. Her show ran for four seasons before it was canceled due to controversy surrounding anti-Semitism allegations. Thanks to TLC, she is a high-profile tattoo artist, earning up to $200 per hour, which is a pretty hefty price to say the least.
In addition to her career in body art, she also has other businesses, making her a full-on entrepreneur. She has sold a book, High Voltage Tattoo, as well as a make-up line for Sephora. On top of this, she's done music collaborations, including providing her vocal talents for multiple studio albums.
The Willis Family was first thrust into fame after their appearance on America's Got Talent. After that, they got their own TLC show titled The Willis Family – very creative. The family has a whopping 14 members who are all part of a singing group together. The show about the massive Nashville family ran for two seasons.
For their troubles, the Willis Family was paid an astounding $32,500. However, behind the scenes was much darker that anyone had realized, which just goes to show how fake "reality" can be. The father, Toby Willis was accused of raping four of his children, which he pled guilty to, and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The show, of course, was canceled.
The Duggar family from 19 Kids and Counting depicts Jim Bob and Michelle Dugger along with their 19 kids. The religious family does not believe in birth control and they homeschool their children. The show ended due to allegations of molestations surrounding their eldest son.
Before that, the family was making pretty big bucks. The parents were said to be making between $25,000 to $40,000 per episode. However, with the show no longer on the air, since 2015, The Duggar parents will have to make their money elsewhere. The children, now with their own spinoff show called Counting On are said to be making up to $40K.
The Roloffs from Little People, Big World are a family of farmers near Portland, Oregon. The show focuses on the six family members who all have dwarfism. The show has been on since 2006 and is now in its 21st season. That means plenty of opportunities to make money, so how much did they make?
It is said that the Roloffs were making around $1,500 up to $3,000 at the start. However, TLC tends to pay up more when the show is a proven success according to Business Insider. Now, supposedly, they may be making anywhere from $7K or $10K. Add on top of that, the income from farming, and you can be sure the Roloffs are not hurting for money.
Unexpected has been one of TLC's most successful reality shows. Focusing on the lives of young mothers, the show depicts the struggles of having a family at such a young age, along with strained family relationships and love lives. The show is similar to MTV's reality show Teen Mom.
According to McKayla Adkins, in a post on Instagram, McKayla Adkins reportedly earned as much as $1,000 to start with but that price goes up with time. That salary will likely increase for later seasons. On the side, Adkins has been creating Youtube videos, which she undoubtedly earns some revenue from.
Stacy London of TLC's What Not To Wear is a fashion guru, stylist, author and magazine editor. Her program focuses on makeovers and is one of the more normal programs on TLC amidst all of the quirky characters of many of their shows. The show ran for 10 seasons and made Stacy London a huge success.
With everything she's done, Stacy London has a net worth of about $8 million. It's difficult to say how much she made from the show alone, but it was probably not much given that the participants of the show were not paid and only the winners were paid the amount of about $5,000. But there's no measuring just how much money fame will bring you in the future.
Buddy Valastro from Cake Boss is exceedingly famous and easily the biggest star from the show. But its not just his personality that shines through in the show, he also makes some pretty impressive cakes that seem to get better and better. But how much can a baker earn for a reality show? It's more than you probably think.
TLC clearly values Buddy Valastro to say the least. He has a massive net worth, and in addition to the money he earns as a baker, Buddy Valastro is said to earn a whopping $80,000 per episode. Since appearing on the show, his bakery sales have increased tenfold, proving that fame keeps on giving.
Jazz Jennings of I am Jazz is not just a reality television personality, she's also a Youtube star, LGBT activist and spokesperson. She's also notably, the youngest publicly documented transgender person. Her numerous television appearance, including on the Oprah Winfrey Network have skyrocketed her into fame.
Through her show alone, she has earned a ton for someone her age. Typical of most TLC stars, she is believed to make about $10,000 per episode. But with everything else considered, she has about 50 times that combined. Some sources suggest that she be making about $15,000 at this point as she gains seniority at TLC.
