‘Smash’ exec producer just received a ‘negative’ $25 residual for the show: ‘Makes sense’

He’s not smashing any money records. On Thursday, “Smash” exec producer Joshua Safran revealed that he’s not exactly swimming in cash from residuals for the short-lived NBC show. “Somehow, receiving a negative residual for SMASH makes sense,” Safran posted on X , formerly Twitter, alongside a screenshot showing a payment of $25.

38 with a minus next to it. “So they say you owe them money? or they’re going to hold your next earnings until they claw that back?” one bewildered fan asked him. “I’ve been powering through a rewatch of Smash so you should have a residual check for $0.

000000003 coming your way in no time!” another fan replied. A third fan said, “I’m watching as quickly as i can ok!!!!” “Smash,” which has a cult following, aired for two seasons on NBC from 2012 to 2013. Steven Spielberg was also among its exec producers.

“Smash” was a musical drama about a group of producers making a Broadway show about Marilyn Monroe called “Bombshell.” The cast of “Smash” included Debra Messing , Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Anjelica Huston and Leslie Odom Jr. Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Hudson also appeared in the show.

Safran, who is also known for “Gossip Girl,” didn’t elaborate on what the the negative residual meant. He’s just the latest Hollywood figure to pull back the curtain and publicly talk about residuals, which were major issues in the historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023. The WGA strike ended in September .