Sophia Bush Reveals Shocking Pay Disparity on the Set of 'One Tree Hill'

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Sophia Bush Reveals Shocking Pay Disparity on the Set of 'One Tree Hill' originally appeared on Parade.

Sophia Bush is widely regarded as the breakout star of One Tree Hill - but she wasn't always paid that way.

During the Thursday, July 3, episode of The Burnouts podcast, the actress was asked whether she and the other female leads had an opportunity to negotiate their salaries, to which she replied, "We weren’t really given the opportunity to do that. They would always tell us we were on the verge of getting canceled so that we wouldn't try."

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However, this all changed when her "wonderful legal" team stepped in before filming season 4.

"They just said, 'Listen, we know none of the girls are making what the boys are making. But you cannot pay her a third of what the woman making the least amount of money on the show is making,'" she noted. "They really went to bat for me."

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According to Bush, she was "finally" being "paid equally to the second-lowest paid woman on the cast" after the negotiations.

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"So under 20 percent of what my male costar was making on the show," she added.

Bush starred on the hit series from 2003-2012 alongside Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, James Lafferty, and Chad Michael Murray. She, Burton, and Lenz host the Drama Queens podcast where they recap episodes and share behind-the-scenes intel from the beloved teen drama.

Bush, along with her co-stars, have previously spoken out against the series' creator Mark Schwahn, alleging he sexually harassed and assaulted several cast members on One Tree Hill throughout the show's run.

Recently, it was announced that a One Tree Hill sequel series is in development at Netflix, with Bush and Burton set to reprise their roles as Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer, respectively, and will also serve as executive producers. The sequel will reportedly focus on Brooke and Peyton navigating life with teenagers of their own.

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Sophia Bush Reveals Shocking Pay Disparity on the Set of 'One Tree Hill' first appeared on Parade on Jul 3, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.