The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are making a lot more money thanks to their hit Netflix series, but what is their official salary? We’re breaking it all down.

After season 1 of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders aired in 2024, fans of the show were left shocked upon learning that the famed NFL cheerleaders often take second or even third jobs just to make enough to get by.

“Like any other NFL cheerleader, you have to be able to have another income coming in [and] you have to have another job with it,” one of DCC’s star members, Reece Weaver, told the Unplanned podcast in August 2024.

While this sparked outrage, the success of the show wasn’t enough to pressure DCC to increase the women’s salaries for the 2024-2025 football season.

“We got our contracts and probably wrongly assumed that it maybe would have been different, just because of everything that was on TV,” squad member Kylie Dickson said during season 2. “The world was kind of telling us, ‘Girls, fight for more!’”

In season 2, which aired on June 18, the cheerleaders are pushing for a salary increase while juggling their day jobs and training for the team. Group leader Armani Latimer is the billing director at a law firm, Jada Mclean works at an aesthetician practice, and six-year DCC veteran Chandi Dayle balances four jobs on top of cheer.

Their fight worked, and the DCC stars secured a hefty salary increase. “Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,” team member Megan McElaney said to the cameras. “And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is like, life-changing.”

So, what does that mean for their total income?

How Much Do Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Make?

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders likely make a base of around $75 an hour, or over $150,000 per year after securing a 400% increase at the end of the 2024-2025 season. This estimate does not include extra earnings from their optional appearances and sponsorships. It’s also unclear if there is a pay scale based on seniority.

This estimate comes from what we know about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ salaries before their 400% increase. In 2022, NBC Sports Boston reported that the DCC squad earned a per-game pay of $500, or $15 to $20 an hour, making them the highest-paid cheerleading squad in the NFL.

On June 18, The New York Times verified that amount through former squad member Jada McLean, who told the publication she made $15 an hour and $500 per appearance in 2024. On June 21, another former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, Kristin Westbrook, shared similar information on her Instagram Story, writing that she earned an “hourly for practice [of] $15/hour” plus a $400 flat fee for game days and a lower flat fee for additional appearances and meet-and-greets.

Westbrook, who cheered for the team from 2019 to 2022, said the flat fee for appearances would increase annually, noting a rookie would make $100, while a second-year veteran would earn $200, and so on.

Greg Whiteley, the director and executive producer of the Netflix series, told Glamour in June 2024 that he never got a “clear-cut” answer on salaries in the squad. “I think that’s because it varies depending on how senior you are in the group,” he said. “You may even get paid more if you’re a group leader, though that was never clear to me.”

Do the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Get Paid for the Netflix Show?

It’s unclear if the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders get an additional fee for appearing on the Netflix show, America’s Sweethearts.

Netflix is notoriously opaque when it comes to the salaries of its stars. In 2020, they faced backlash when Tiger King star John Reinke claimed he was not paid for appearing in the hit docuseries. This seemed to be because the show was billed as a documentary, not a reality show. America’s Sweethearts is also classified as a documentary.

How Much Do NFL Cheerleaders Make on Average?

NBC Sports Boston’s 2022 report states that cheerleaders typically earn around $150 per game, with an average yearly salary of about $22,500. By comparison, NFL waterboys make about $53,000 per year, and NFL mascots earn $25,000 per season, the outlet also reported.

The low wages for cheerleaders have led to numerous NFL cheerleaders filing lawsuits advocating for fairer pay and better working conditions. Several of these lawsuits have been settled privately, according to The Guardian.

“I’ve heard horror stories of what a typical NFL cheerleader makes, but the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders fall into a new category,” America’s Sweethearts director Whiteley told Glamour in 2024. “None of them are rich. None of them are getting paid a ton, but it isn’t the same dearth of payment that I think other NFL cheerleaders have to experience.”

How Did the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders React to Their Pay Increase?

Current and former members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad celebrated the salary increase on and off the show.

“‘Happy’ isn’t even the right word for it,” five-year veteran Jada McLean, who retired at the end of the 2024-2025 season, said on the show. “I think I was just … [I] kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting.”

At the start of season 2, McLean revealed that she was nearly evicted from her home after falling behind on rent, prompting her to push for a pay increase before she eventually left the squad. “I love the fact that I made a change for the girls that are coming up behind me, even if I’m not getting a chance to benefit.” Megan McElaney called the increase “life-changing.”

As for the execs, Dallas Cowboys cheerleading team director Kelli Finglass praised the increase and those who pushed for it in the season 2 finale. “You guys have moved some mountains this year that will forever change our organization and hopefully dancers’ organizations across the world,” she said, calling the victory “60-plus years long overdue.”

Before you go, click here to see the best Netflix shows you should be watching right now.