SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” Season 2, now streaming on Netflix.
For decades, conventional wisdom has dissuaded workers from discussing their salaries publicly. But on the Netflix docuseries “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,” the star-spangled dancers’ pay became a major talking point.
While the cheerleaders’ salaries have never been fully disclosed, Season 1 of the Netflix show underscored that dancing for a professional sports team isn’t a particularly lucrative endeavor. In fact, the role fits the description of a “pink-collar job,” a term coined in the 1970s for customer-facing jobs, often held by women, that garner lower pay.
For the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC), the show revealed, the reality is this: in addition to mastering their high kicks and jump splits, most of the squad’s cheerleaders have 9-to-5 jobs, ranging from working in the corporate sector and the medical or law fields to being dance or fitness instructors and online influencers. It’s aspirational that the cheerleaders are so accomplished off the field, but the trouble was that most of them couldn’t make ends meet without holding down a day job or two (or sometimes three). That revelation sent viewers into a tizzy, and they decried the cheerleaders’ low pay online.
But there was no resolution — until Season 2.
The new episodes follow as a handful of veteran cheerleaders on the 36-member squad, including Jada McLean, Armani Latimer, Amanda Howard and Megan McElaney, confront the issue head-on, reaching out to the Cowboys organization early in the season to negotiate their contracts. Despite setbacks — including talks of a walkout, which stalled when leadership got wind of the strategic move — the cheerleaders remained steadfast in their pursuit. In the final episode, it’s revealed that next year’s team will receive a sizable pay raise.
“We ended up getting a 400% increase, which is, like, life-changing,” McElaney says, through tears.
It’s been a tender and tough experience, McLean, a five-year veteran of the squad who retired after the 2024 season, tells Variety over a video call on Monday, after the world learned the cheerleaders’ big news when the episodes began streaming on Netflix. (The series currently ranks in the top 10 programs globally with more than 3.3 million views in a week.)
“The conversations weren’t always easy. They were very emotional and sometimes we had to tell them information that was our reality but wasn’t easy to share, so I don’t think we knew what to expect coming in,” McLean says, recalling the moment they found out their efforts had been successful.
“I ended up crying in that meeting,” the now-retired cheerleader, who is known for her poise, continues. “Because it felt like there’d been so much that went into trying to see this change happen, and to finally know that it was all worth it in the end. It was a really moving moment for me, for the other leaders and the team. I’m just grateful they heard us out because there were moments when we didn’t think they were hearing us, and we didn’t feel like there was anything we could do to make them understand.”
Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell, the longtime director and head choreographer of the DCC, respectively, shared their pride in McLean and her teammates for sticking to their guns.
“At first, it was a little uncomfortable because we weren’t part of the initial discussions,” Finglass says, with Trammell nodding next to her. “But we’re thrilled, as coaches, that the cheerleaders are very happy with the resolution, and I think the value of their talent and their dedication is something that they will always be proud of.”
Greg Whiteley, the Emmy-winning documentarian behind the show, echoed the same praise: “I’m thrilled for all parties involved. I was relieved. I felt like an anxious parent waiting in the wings — like, ‘What is going to happen?’ — or a marriage counselor between these two parties. I’m grateful that we got to be around for what felt like a historic moment.”
That leads to a bigger question: Would the pay scale have changed if millions of people around the world hadn’t watched “America’s Sweethearts”?
“Let me put it this way, the timing of this is probably not a coincidence,” Whiteley concedes. “The show maybe played some role.” But he’s not taking any credit for creating the change — only capturing it. “My process as a documentarian, and the people who work with me, we show up as agnostics,” he explains. “We are not here to tell the Cowboys how they should run their organization. We’re not here to tell the cheerleaders how much they should be paid. We are there just to film. I have a high degree of faith that if we stay obedient to those principles, as any good documentarian should, something true emerges. And I believe that speeds up the arc of justice or whatever.”
Whiteley adds: “All credit has to go to the cheerleaders and the Cowboys [organization], who took a lot of heat. They’re the ones who made this happen.”
However, McLean believes that the cheerleaders’ visibility from the show impacted the final figures.
“I think there would have been an increase, but I don’t think it would have been nearly this big,” she says. “I think there may have been a few dollars — as in a lot of workplaces, where you get a bit of a raise every couple of years — but I don’t think anything to this magnitude would have happened.”
And McLean wants to clarify the numbers, because the 400% figure doesn’t present the full picture. “The entire pay structure has changed, so it’s not just an increase of what we had. It’s restructured the way we’re paid in general,” she says, explaining that the cheerleaders get paid different rates for rehearsals, games and other special performances or appearances.
McLean previously told the New York Times that, in 2024, she made $15 an hour and $500 per appearance — compensation that varies based on a cheerleader’s experience. Now, after the increase, some veteran cheerleaders will make than $75 an hour.
“For some things, it’s actually more than that an hour, but it depends,” she tells Variety. “For practices, no, you will not be paid $75 an hour. However, at a game, you will be paid more than that an hour. Some people are like, ‘400% of what you’re making a year?’ I wish! But there have been increases in certain areas of 400%.”
