Say what you will about the members of the Duggar family, they learn to master the invaluable skill of making a buck from a young age.
Under the tutelage of real estate agent-turned-politician-turned-media-mogul Jim Bob, the Duggar children have learned that no work is beneath them, just as long as it lines their pockets.
Bonus points if the “work” doesn’t require any actual work.
So while it’s the car-flipping and homemaking that receive the most screen time on Counting On, it’s the management of a TV empire that takes up most of the Duggars’ days.
And you probably won’t be surprised to learn that Jim Bob and company are rewarded handsomely for their efforts.
According to a new report from In Touch, reality families on basic cable networks typically earn between $ 25,000 and $ 40,000 per episode.
On top of that, as executive producers, the Duggars are probably rewarded handsomely for reaching certain ratings goals.
And as veteran reality show producer Terence Michael points out, the Duggars home network, TLC, has a reputation for being extremely generous with its top talent.
In fact, Kate Gosselin and family reportedly topped out at about $ 75,000 per episode at the height of their popularity.
It’s also possible that the size of the Duggar clan has been taken into consideration when determining their salary.
After all, that low-ball estimate of $ 25,000 grand may sound like a lot of money, but not when it’s being divided among a dozen or so adults with an ever-growing number of mouths to feed.
So taking into consideration the facts that the Duggar clan was once very popular and is now about the size of a small city, their rate per episode is probably roughly that of Jon and Kate.
The Duggars do multiple seasons per year, and they’ve cranked out an impressive 46 episodes since their new show rose from the ashes of 19 Kids and Counting back in 2015.
Not counting bonuses and other perks (of wish there are probably plenty) that’s nearly $ 3.5 million for less than three years’ work.
Again, not a jaw-dropping quantity of cash, but a pretty nice stream of capital for a family that loves to make their money work for them.
Though the Duggars have been called the Kardashians of Arkansas, that description isn’t entirely accurate.
There are no lavish status symbols being purchased with Counting On cash.
Jim Bob’s hoarding tendencies are well-documented, but for the most part, insiders who know them best say the bulk of Jim Bob and Michelle’s wealth gets re-invested in their business ventures, which these days primarily consist of house and car flipping.
Unfortunately, it seems the younger generation isn’t quite as prudent with their spending.
Not only are they do they lack Jim Bob’s interest in buying and selling houses and cars, some of them don’t appear to be supplementing their incomes in any way, despite enjoying a considerable amount of free time.
For example, Jill Duggar’s husband, Derick Dillard, has never held down a job in his time as a married man.
The Dillards have begged for “donations” from fans in the past, and many have wondered how they could possibly be so hard-up for cash.
The answer of course, is that $ 1 million per year is a lot for a large family if they’re smart about–and doesn’t look as though Jill and Derick are.
It may be time for Jim Bob to fork over some cash to pay for financial literacy lessons for some of his less business-savvy kids.
Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most controversial family.