Bill Klein and Jen Arnold from The Little Couple are two individuals affected by skeletal dysplasia. Bill is a businessman and Jen is a doctor of neonatology. These careers undoubtedly earn them plenty of cash in their own right but they earn plenty of money on the side for their reality TV stint too.
Like some of the others on this list, Bill Klein and Jen Arnold are believed to be making $25,000 up to $40,000 per episode. Combined with the salaries they earn from their line of work, they have a higher network than the rest of the TLC family. The show has been on since 2009 and is still on today.
90-Day Fiance is not a show that pays well but it certainly can give people that fame boost that is sure to help them in their career. Nikki Cooper is one cast member from the show that is the wife of Chris Thieneman. She revealed that cast members are paid a mere $1,000 for their trouble.
In addition to the pay per episode, for 13 episodes total, they are also paid another $2.5K. For those not familiar with the show, it revolves around foreign fiances trying to acquire a K-1 visa with only 90 days to marry each other. It is currently in its eighth season which premiered in December 2020.
Theresa Caputo is a psychic medium and star of the reality series Long Island Medium. It is one of the most successful shows on the network although not everyone loves it. Many have gone so far as to say that she's a fraud, but if you don't believe in the supernatural, you already know that.
On top of her own pile of money she's been sitting on, she also earns potentially $40,000 per episode for her contract with TLC. For the psychic readings themselves, Theresa Caputo earns about $175 each. While that seems high, she claims that the profits go to charity.
The Busbys from Outdaughtered have seven daughters, which is well documented in the show. Before the show, Adam Busby worked as an account manager. Danielle Busby struggled with getting pregnant and after many attempts, they eventually tried intrauterine insemination. The result was all-girl quintuplets. The series began in 2016 and is running to this day.
The exact salary of the Busbys is not known, however, it is speculated based on the earnings of other reality shows that they make around $25,000 per episode. And they must be doing well for themselves as they have donated about $75,000 worth of toys to charity.
Whitney Way Thore once weighed 380 pounds at the beginning of her series My Big Fat Fabulous Life and even before while she was hosting her very own radio show. She launched the TLC reality show in 2015.
For each episode of the show, Thore made between $5,000 and $10,000. And considering there were seven seasons and 98 episodes, that means she made millions from the show. Combined with her other businesses and books, she has a net worth of about $4 million in total.
My 600-lb Life is a show that features a new guest star each episode. The show focuses around an obese individual and their struggle to lose weight. Unlike many shows of this kind, it is said that they do receive payment for their appearances.
Guests on the show receive about $1,000 up to $1,500 in later episodes. The biggest payout comes from the gastric bypass surgery itself, which is paid for. Guests who live far from Houston, where the show is filmed, will get an additional $2,500 stipend.
Clinton Kelly, the other host alongside Stacy London on What Not to Wear is also well-paid. Nobody knows exactly how much they make per episode but given their high net worths, it's likely to be on the higher end of at least $40,000.
Clinton Kelly Doesn't have nearly as much as Stacy's $8 million net worth. He actually has about $2 million. The show had 345 episodes and lasted 10 seasons, which suggests Kelly made a decent amount of money from the show.
The reality series 1,000 lb Sisters documents the lives of Amy and Tammy Slaton. The show first aired in January 2020, and despite its popularity, its stars are not well paid. Although they have not revealed the exact numbers, we can venture to guess.
Typically, for a show like 90-Day Fiance guests might make as much as $1,500. However, Tammy and Amy have a net worth of about $100,000 and $250,000, respectively, and that suggests that they probably make a bit more.
The TLC reality series Say Yes to the Dress first aired in 2007 and was an instant success. it was so successful in fact, that it helped launch several spin-off series. But how much do these brides get paid to be on the show?
