Joe Keery’s Stranger Things Payday Shows Just How Far the Cast Has Come
So there’s been a lot of chatter lately around the Stranger Things cast, and while names like Gaten Matarazzo often come up in fan conversations, this particular buzz has really centered on Joe Keery and how dramatically his earnings have grown over the life of the show. When Stranger Things first dropped back in 2016, no one could have predicted it would become Netflix’s biggest cultural phenomenon, or that its young cast would be earning serious Hollywood money nearly a decade later.
In the early days, things were fairly modest by blockbuster standards. During the first two seasons, Joe Keery and the rest of the younger cast were reportedly paid up to $30,000 per episode. When that’s added up, it came to just over half a million dollars for those initial years. For a rising actor, that was solid money, but nothing close to what was coming next. As the show exploded in popularity, it became clear that the cast had leverage, and that leverage was used when contracts were renegotiated.
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By Season 3, salaries were significantly increased. Keery was placed in what was described as the “C Tier” of pay, alongside Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton. At that point, he was earning around $150,000 per episode, which was already a massive jump from where things started. Still, even that number would soon look small. For the final season, Season 5, it was reported that Joe Keery negotiated an even bigger raise, landing at about $750,000 per episode. Over the full season, that works out to roughly $6 million, a figure that really shows how valuable the core cast has become.
Interestingly, despite that kind of income, Keery hasn’t leaned heavily into brand deals. He doesn’t maintain a traditional public Instagram focused on sponsorships, and he’s openly admitted that he’s turned down lucrative endorsement offers because they didn’t feel authentic. A few commercials have been done, like a memorable Domino’s ad, but overall, it seems his approach has been cautious and selective rather than money-driven.
All of this has contributed to an estimated net worth of around $4 million. Most of that wealth has come directly from Stranger Things, though film roles like Free Guy and upcoming projects have also added to his résumé. What really stands out is how this financial security has allowed him to pursue music without pressure, choosing creative freedom over constant promotion. In many ways, Joe Keery’s journey reflects how Stranger Things didn’t just change television, but completely reshaped the lives of the people who grew up inside it.
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