Top Hollywood executives raked in $746 million while 17,000 workers lost their jobs

Hollywood's latest pay disclosures are sparking backlash after a stark contrast came into view: A relatively small group of entertainment executives got far richer in 2025 while thousands of workers across the industry lost their jobs.

A new analysis from TheWrap found that the top 18 Hollywood executives received a combined $746 million in compensation in 2025, even as more than 17,000 jobs were eliminated industrywide, according to employment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

What happened?

TheWrap's review of company proxy filings found that executive compensation rose 51% year over year, driven largely by stock awards. The increase follows several turbulent years for film and TV, including consolidation, labor strikes, productions moving overseas in search of tax incentives, and cost-cutting measures that companies have partly tied to AI adoption.

"The top 18 Hollywood executives raked in a combined $746 million in compensation in 2025," TheWrap reported, noting that more than 17,000 industry jobs were cut during the same period.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav topped the list with $165 million in compensation, more than triple his previous compensation. His reported CEO-to-worker pay ratio reached 1,378-to-1. Other notable gaps included AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron at 1,174-to-1 and Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison at 1,109-to-1.

Why does it matter?

These compensation packages arrived as companies trimmed payrolls, chased savings, and warned about financial strain. Many of the people who help make movies, shows, and news possible were left to absorb the fallout while top executives continued collecting enormous payouts.

Median employee pay at some of these companies underscored the disparity. Outgoing Disney CEO Bob Iger earned $45.8 million, while the median Disney employee made $56,932. At AMC Theatres, Aron received $15 million while the median worker earned just $12,756.

When layoffs rise and executive compensation surges, families can face greater housing instability, less financial security, and fewer opportunities in communities that rely on entertainment jobs. It also sharpens scrutiny of whether companies are rewarding leadership for creating lasting value or for financial engineering and merger activity that often lead to deeper cuts.

What are people saying?

Victor Sanchez, executive director at Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, described the disparity as a "massive inequality" crisis. The nonprofit has proposed an "Overpaid CEO Tax" aimed at companies whose chief executives earn more than 50 times the median pay of their workers.

Shareholders have also pushed back. Warner Bros. Discovery investors voted against Zaslav's merger-related golden parachute in a nonbinding vote, and Netflix has previously revised executive pay after criticism.

Sanchez summed up the frustration in saying, "Working families are facing soaring housing costs, skyrocketing grocery prices … while the rich just get richer."

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