Cowboys cheerleaders getting 400% pay raise, one squad member says in latest season of Netflix series

The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are receiving a substantial pay increase, according to one squad member. During the second season of the Netflix series “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders,” veteran member Megan McElaney said the squad is getting a 400% raise, according to the Associated Press.

The cheerleaders have long advocated for improved compensation, making significant strides over the past few years. In 2019, a settlement with a former cheerleader led to a doubling of their per-game pay from $200 to $400. The current raise reportedly quadruples that amount, marking a major milestone for the team.

“Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,” McElaney said. “And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is like, life-changing.”

Jada McLean, who spent five seasons as a Dallas cheerleader, told the New York Times that during her fifth and final year (2024) with the team, she made $15 an hour and $500 per appearance with compensation based on experience. Now, veteran squad members could be making “more than $75 an hour.”

“Happy’ isn’t even the right word for it,” McLean said on the show. “I think I was just … kind of felt, like, a relief, like everything had paid off. And it was, you know, finally, we were done fighting.”

However, pay has not been the only challenge for the cheerleaders. Nearly a decade ago, the Cowboys agreed to a $2.4 million settlement with four cheerleaders who accused the team’s former public relations chief, Rich Dalrymple, of secretly recording them in their dressing room, according to ESPN. While the organization denied wrongdoing and an investigation cleared Dalrymple, the scandal brought renewed attention to the treatment of cheerleaders within the franchise.

Dalrymple retired shortly before the settlement became public in 2022. The pay raise and other recent changes, highlighted in the Netflix series, underscore ongoing efforts to address longstanding issues faced by the cheerleaders.