The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have gotten a 400% pay raise, according to one member of the team.
In the Netflix series, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the iconic NFL performers revealed that they will be getting paid a little extra for this upcoming season.
“Happy’ isn’t even the right word for it,” former cheerleader Jada McLean said on the show, via the Associated Press. “I think I was just . . kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting.”
In 2019, McLean filed a lawsuit against the Cowboys, which resulted in the franchise doubling their pay from $200 to $400 per game.
“Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,” Megan McElaney, who has been on the squad for four years, said on the show. “And we ended up getting a 400 percent increase, which is like, life-changing.”
Four Cowboys cheerleaders received $2.4 million back in 2016 when then-public relations executive Rich Dalrymple was accused of filming them in the dressing room.
“The organization took these allegations extremely seriously and moved immediately to thoroughly investigate this matter. The investigation was handled consistent with best legal and HR practices and the investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing,” Cowboys spokesman Jim Wilkinson said at the time per NBC.
Wilkinson added: “If any wrongdoing had been found Rich would have been terminated immediately. The cheerleaders are a vital part of the Dallas Cowboys family, and in terms of the settlement, the organization wanted to go above and beyond to ensure the cheerleaders knew that their allegations had been taken extremely seriously, and immediately and thoroughly investigated. Everyone involved felt just terrible about this unfortunate incident.”
Dalrymple denied the claims but ended up retiring from his position once the settlement went public.
Article Continues BelowPrior to pay increase, a member of the squad admitted to working as much as four part-time jobs to make ends meet. Others compared their wages to that of a Chic-fil-A employee and admitted to working a regular 9 to 5 in addition to attending Cowboys games and dance practices.
“We do deserve to get paid a fair amount,” Chandi, a sixth year veteran and one of the 1st Group Leaders said. “But at the same time, I’m here to dance because I love to dance. I can see both sides and I support both sides.”
The Cowboys cheerleaders are known for their appearances outside of the football field and would get paid for “rehearsals, home football games, promo appearances and shows,” according to DCC website.
The exact amount of the new salary for the cheerleaders has not been revealed but its possible that there are pay increases depending on seniority.
“I think 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,” series director Greg Whiteley told Glamour after season 1 aired.
The pay 400% raise is said to go into effect for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. You can watch America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on Netflix now.
