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How to Watch the 2025 Emmys and Live From E! Red Carpet
The White Lotus cast’s salaries aren’t quite as eclectic as the guests who check into the fictional resort.
Fans of the HBO series—which scored 23 nominations at the 2025 Emmy Awards—know the colorful characters featured across its three seasons have ranged from a needy heiress (Jennifer Coolidge) to a sexually forward grandfather (F. Murray Abraham) to a pill-popping housewife (Parker Posey).
But unlike the wide range of personalities featured onscreen, the salaries paid to the show’s cast—which included Carrie Coon, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood, Natasha Rothwell and Blackpink singer Lisa for season three—are the same across the board.
“Everyone is treated the same on White Lotus,” producer David Bernard said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in April. “They get paid the same, and we do alphabetical billing, so you’re getting people who want to do the project for the right reasons.”
As such, the main cast earns about $40,000 per episode, a figure season three star Jason Isaacs confirmed to New York magazine in July.
While David stressed to THR that the compensation model is “not negotiable,” casting director Meredith Tucker noted that the policy makes her job “so much easier.”
“You tell people this is what it is,” she explained to the outlet. “And some won’t do it—and honestly, you can’t hold it against people who need to make a living. Our series regulars are pretty much doing this for scale.”
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Indeed, while Isaacs admitted the salary is “a very low price” compared to other TV shows, it means considerably less to the cast than the opportunity to work on the HBO hit.
“But the fact is, we would have paid to be in it,” he emphasized. “We probably would have given a body part.”
After all, the actors who do sign onto the series are handsomely rewarded. Seven stars from season three are up for Outstanding Supporting Actor or Actress at this year’s Emmys—airing live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles Sept. 14—while Jennifer won twice for her role as Tanya McQuoid in seasons one and two.
“I had a little dream in my little town and everyone said it was impractical, and it was far-fetched,” she said as she accepted her trophy at the 2023 Emmys in January 2024. “But it did happen after all, so don't give up on your dream.”
Before the 2025 Emmys are handed out, keep scrolling to see some of the biggest snubs and surprises among this year’s nominees.
Disney/Hulu/Steve Wilkie
SNUB: The Handmaid’s Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale concluded in May after six seasons with an explosive series finale, though the final batch of episodes ultimately didn’t receive any nominations. It’s a surprising move since the show has been nominated for 77 Emmys across its run and earned 15 Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for AFI
SURPRISE: Martin Scorsese
The Godfather director may have earned a number of awards behind the camera, but he earned his first-ever acting nod—in the guest category—for his cameo in The Studio.
Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
SNUB: Yellowjackets
Surviving the frigid Canadian winter through mutiny and cannibalism wasn’t enough for Yellowjackets to earn any nods this year.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
SNUB: Diego Luna
Andor might’ve picked up 14 nominations this year, but its star Diego Luna didn’t earn a spot alongside Adam Scott, Sterling K. Brown, Gary Oldman, Noah Wyle and Pedro Pascal in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category.
Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock
SNUB: Selena Gomez
Just like her co-star Steve, Selena Gomez didn’t earn any nominations for Only Murders in the Building, despite the series earning eight nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
Apple TV+
SURPRISE: The Studio
The Apple TV+ series, starring Seth Rogen and Kathryn Hahn, earned critical acclaim following its release, and it proved its worth in gold after outperforming with 23 nominations. Indeed, the show earned Outstanding Comedy Series, Ike Barinholtz earned Outstanding Supporting Actor and Seth’s Outstanding Lead Actor, among other nods.
Neilson Barnard / Staff / GETTY IMAGES
SURPRISE: Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford might have a vast filmography, but the Star Wars actor just earned his first-ever Emmy nomination at 83 years old for Shrinking in the Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series category.
HBO
SNUB: The Righteous Gemstones
The HBO dramedy may have earned critical acclaim when it came to reviews for its final season, but it didn’t translate to any major nominations. The series—which stars Danny McBride, Adam DeVine and Edi Patterson—only earned nods in technical categories, like cinematography, music supervision and sound editing.
Disney/Brian Roedel)
SURPRISE: Paradise
Although the Hulu series didn’t garner significant traction online like fellow nominees The Pitt or The Studio, it did earn nods in the major categories. Along with Outstanding Drama Series, Sterling K. Brown was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor, James Marsden for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Julianne Nicholson for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
Adam Christopher/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
SNUB: Hot Ones
The Sean Evans-hosted series has continued to establish itself as a staple in the interviewing world, but was still left out of the Outstanding Talk Series category.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
SURPRISE: Rashida Jones
While Black Mirror has earned its fair share of Emmy nominations since premiering in 2011, Rashida Jones became the first star to be nominated for Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the show.
Kevin Mazur / Contributor / GETTY IMAGES
SNUB: Steve Martin
Martin Short might’ve gotten his nod in the Outstanding Lead Actor In a Comedy Series for Only Murders in the Building, but his partner in crime Steve Martin was absent from the list.
Arturo Holmes/WireImage
SURPRISE: Bowen Yang
It’s been a wickedly great year for Bowen Yang, who became the most-nominated Asian male performer in Emmys history with four nods after his Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category for Saturday Night Live. (He was nominated in the category in 2024, 2022 and 2021.)
The Wicked actor is also the only other actor to receive a nod for the sketch comedy, with Kenan Thompson earning nominations six times.
No Ju-han/Netflix
SNUB: Squid Game
Despite coming in hot at the 2022 Emmy Awards with 14 nominations—including Best Drama, the first non-English series to do so—the Netflix series was shut out of all categories for its second season.
Watch the 2025 Emmy Awards live Sunday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and on demand on Paramount+. And don't miss E!'s Live From E! red carpet starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
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