Yonan

Matt LeBlanc revealed that Warner Bros. made a $4 million per episode Friends rerun deal in 1996 that only required FOUR of the six stars to stay

When the cast found out, they decided to negotiate together, and eventually all six secured $1,000,000 each per episode.

At the time, the actors were earning between $20,000 and $40,000 per episode, while Warner Bros. had already made a fortune selling the rights to air Friends reruns

but according to LeBlanc, there was a condition in the deal that only required four of the original six actors to remain on the show.

That meant Warner Bros. could potentially replace two of them without losing its massive rerun deal

LeBlanc recalled that the cast started wondering which two actors the studio considered expendable

Rather than negotiating separately, all six agreed to stick together and demand equal pay

Even David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston, who were making more than the others, agreed to the arrangement.

Their first collective negotiations in 1996 brought their salaries to around $75,000 each per episode, and they continued negotiating together over the following years

By 2002, every member of the Friends cast was earning $1 MILLION per episode, plus a share of the show's rerun profits

Warner Bros. was now paying all six actors a combined $6 million for every new episode!

Hugh Grant was offered $750,000 per episode to replace Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men. He was reportedly moments away from signing the contract before suddenly walking out. Ashton Kutcher took his place and ended up making $63 MILLION.

in 2011, after Charlie Sheen was fired, creator Chuck Lorre approached Hugh Grant with a deal that included a four day workweek!

but Grant had one major concern. He was terrified of performing in front of a live studio audience!

Lorre even offered to remove the audience entirely and use prerecorded laughter instead!

The negotiations progressed until Grant was reportedly sitting with a pen in his hand, ready to sign the contract

then, according to Lorre, he abruptly walked out and became unreachable. His representatives later confirmed he wasn’t taking the job.

Lorre thought the show was finished, but CBS chairman Les Moonves insisted he meet Ashton Kutcher instead.

Kutcher joined the cast for another four seasons, reportedly earning $63 million during his time on the show!

Keanu Reeves was once sued for nearly $3 MILLION a month by a woman who claimed he fathered her four children. When a DNA test proved otherwise, she claimed he had used HYPNOSIS to manipulate the results

in 2009, a Canadian woman named Karen filed a lawsuit against Reeves, demanding $3 million (canadian) a month in spousal support and another C$150,000 a month in child support.

She wanted the spousal payments retroactive to 2006 and the child support dating all the way back to 1988, even though her four children were already adults.

Reeves denied ever meeting her, but Sala insisted they had known each other since childhood. She claimed she originally knew him by another name, Marty Spencer, and even suggested he had disguised himself as her ex-husband.

Reeves eventually took a DNA test, which ruled him out as the father of her children.

but Karen refused to accept the results, suggesting the tests had been tampered with or that Reeves had used hypnosis to influence them

in January 2010, an Ontario judge dismissed the case, calling her allegations too incredible for any reasonable judge to accept.

She was also ordered to pay Reeves C$15,000 in legal costs ☠️

Ben Affleck once gave away his entire $140,000 blackjack winnings to casino workers. 14 years later, the same casino stopped him from playing because he was “too good” at the game

in August 2000, Affleck was playing blackjack with Matt Damon at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas when he won $140,000

instead of keeping the money, he gave his entire winnings to casino employees, including dealers, waitresses and bellhops.

in 2004, Affleck entered the California State Poker Championship, competing against 90 players, including Tobey Maguire, and won $356,400

Affleck also studied card counting, a legal technique that helps blackjack players track cards and improve their odds against the casino.

in April 2014, security at the Hard Rock approached him during a blackjack game and reportedly told him he was “too good at the game”

He was no longer allowed to play blackjack there 😹

Affleck later confirmed he’d been counting cards and that casinos had restricted him from playing blackjack.

Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 YEARS and 6 MONTHS in prison after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others

> the 51 year old actor rose to fame in Britain before starring in Hollywood comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Get Him to the Greek

> the offenses took place between 2004 and 2009, during his rise to fame

> one woman told the court she had reported an assault to management, but her complaint was dismissed. Another feared nobody would believe her because of Brand's fame

> in 2023, an investigation by The Times and Channel 4 brought the allegations into the public eye

> on November 5, a London jury found Brand guilty of four charges and acquitted him of three others

> during sentencing, the judge described his behavior as showing "staggering arrogance" and said he acted as though his fame placed him above the rules

> Brand must serve two thirds of his sentence before being released under supervision and will remain on the sex offender registry for life