These “Pretty Little Liars” Actors Revealed That The Men On The Show Were Initially Paid More Than The Women Per Episode, And It’s Sparked A Conversation Around Blatant Misogyny

Whether you’ve seen Pretty Little Liars or not, I’m sure you’re aware that the series centers on a group of female characters. These characters are played by Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell, Troian Bellisario, and Sasha Pieterse.

Lucy Hale, Troian Bellisario, Sasha Pieterse, Shay Mitchell, and Ashley Benson pose together with their hands in the center at a SiriusXM event
Taylor Hill / Getty Images

The hit show aired on Freeform from 2010 until 2017.

However, despite the leading cast being entirely female, former PLL actors Sasha and Tammin Sursok recently revealed that the show's men were initially paid more than the women per episode.

Keegan Allen, Lucy Hale, and Tyler Blackburn smile while seated closely with their arms around each other in a casual setting
Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Some of the men who starred in the show were Tyler Blackburn, Keegan Allen, and Ian Harding.

Earlier this month, Sasha — who was just 12 years old when she first appeared on the show as Alison DiLaurentis — appeared on the Pretty Little Liars: True Crime podcast, hosted by Tammin and fellow former cast member Lindsey Shaw. Tammin played Jenna Marshall, while Lindsey played Paige McCullers.

Sasha Pieterse poses in a dark, long-sleeved outfit, looking directly at the camera with a slight smile
Kurt Iswarienko / Freeform via Getty Images

The trio wound up discussing the pay disparity between the male and female actors, with Sasha revealing that the men earned more than them per episode.

Sasha Pieterse wearing a sweatshirt with a pug and "Waiting For The Weekend" text, and Shay Mitchell in a button-up shirt, both looking serious
Eric Mccandless / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Tammin then revealed that it wasn’t until the show’s fourth or fifth season that the women banded together to request a pay increase.

Sasha Pieterse speaks into a microphone during an interview on Pretty Little Liars: True Crime YouTube show. She is wearing a long-sleeve top
Pretty Little Liars: True Crime / Via youtube.com

“They all went in together to go and get a pay raise. Because once you’ve been paid, you pay your manager, your agent, your lawyer… Then you pay $5,000 for your publicist, and then tax… You’re getting, like, 30% of what you make,” she said as she broke down their costs.

Sasha Pieterse speaking into a microphone during an interview on Pretty Little Liars: True Crime. She is wearing a patterned long-sleeve sweater
Pretty Little Liars: True Crime / Via youtube.com

Sasha later revealed that while she now earns residuals from HBO Max, she earned nothing when the series began streaming on Netflix. Tammin said she did consistently get residuals.

Reacting to the podcast episode on X (formerly Twitter), several fans expressed their shock that the men on PLL initially earned more per episode than the women.

Sasha Pieterse is speaking into a microphone during an episode of Pretty Little Liars: True Crime, seated in a studio with plants in the background
Pretty Little Liars: True Crime / Via youtube.com

“now there is no fucking way… the show was about the girls? they were the leads???? what the fuck,” one popular tweet read, while several other people went on to discuss the blatant “misogyny.”

Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, and Sasha Pieterse sit on a stage discussing something while wearing stylish daytime dresses
Lou Rocco / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

“That’s crazy considering the men on that show BARELY got screen time ????” one person wrote. “I can’t wrap my head around this. Like wtf you mean men made more money when all the girlies were the lead,” said another.

“they were literally on the fucking show cover how does that even happen???” someone tweeted, while one more person added, “this is crazy considering the men were literally fillers and the show was about the girls.”

You can watch the full podcast episode here.

More on this