MODERN FAMILY CAST IN SALARY DISPUTE

The cast of the gay-friendly hit comedy show Modern Family have banded together to force producers to hike their earnings from the series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cast has rejected an offer from producers that would pay each actor $150,000 per episode plus a $50,000 per episode bonus for the upcoming fourth season.

The offer would then see them earn $200,000 per episode for season five, $225,000 for season six, and up to $325,000 for an anticipated season nine.

The cast members, however, are demanding much more, including more than doubling their salaries should the show go on to an eighth and ninth season. In season three, most were paid in the region of $65,000 per episode.

The dispute has reportedly led to the cancelation of a script reading by the cast planned for Tuesday that would have marked the beginning of the fourth season production.

The Hollywood Reporter also revealed that cast members Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Sofia Vergara have filed a lawsuit to cancel their current contracts.

They claim that the contracts are in violation of California’s “7 Year Rule,” which bars personal services contracts lasting for longer than seven years.

Modern Family is said to be huge profit generator for both 20th Century Fox Television and the ABC network.

The show has been honoured as Outstanding Comedy Series by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards for its positive representation of LGBT people.