Dax Shepard Claims He Was ‘Among the Lowest’ Paid Actors on ‘Parenthood’ ArticlePure

Dax Shepard is looking back on his experience on Parenthood.

On the March 10 episode of his Armchair Expert podcast, the 50-year-old actor had a conversation with his former costar Lauren Graham and recalled how the cast would fret over buying gifts for the show’s crew.

“There were 13 cast members, and we bought the gift,” he said. “You know, we would cumulatively chip in on whatever we were getting the crew and the amount of emails that would go back and forth to decide whether we’re getting this mug or this  f—ing [gift] …it was impossible.”

“I know I was making among the lowest of all the actors,” he continued before jokingly adding, “I was kinda like get them a mug, man.”

Shepard went on to reveal that he “made it a point to find out what everyone was making” on jobs before the hit NBC drama series. He explained, “I’d always figure it out. I’d either get in a conversation where I’d get it out of them or I’d back channel through an agent. I would figure it out.”

However, he decided to not inquire about his costars’ salaries when joining Parenthood, saying, “I went into Parenthood going, ‘I’m purposely gonna not find out,’ and I was so happy on the show.”

He then joked about his reaction if he had discovered that Tyree Brown, who played Jabbar on the series, made more than him. He teased, “I was like, ‘If I find out Jabbar’s making twice as much as me, how can I enjoy going to work?’”

“That was the first time I ever broke that habit,” he concluded. “Boy, was it a blessing.”

Parenthood aired on NBC from 2010 to 2015 for six seasons. The show chronicled different units of an extended family as they navigated life’s ups and downs — from marital strife and raising children to heartbreaking life changes. 

In addition to Shepard and Graham, the show’s stacked cast also included Peter Krause, Mae Whitman, Craig T. Nelson, Monica Potter, Sarah Ramos, Erika Christensen, Sam Jaeger, Max Burkholder, Joy Bryant, Miles Heizer, Bonnie Bedelia and more. 

Shepard said on the podcast that he wouldn’t mind returning to Parenthood — but only for a short stint.

“I don’t desire to act at all, but I deeply miss being on Parenthood,” he shared. “And there is a version of that show I would probably do if it were eight episodes or 10 episodes, I could manage my now real job.”

In Feb. 2023, the show’s creator, Jason Katims, told PEOPLE why a Parenthood revival could be a real possibility.

“The one that people always ask me about is Parenthood for some reason. Actually, it makes sense,” he shared of a potential reboot. “I never think about it, but when anybody asks me, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I would like to do that.'”

“I feel like it’s interesting with that show. It’s like enough time has gone by that it would be interesting to revisit it now,” he added. “These characters — It’s almost a generation later and watching these people, watching the characters we saw in one generation, a generation later. That would be interesting.”

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However, he noted there are no concrete plans to bring the show back to the screen.

“But it’s not like I think about it,” he said. “Obviously, it would be a joy. It’s going to be [a] joy because it was such a great experience, and to get to do it again with those actors would be great.”

Parenthood is streaming in full on Hulu.