# Talk show guest payment **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guest-payment/189587 "2003-07-19T15:59:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guest-payment/189587/1 "2003-07-19T15:59:39Z")
Do the celebrities who appear as guests on talkshows receive a payment for appearing on the show or do they do it for free for the publicity? What about the non-celebrities who appear? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guest-payment/189587/2 "2003-07-19T18:54:44Z")
I believe all guests on a talk show get paid – all actors are, by Guild rules. However, talk shows only give the minimum Guild payment – a few hundred dollars. The actors are doing it primarily for the publicity. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guest-payment/189587/3 "2003-07-19T19:29:13Z")
All guests are paid a flat rate based why they’re there. A few years ago, Letterman had one of his staff memebrs as a guest. She was getting married so Dave had her on every day for a week so she could earn some honeymoon money. She got a different rate because, each night, she did more stuff. The first night she just did an interview. The following nights she did a song and then a ventriloquist act. The more you perform, the more you get.