Kaitlyn Bristowe has revealed the details of how she negotiated her salary and contract with ABC to star on The Bachelorette's eleventh season in 2015.
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Kaitlyn told her fiance Jason Tartick on Part 1 of his "Trading Secrets" podcast, which was released on April 3, that she was living off $1,500 after her appearance on The Bachelor's nineteenth season.
"ABC paid me a whopping $1,500 just because I didn't have a job and I was like, 'You guys are making me wait around to see if I'm the Bachelorette and I can't work.' And so they gave me $1,500," Kaitlyn recalled.
Kaitlyn essentially lived off that money for four months, from when The Bachelor wrapped filming in late November 2014 to when ABC offered her The Bachelorette role in late March 2015.
"I think at that point, it was the most money I ever had in my bank account," Kaitlyn said with a laugh.
When asked if she had negotiated her salary to be The Bachelorette star on Part 2 of the same episode, she disclosed, "I think they offered me $40,000. You'd think I'd be like, 'Jackpot! Sign me up!'"
Kaitlyn, however, said her stepfather hired an entertainment lawyer, "one of the best in L.A.," for her. Kaitlyn said the lawyer cost five percent of her deal as well as "an upfront retainer of five grand."
"He changed a lot and negotiated my contract big time for me," Kaitlyn continued.
"One of the executive producers said to me, 'You got an entertainment lawyer, and you're asking for this amount of money? I'm sorry. I thought this is about love for you.' F-ck off! I was like, 'It's about love and money, Okay'?"
The "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast host confessed that love and money went "hand in hand" for her at the time since she was hard up for cash.
"Because they said, 'You're going against Britt,' I was like, 'I'm not doing it.' And then I said, 'I'll only do it if you paid me as much as you paid Chris Soules.' So I said I wanted to make the same as he did," Kaitlyn explained.
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In the past, Bachelors were typically paid $75,000 to $100,000 for a season, according to Us Weekly.
"Let's say I did work those 11 weeks during The Bachelorette," Kaitlyn said.
"Think about how much you would make... and if you were to map that all out of what you would make and then you're risking that all to go on a national television show, you should walk in knowing how much money you're walking away from and how much should end up being in your pocket."
Kaitlyn told Jason that she was "worried" about losing The Bachelorette gig to Britt during her negotiation.
"But I had also negotiated that if it was her I still got money," Kaitlyn noted.
Kaitlyn also still has her Neil Lane engagement ring from her broken engagement to her The Bachelorette winner Shawn Booth. (Kaitlyn and Shawn announced their split in November 2018 after more than three years together, and she said she felt "used" professionally by him).
"Neil Lane has first rights of buying it back," Kaitlyn shared, adding that she could probably sell the ring for $30,000 if Neil allowed her to.
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Kaitlyn called her co-hosting job the "most lucrative" position she's ever had following Chris Harrison's exit from The Bachelor franchise.
"I think we got a little more [for Michelle's season than Katie's]," Kaitlyn revealed.
Jesse Palmer was then named host of the franchise in early 2022, and he's been hosting The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise ever since.
Jason asked Kaitlyn out on their first date in January 2019. Jason moved from his place in Seattle to live with Kaitlyn in Nashville in June 2019, and the couple has since adopted two dogs together.
Kaitlyn accepted a marriage proposal from Jason in May 2021, but Kaitlyn has explained in the media how they've been distracted when it comes to wedding planning and are in no rush to exchange vows.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
