‘America’s Sweethearts’ Reveals Pay Increase

Season 2 of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders featured some of the veteran squad members pushing back on their contracts for the 2024 season. Armani Latimer, Jada Mclean, Megan McElaney, and Amanda Howard were among the dancers who made it clear to their coaches and the higher-ups that they felt they deserved to make more money, even threatening to not sign their contracts if their demands weren’t met.

After the show’s first season premiered in 2024, viewers were appalled to learn how little the women made for how much work they do for the program. Multiple outlets have reported that the girls make between $15 and $20 per hour, adding up to $500 per game. This made the yearly salary around $75,000.

In a 2024 TikTok video, former squad member Katherine Puryear explained how pay is structured. While she didn’t share exact numbers, she said there’s a flat fee for games, along with an hourly wage for game days, which can sometimes be up to 11 hours long. The team members also get a flat fee, plus an hourly rate, for attending local events, with the amounts here increasing with each year a member is on the squad (up to five years).

Most of the team members consider the DCC to be their part-time job, and the majority of them work full-time during the day before heading to rehearsals at night, games on the weekends, and other required events.

The pushback from the veteran squad members ended up paying off. During the Season 2 finale, the girls found out that the raise they were asking for had come through. “Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,” Megan shared. “We ended up getting a 400% increase, which is, like, life-changing.”

A 400% increase puts the yearly salary at approximately $375,000. Of course, as was pointed out in the show, there are other benefits that come with being on the squad. Services including hair, makeup, spray tans, manicures, and more are sponsored by local vendors in exchange for the women posting on their social media about the companies. But while this was a way to save money in some aspects, it didn’t “pay the bills,” according to the team members.

Courtesy of Netflix

After the pay increase, Megan decided to return for another season, but Jada, Armani, and Amanda had already made up their minds that they wouldn’t be coming back. “I love the fact that I made change for the girls that are coming up behind me, even if I’m not getting a chance to benefit,” Jada confirmed.

When it comes to the team’s salaries, the exact numbers are not confirmed. Greg Whiteley, director of the docuseries, told Glamour in 2024, “I never got a clean answer [about salaries]. I think that’s because it varies depending on how senior you are in the group. You may even get paid more if you’re a group leader, though that was never clear to me.”

He pointed out that “dancers the world over are underpaid,” and noted that the DCC are “on the higher end of the pay scale, if you were totaling it on a per-hour basis.” He noted that none of the women on the team are “rich” or “getting paid a ton,” but added, “It isn’t the same dearth of payment that I think other NFL cheerleaders have to experience.”

Indeed, NBC Sports Boston reported in 2022 that the average NFL cheerleader only earns $150 per game, adding up to about $22,500 annually.

Charlotte Jones, the chief brand officer for the Dallas Cowboys, admitted that NFL cheerleaders aren’t paid a lot, but added, “They have a passion for dance. There are not a lot of opportunities in the field of dance to get to perform at an elite level. It is about being a part of something bigger than themselves.”

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Season 2, Streaming, Netflix