Read on as McLean reflects on having the landmark season captured for Netflix, why she declined to be featured on “America’s Sweethearts” Season 1 and what she hopes everyone can learn from the cheerleaders’ push for better pay.
Season 2 of “America’s Sweethearts” started streaming on Netflix last week. What has it been like for so many people to watch your journey?
It’s been exciting, but a little overwhelming. I’ve had so many people reach out to me with positive messages — which have touched my heart and I’m trying to keep up with them — but also, it’s a little nerve-wracking because a lot of people now have their eyes on you. So, I’ve been trying to navigate that.
My mom has been like, “Oh my gosh, look at your following go up.” [Laughs.] That’s what she’s really excited about, but it’s been great. I’m very grateful for it.
Greg Whiteley shared that you were hesitant about having the cameras follow you during Season 1, but changed your mind after watching. What made you agree to be featured in Season 2?
When we started filming Season 1, I felt as though the cameras had already been following certain people more than others, so when conversation happened mid-season, I said, “I don’t know if the world will get a complete picture of my story, and that’s not something I’m comfortable with.” I really want them to see the whole picture. Just out of respect for my family and those that are closest to me.
Then, going into Season 2 and seeing how amazing the production team did, when everything came together, I was like, “Okay, I think I’m comfortable sharing as long as I feel like they get to see the whole picture.”
Timing is everything. This season turned out to be momentous for you, and not just because you were chosen to be one of the points of the triangle. Now that you can look back, what does it mean to have all of this captured?
There were a lot of big conversations that needed to happen that were captured this season, and are now being shared with the world. I like that the conversation is continuing to happen, especially on the topic of pay. But it’s been very special.
It’s funny, when you’re living in the moment, yes, we have cameras around, but you kind of forget and continue on with your day-to-day life. It’s almost been a year since we started filming this season, so to watch it back and see everything that we’ve accomplished over this year — the conversations that we started and the movement that we’ve made — it is really rewarding.
Your group of veterans said you wanted to leave a legacy, and that was accomplished with the pay raise. At what point did you decide to let the cameras in on these private conversations about the negotiations?
Once Season 1 was released, we had an influx of publicity and everyone reaching out to us, and we were like, “OK, hopefully when we see these new contracts, it’s going to reflect kind of everything that shifted.” Unfortunately, they didn’t. That’s when we came together, and we just put ourselves out there. We just had a docuseries that went No. 1 globally on Netflix, and to feel like we weren’t getting anything in return, even financially, sparked the conversation.
We decided to let cameras in because we had a lot of people reaching out to us expressing their concerns about our pay. We were like, “People are talking about this, we might as well share this with them and show them that we hear you and we agree with you, and it’s not that we don’t value ourselves.” We do value ourselves, but it’s tough. It’s tough to fight for what you’re worth, but we’re willing to do it. So, we thought it’d be special to show people that we’re women who see our worth and we’re able to stand for that.
What is your advice to other women in the workplace? Because this fight will affect others in the professional dance world, but will also inspire people beyond that.
My mom always told me, growing up, “Never be afraid to use your voice. Because the worst they’re going to say is ‘No.’ Never be afraid to ask questions, to have conversations.” That was something that I kept in the back of my head during these conversations. “The worst that comes out of this is ‘No.’” And, if that’s the worst that can happen, I’m okay with that. I can accept that. That’s obviously not what we want, but I can take a no, so what can I do to get that “Yes”?
I would encourage people to use their voices. I feel like women, especially, feel like we have to be quiet and we have to accept things, and that’s not the case. I know it’s easier said than done. I hope women can see that it’s okay to have tough conversations; say what needs to be said, even though it’s not easy. Because you never know what the outcome will be. And, in our case, it was worth it.
You all were ready to walk out if need be. You were ready to stand on business.
Seriously, and that was challenging, especially knowing it was going to be my last season. Nothing in me wanted to miss any part of this year. I had my family in town, and to think about everyone spending money and giving up their time to see me, the last thing I wanted to do was disappoint them and not be out there on the field. But, in the back of my mind, I knew this was so much bigger than just me. This wasn’t about me getting to dance in front of my family. It was me being able to stick up for women who came before me and women who are going to come after me. But I’m glad we didn’t have to do all that, and they were still able to come to a solution.
You got a little emotional when you were named the point of the triangle this season. What was it like to be out there, front and center?
I never thought that was something that was in my cards as a DCC. And I’ll be completely honest, it wasn’t because I was a woman of color; it was because of my height. A lot of people talk about that — I’ve seen the comments, “She’s too tall” — and it’s hurtful, because that’s not something I can change. There are just certain things about yourself that you just have to accept, and for me, it was my height. So, that’s why I was so shocked in the moment. I was like, “Are you serious? Like, you want to put me there?”
Of course, it’s such an honor, being the point of our team. It doesn’t make me any better of a dancer than anyone. I’m not the girl who’s the “perfect DCC.” But the fact that they trusted you, they trust that if something were to happen, they know you can lead the team. So, to know that they had that kind of trust in me, I’m so grateful for that.