Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Land 400% Pay Boost: Here’s What They’ll Earn
My brain is buzzing like a triple espresso, because these Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders just pulled off a jaw-dropping 400 percent pay coup! Picture 36 powerhouse women, balancing custom Lucchese boots, Netflix cameras, and extra side gigs, then turning around and demanding their worth—and guess what? They got it.
When America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders dropped new episodes on Netflix, The New York Times quietly dropped a bombshell: this exclusive squad, often imitated but never equaled, walked into the 2025 NFL season with a pay raise that skyrocketed from roughly $15 an hour to an eye-popping $75 an hour for veterans. That’s right—an extra $60 per hour for steps, splits, and sideline high kicks. Jada McLean—five-year vet and wage warrior—spilled the deets on the docuseries, revealing she once supplemented her $15/hr cheer pay with multiple side hustles. Now, she’s hitting the field with enough cheddar to consider hanging up one of her extra part-time jobs.
Let’s talk strategy: Jada, Megan McElaney, Amanda Howard, and other seasoned dancers actually floated the idea of a walkout if management didn’t budge. Nope, they didn’t threaten it on a whim—they laid out their numbers, their late nights, their unbelievable dedication. And it paid off. Fifth-year standout Armani Latimer got emotional on camera, saying she felt proud to pave the way for future recruits—even if she’s not personally pocketing every penny from her own raise.
But hold onto your pom-poms: the Netflix series also exposes the physical toll behind those flawless routines. Alum Caroline Sundvold confessed that four seasons of demonic jump splits left her facing hip surgery—and then a more agonizing foot operation that sent her into full recovery mode. Her sister, rookie Anna Kate, breezed right back for Season Two, proving pain is just part of the gig. And don’t think Madeline Salter is slacking—her Instagram is a highlight reel of spinal adjustments at Texas’s Kinetic Centre, while Dr. Kristina Myles taps away at tension headaches like some magical chiropractor.
Between weekly NFL performances, photoshoots, fan events, and rehabilitation sessions, each cheerleader still juggles a day job—because until now, cheerleading pay alone barely covered rent. With this historic bump, though, the cheerleaders might finally tag “cheerleader” as their primary profession. Will sponsors and special appearances become the next frontier? I have THOUGHTS and FEELINGS, and we need to talk about this. Whew! That was a LOT to process—I swear, I could talk about this all day.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and The New York Times
Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
E! Online
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
