Do 'The Voice' Contestants Get Paid? Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Being on the Hit Reality TV Show

The quick answer is yes and no. According to Newsweek, contestants receive a living stipend that covers their room, board, food and any travel expenses, but they don't actually receive a
weekly/bi-weekly paycheck. This is, of course, completely separate from the $100,000 grand prize and recording contract the winner of the show receives each season. This lack of compensation means potential contestants will have to take into consideration what participating in the show will mean for their personal lives, such as whether or not they will have to quit their jobs in order to participate.

As I just mentioned, contestants do not receive a weekly or bi-weekly paycheck to compete on The Voice. Instead, they are given a stipend that covers their room, board, food, transportation and any other expenses that may pop up during their time on the show. But the exact amount of this stipend is something that has been so there is no official confirmation as to how much participants are given while on the show. The only real information is a report from Taste of Country (who themselves gathered their information from a New York Daily News article that is no longer available) that states the amount is “small.”

This is obviously much different than a show like American Idol, where contestants register to become a member of AFTRA, which gets the top 24 participants a performance fee of $1,571, plus meals for two-hour performances, $1,303 for one-hour shows and $910 for half-hour results shows. The further you go, the more money you make, which doesn’t appear to be the case with The Voice.

Yes, the coaches of The Voice do get paid, but their salary depends upon what they/their agents are able to negotiate based on their respective star power and expertise. For example, according to a report from OK Magazine, Ariana Grande was reportedly the highest paid judge ever, earning something in the $20 to $25 million range during her time on the show. That same article estimated John Legend and Blake Shelton were making roughly $13 million for their judging duties. Separately, according to an article from Fandomwire, Christina Aguilera is slightly ahead of Legend and Shelton, with an estimated $17 million for her services, and Adam Levine was reportedly making around $13 to $16 million during the years he was on the show. So yeah, the coaches receive hefty paychecks for their participation on the show.

From my research, it appears as though contestants must wait until their time on the show is over before they can accept opportunities and deals that result in them getting paid (regardless of whether or not they win). For example, Melanie Martinez from season 3 was able to launch her own fragrance line called Cry Baby Perfume Milk along with an exclusive lipstick line, created in partnership with Lime Crime, Inc. after appearing on the show. Morgan Wallen is certainly an example of somebody who has been able to parlay his experience on the show into musical success that is without a doubt turning a profit. In fact, Wallen actually had the most popular album of 2023 according to a report from Billboard earlier this year, where they sourced tracking data from the music firm luminate. Wallen’s success is continuing in 2024 with a summer tour.