The answer is that they don't. In actuality, the bride pays to be on the show. Yes, you heard that right. They pay to be on the show by putting up the money for the dress they wear. Dresses can be anywhere from $2,000 up to $10,000.
Randy Fenoli, the original host of Say Yes To The Dress, has a net worth of about $8 million. Working at Kleinfeld is partly responsible for the amount of money he makes but he also makes a fair bit from his appearance on the show.
Going by the salary of other TLC hosts, it is estimated that he makes between $25,000 and $40,000 per episode. By 2019, he had appeared in 295 episodes spread across 15 seasons, making up almost $12 million is earnings from the show alone.
Trent Johnston is the patriarch of 7 Little Johnstons, a show about a family of seven dwarves. As a director of landscape management, Trent Johnston already earns a decent amount of money, but he makes even more thanks to his role on the show.
Based on the earnings of other TLC stars, he earns between $25,000 and $40,000. Because the family is relatively private, it is difficult to say Trent's exact net worth, but it is thought to be between $100,000 and $1 million.
Dr. Sandra Lee is also known as Dr. Pimple Popper a dermatologist who treats some of the most unusual skin conditions you've never heard of before. She owns her very own clinic called Skin Physicians & Surgeons.
As a doctor, you know she's earning a ton of money already. Add to that the TV salary, and you can probably figure out she's bringing home a ton of dough. She makes about $219,626 annually not including the additional $25,000 to $40,000 she's likely earning per episode. She has a net worth of $8 million.
The Family Chantel chronicles the life of Chantel Everett and Pedro Jimeno and the intercultural complexities involved. The couple was originally featured on 90 Day Fiance and were one of the most popular couples featured which is likely why they got their own show.
The couple has a net worth of about $450,000, which is not a whole lot but the show is fairly recent. What exactly Chantel does for a living is not yet clear at this point.
Darcey & Stacey, two sisters from 90 Day Fiance, also got their own spin-off show. Currently, the show has only had one season, but who knows what the future will hold? Probably not much though.
Anyway, Darcey is believed to have a net worth of about $2 million while Stacey has a net worth of about $3 million. They have their own fashion brand, and they also sponsor on Instagram.
The premise of Breaking Amish is that five members of the Amish community move to New York to experience a different life and decided whether to return to their community. The show lasted for four seasons with the first having aired in 2012.
After the show, ended, it continued with a spin-off series called Return to Amish. On of the show's stars, revealed that its stars do in fact get paid, despite claims to the contrary. The pay is not great, however - estimated to be about $1,000 per episode.
Adam Carolla. co-host for The Man Show, also worked on The Adam Carolla Project. It aired back in 2005 and Carolla was a well-known radio personality at the time. That being said, he was likely paid handsomely.
But how much the exact amount is unclear. But, with that said, Carolla has done well for himself. He has accumulated a net worth of about $20 million and most of his money these days comes from podcasts.
My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding was a show that ran from 2012 to 2016 and chronicled Romani couples and their weddings. One of the show's guest stars, Priscilla revealed just how much TLC paid them.
The answer: Nothing. That's right. They were not paid for the show and everything at the wedding was played up and not really as entertaining as it seemed on TV. Some of its stars, like Priscilla, felt the show was disrespectfully portraying the Romani community.
My Strange Addiction guests are people like you with unusual addictions. Not that you have an unusual addiction – but like – they aren't celebrities is what we mean to say. In fact, they don't even get paid to be on TV.
It seems TLC doesn't mind not having to the talent. Guests of the show are happy enough to get their fifteen minutes of fame, that they don't mind not getting payment.
The Guests on What Not to Wear certainly get their fifteen minutes of fame but do they actually get paid in money? Well, the answer is a bit complicated because it's yes and no. They actually get a gift card.
At the end of every episode of What Not to Wear guests receive a $5,000 gift card which they can use to spend on new clothes. However, they don't really get the full amount. Guests are instructed to put some of the money aside for tax purposes – about $2K.
