Simpsons actors says he'd take a massive pay cut for a share of profits... but Fox refused

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 8:53 PM on 7th October 2011

Harry Shearer offered to take a 70% pay cut on The Simpsons in exchange for a tiny piece of profits. Fox refused

One of the voice actors on 'The Simpsons' says he's willing to cut his salary by 70 percent to keep the show going in exchange for a taste of the production's profits.
Harry Shearer, who voices the characters of Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders and others, is one of six actors who provide voices for the animated characters on Fox's Sunday night hit.
He said Friday that producers turned down his offer.
Current cast negotiations are threatening the future of the comedy, which entered its 23rd season last month.
The Simpsons has earned an estimated $1 billion in profits for its producers, according to the actors locked in a salary cut row with 20th Century Fox.
'Fox hasn't explained what kind of new business model it has formulated to keep the show on the air, but clearly the less money they have to pay us in salary, the more they're able to afford to continue broadcasting the show,' Shearer wrote.
'And to this I say, fine -- if pay cuts are what it will take to keep the show on the air, then cut my pay. In fact, to make it as easy as possible for Fox to keep new episodes of The Simpsons coming, I'm willing to let them cut my salary not just 45 percent but more than 70 percent -- down to half of what they said they would be willing to pay us.

Doh! The Simpsons has been running for 23 years but is under threat because Fox Television wants to cut the voice cast's wages by 45 per cent

'All I would ask in return is that I be allowed a small share of the eventual profits.

Shears voices Mr Burns, pictured, Ned Flanders and others

The network refused and has refused to comment.
Fox Television, a unit of News Corp, are threatening to cut the iconic and much-loved American series unless the show's voice cast take a 45 per cent pay cut.
But The Simpsons' voice actors have hit back at the network in the negotiations by commissioning a survey revealing the show has made an estimated $1 billion profit.
The study made by the cast estimates that The Simpsons will eventually make around $2.8 billion through 23 seasons.
Six actors who voice the likes of Bart, Homer and Lisa Simpson, as well as the dozens of other characters on the programme, have been asked to decide by Friday whether they are prepared to have their salaries cut from $440,000 per episode to $250,000.
The cast last week agreed to a cut to $300,000 in exchange for back-end payments they currently don't receive, but the studio rejected this offer.
Fox Television had issued a statement earlier this week saying: 'We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model,' Fox said.
'We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows The Simpsons to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come,' the statement added.

Popular: The show also generates billions of dollars through global syndication, as well as DVD and merchandise sales

'The Simpsons' is the longest-running comedy series on U.S. television and is currently in its 23rd season on Fox.
The show also generates billions of dollars through global syndication, as well as DVD and merchandise sales.
The Fox statement followed a report on news website The Daily Beast that the principal voice cast members - including the voices for Homer (Dan Castellaneta), Marge (Julie Kavner), Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) - were having difficulty renegotiating contracts that currently see them earning around $8million each per season.

Raking it in: Dan Castellaneta (Homer) and Julie Kavner (Marge). The cast currently earn around $8m a season each

The Daily Beast, quoting an unnamed insider, said the cast had tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a 30 percent pay cut in return for a portion of the show's profits.
Fox did not dispute the Daily Beast report.
'The Simpsons' is broadcast in more than 100 countries and 50 languages and has become a staple of American culture, with the family earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Contract negotiations: Nancy Cartwright (Bart) and Yeardley Smith (Lisa).  The cast had tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a 30 percent pay cut in return for a portion of the show's profits

TV industry sources said producers have enough episodes to keep the comedy on the air until the end of the 2011-12 TV season in May.
But the sources said the dispute would need to be settled by December 2011, so that writers would be able to work on either the season finale, or the series finale, depending on the outcome of contract talks.
Other members of the cast and crew are also being asked to take pay cuts, according to the sources.
News Corp executives have said in recent weeks they are looking at ways to make more money from the show in the future, both in syndication rights and other areas.

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