Reese Witherspoon’s ‘$6M payday for narrating Quibi show angers staffers’ following layoffs at the struggling streaming platform
Reese Witherspoon reportedly took home a multi-million dollar payday for lending her voice to narrate a Quibi series.
Staffers at Jeffrey Katzenberg’s newly launched digital network are furious over the Oscar winner’s massive contract amid layoffs, according to sources who spoke with Page Six on Wednesday.
Witherspoon was paid $6 million for the network’s nature docu-series Fierce Queens which focuses on the ‘remarkable females of the animal kingdom’ but insiders say it’s performing poorly.
Trouble: Reese Witherspoon got a $6M payday for narrating a Quibi series and staffers at the digital network are furious over the Oscar winner’s massive contract amid layoffs, according to Page Six on Wednesday
‘Quibi may have to implement cutbacks, and people are fuming that stars like Reese got paid millions,’ a source told Page Six.
Fierce Queens is produced by BBC’s Natural History Unit and was described by the insider as one of the ‘weakest’ shows on the digital platform.
‘The mood is dark,’ the source said of morale at the company.
They added that over-time is being slashed for lower level employees and layoffs have already begun.
‘Quibi may have to implement cutbacks, and people are fuming that stars like Reese got paid millions,’ a source told Page Six.
Paycheck queen: Witherspoon was paid $6 million for the network’s nature docu-series which focuses on the ‘remarkable females of the animal kingdom’ but insiders say it’s performing poorly on Quibi
Reese’s husband Jim Toth, a former big time talent agent at CAA, is currently the head of content acquisitions and talent at Quibi.
The network was designed specifically with commuters in mind. The videos are formatted to be viewed on a smart phone and the shows are 10 minutes or less.
Quibi’s on-the-go designs launched at the worst possible time during the COVID-19 pandemic when the country effectively stopped commuting all together.
While other streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu reported record jumps in new subscribers and streams during coronavirus, Quibi fell far short of its projections.
All in the family: Reese’s husband Jim Toth, a former big time talent agent at CAA, is currently the head of content acquisitions and talent at Quibi
Problems: The network launched in April during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and has been struggling due to the format which was designed specifically with commuters in mind
The bite-sized network has over a billion in funding and has been making tweaks to try to change with the stay-at-home nature of viewership these days according to Hypebeast.
Despite launching as a mobile-only network, Quibi is now able to be used on Chromecast and Apple AirPlay and a new feature will allow users to share content on social media.
Despite launching with shows from huge talents like Lebron James,Chance the Rapper, Anna Kendrick and Chrissy Teigen, Quibi failed to make the splash it and its investors intended.
Users were able to sign up for a 90 day free trial in April but when that expires the numbers will likely take a dive.
Reworking: Despite launching with shows from huge talents like Lebron James,Chance the Rapper, Anna Kendrick and Chrissy Teigen, Quibi failed to make the splash it and its investors intended and is undergoing tweaks to reformat