Sophia Bush on Pay Gaps, Podcasting Money, and Getting Rich While Staying True to Herself

Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

Vivian Tu

News, Business, Careers, Business News, Entrepreneurship

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 12 November 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Vivian sat down with Sophia Bush live at Tech Futures to dive deep into the money side of Hollywood stardom. Sophia breaks down what actors actually make from iconic TV shows (spoiler: those One Tree Hill paychecks weren't what you think), how residuals really work in the streaming era, and why that show you've binged 47 times barely pays the actors anymore. Sophia gets real about navigating Hollywood's pay gap, from her early days saying yes to everything to learning how to negotiate like a boss in an industry that doesn't want women asking for more. Plus, she reveals how she's built serious wealth beyond acting through podcasting, directing, producing, and becoming a GP at a VC fund, explaining why diversifying her income was the smartest financial move she ever made. She answers the big questions about balancing activism with getting paid, preparing for Hollywood's feast-or-famine cycles, what retirement looks like when you're an actor, and how coming out changed the way she thinks about money and relationships. Keep up with Sophia on Instagram and find her Work in Progress podcast HERE! Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok! Got a financial question you want answered in a future episode? Email us at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	When you start acting, you're going on hundreds of auditions a month.
0:05.0	You hear no, 99% of the time, if you're making it.
0:09.0	They can cancel your show at any time, but you can't leave or ask for a raise
0:14.0	because you're on a six-year deal.
0:16.0	Six damn years?
0:17.0	Now we live in a world where they're like, we're Netflix or Disney or whoever, go fuck yourself.
0:22.0	Take what we owe you or we'll hire someone else.
0:32.6	What's up, rich friends?
0:33.9	And welcome back to another episode of Net Worth and Chill.
0:37.3	I'm your host, Vivian
0:38.6	2, aka Your Rich BFF and your favorite Wall Street Girlie. As everyone knows, I am a woman about
0:46.9	that money. I want to talk about money. I want to know what you're making and I want to make
0:53.0	sure you are getting paid.
0:55.6	Because I love when someone builds wealth while staying true to their values.
1:01.1	It's just true. People ask me all the time how to make money without selling their soul.
1:07.1	Also, you know, you could sell your soul, which is, let's be clear, you can make money without selling your soul.
1:13.6	It's totally possible.
1:15.0	And seeing someone do it at the highest levels makes everything feel more achievable.
1:21.4	But here's the thing.
1:22.8	Most of us think we have to choose between making money or making a difference.
1:28.8	We're told that activism doesn't pay the bills or that speaking up is going to hurt our careers. We're basically
1:33.9	convinced that integrity and income can't coexist. But today's guest has spent over two decades
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vivian Tu, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vivian Tu and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.