Eve Plumb Reflects on The Brady Bunch Wealth

Eve Plumb, known for her role as Jan Brady on the classic show The Brady Bunch, isn’t quite reveling in the supposed fortune from her time on the series.

“If I had 10 cents per rerun episode, I could pay down the national deficit,” Plumb stated in the preface of her new memoir, Happiness Included: Jan Brady and Beyond, before bluntly adding, “I don’t.”

Originally airing from 1969 to 1974, the show centered around a blended family and has continued to capture audiences on various cable networks.

In a more recent interview, Plumb addressed the show’s dynamics candidly, saying that the cast “doesn’t create any residue,” which is to say, they don’t see the financial benefits from the show’s enduring popularity.

Plumb, however, isn’t the only former cast member expressing this sentiment about their earnings. In his own memoir, Barry Williams, who portrayed Greg Brady, noted that things were quite different back when they starred in the beloved series.

According to Williams, the salaries for comedic actors have shifted significantly since the ’70s. He recalled that in the show’s final year, the most the young actors made was about $1,100 a week, which included Plumb, now 68, and her co-stars.

Williams mentioned that while the show’s highest revenue episode did net the child actors a decent sum—around $24,000—it was diminished by various expenses, including agent fees and taxes, and some kids were expected to help support their families. “It was enough to buy some toys, but not enough for the lull that came after,” he explained.

On another note, Christopher Knight shared that his earnings helped cover household expenses, pointing out the reality behind their paychecks.

Susan Olsen, who played Cindy, also noted in a past interview how viewers often assume the cast made more from reruns than they actually did. “People think, ‘Oh, I must be rich,'” she remarked, emphasizing that the contracts from that era were limited. She recalled only being compensated for the first ten reruns.

Olsen explained, “This was the situation before 1973,” when actors saw their last checks roll in around 1979. “So we haven’t been able to make any money since then,” she stated.

Despite the financial setbacks from lack of residuals, Plumb managed to turn a profit in other ways. In 2016, she sold the Malibu beach house she had bought as a child for a staggering $3.9 million—a far cry from the $55,300 she initially paid for it back in 1969.