Rick and Morty Stars Address Unfair Wages Amid Actors Strike

There are plenty of top-tier shows to watch these days, and when it comes to animation, Rick and Morty reigns supreme. The Adult Swim comedy helped put the late-night block on the map, after all. With new seasons in the work behind the scenes, all eyes are on Rick and Morty given Hollywood’s current conditions. Both actors and writers are on strike due to unfair contract negotiations. And in a recent chat, the stars behind Rick and Morty took time to address their issues with the industry.

“When I had my son… I didn’t make enough earning wages that year, and I didn’t qualify for health insurance. I had to find outside health insurance for my child’s first year even though I had been on a popular TV show & was on Rick & Morty,” Spencer Grammer shared.

The actress, who voices Summer Smith on Rick and Morty, is no stranger to Hollywood. When she began work on Rick and Morty, Smith was also starring in Ironside, and she has gone on to star in projects like Graves and Tell Me a Story. Given their work on Rick and Morty, Grammer has been through tons of contract negotiations. Work on the Adult Swim series has been great, but just like co-star Alan Tudyk shared with The LA Times, voice acting is a difficult field to make money from.

“If you voice every episode of a Rick and Morty season, you will make roughly $15,000 only. Producers have been successful in keeping pay very low for voice-over actors. The Simpsons and Family Guy are outliers,” Tudyk shared.

As you can imagine, Rick and Morty is one of the most successful animated series on television, but its cast is not reaping the kind of benefits you’d expect. Despite working on major television series, stars like Grammer and Tudyk have to fight for representation within the industry. This issue is why the pair (and many others) are on the picket line with SAG-AFTRA against some of Hollywood’s biggest studios. However, only time will tell whether the problems facing voice actors will be resolved as this strike negotiates its end.

What do you think about the Rick and Morty team’s comments here? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!