Josh Peck has opened up about his Drake & Josh salary, revealing a number fans didn’t expect. On the Nickelodeon sitcom, Peck played Josh Nichols, the smart and orderly yet awkward teen. Alongside his laid-back stepbrother Drake, portrayed by Drake Bell, he got into non-stop chaos, all while dealing with constant pranks from their younger sister, Megan.
Josh Peck explains how his Nickelodeon salary was divided after fees and taxes
Josh Peck recently broke down how his Drake & Josh paycheck from Nickelodeon was reduced after accounting for agent fees, manager commissions, and taxes.
On the Financial Tea with Mrs. Dow Jones podcast, Peck shared that he and his co-stars made much less from the Nickelodeon show than people expect. Over the show’s four years, their take-home pay ended up being roughly $125,000 per year.
Peck further explained that the cast earned $3,000 per episode during their Amanda Show days before Drake & Josh began. Across its 60-episode run, the per-episode pay eventually rose to roughly $15,000 by the series finale.
“So over four years, we wound up making about $900,000, but I think we probably, between agent, manager, and taxes, we cleared half of that,” he added.
Accounting for four years of consistent work, the Red Dawn actor revealed that his annual take-home pay was about $125,000. He also pointed out that the show didn’t pay residuals. According to him, that was standard practice for children’s television back then.
“It was a different time, and I think it was… there was only one sort of place to do it, right?” the 39-year-old reflected. He also mentioned that he and his peers didn’t push back on the terms. Back then, there were no other networks, streaming options, or outlets available to take the project.
Peck shared that the experience made him obsess over small costs, a habit that persisted despite much higher earnings later. In the podcast, he also thanked his mother, accountant, and mentor Dan for guiding him toward stable financial practices.
