Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders get 400% pay raise

The pay bump is revealed in the new season of "America's Sweethearts."

June 18, 2025, 1:07 PM

America's sweethearts are getting a raise.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders secured a pay raise of approximately 400% for the 2025 season.

Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders perform prior to the game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, Jan. 5, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

The pay bump is revealed in episode 7 ("Saturn Returns") of the second season of "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders," which began streaming on Netflix June 18.

In the episode, Megan McElaney, a four-year veteran of the team, speaks to the camera, telling the audience there are "new changes" this season.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Madeline, Kennedy, Kelee and Megan attend Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event, May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, Calif.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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

"'Happy' isn't even the right word for it," former cheerleader Jada McLean says separately. "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."

Kelee Norris, Madeline Salter, Megan McElaney and Kennedy Hannan of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders attend Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event, May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, Calif.
Jerod Harris/Getty Images

"We pushed, and we got back good results," fellow team member Armani Latimer adds.

When reached by ABC News about the matter, the Dallas Cowboys said, "We're pleased, as you'll see in the series, that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were happy with the outcome."

In September 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with former cheerleader Erica Wilkins and doubled the cheerleaders' game-day pay from $200 to $400.

The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most valuable NFL teams in the league. Forbes ranked the organization as the No. 1 richest league at over $10 billion in 2024.

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