Jaclyn Smith Reveals She Was Paid Far Less than Her 'Charlie's Angels' Costars, and Fought to Change It

Jaclyn Smith didn't stay the lowest-paid Angel for long. By the time "Charlie's Angels" wrapped after five seasons, the numbers had flipped entirely in her favor.

Jaclyn Smith didn't stay the lowest-paid Angel for long. By the time "Charlie's Angels" wrapped, the numbers had flipped entirely in her favor. Before Jaclyn Smith became one of the highest-paid women on television, she was earning much less than her "Charlie's Angels" co-stars, so she pushed back against it.

Jaclyn Smith attends "Jaclyn Smith in Conversation: Beyond Charlie's Angels" at 92NY on September 9, 2026 | Source: Getty Images

In her new memoir, "I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie," Smith revealed how she negotiated fair pay when she was cast on the show in 1976 after learning her salary was significantly lower than her costars Kate Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.

Jackson, whose popularity in "The Rookies" earned her top billing playing Sabrina Duncan, was getting $10,000 per episode. Fawcett, who played Jill Munroe, was offered $5,000 per episode. Meanwhile, Smith, cast as Kelly Garrett, was only offered $3,000.

Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, and Farrah Fawcett from the first season of "Charlie's Angels" in 1976 | Source: Getty Images

Believing she should be valued on equal footing with Fawcett based on their prior guest roles on "Switch" and "Harry O," Smith gave her agent an ultimatum: get her the same pay as Fawcett, or she was walking away from the show. Smith got the raise.

"I was probably a little more aggressive about that than today," Smith told PEOPLE in a cover story. She credits her father's advice growing up for instilling that business mindset in her. "He would always say, 'Have a backup plan. Really think things out," she recalled.

By season four of "Charlie's Angels," Smith had become the show's highest-paid star. "I'd renegotiated my salary, which had gradually gone up from $5,000 per episode to $70,000," she wrote in her memoir. "For season five, it would spike to $100,000 per episode, which made me one of the highest-paid women in television."

Jaclyn Smith on season 4 of "Charlie's Angels," 1979 | Source: Getty Images

In April 2026, Smith, Jackson,and Ladd reunited to mark the show's 50th anniversary. Reflecting on the legacy of the show, Smith said, "It was three women chasing danger instead of being rescued from it. It gave women permission to step out of the mold."