"Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell has revealed that a "bad deal" resulted in her only receiving $100,000 for the screen rights to her book.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, Bushnell revealed that although HBO's "Sex and the City," as well as the movie sequels and latest reboot, "And Just Like That," grossed millions, she only received a small portion of that amount.
"This is the real truth, I should have got millions and millions and millions of dollars. [But] in the reality, in the real world of 'Sex and the City,' you don't," she told the outlet. "I only got paid $100,000. All I can say is that women at least have an opportunity to get better deals now."
Bushnell was in her 30s when she forged her career writing her "Sex and the City" column for the New York Observer. It was not long before book deals came pouring in. However, Bushnell admitted she was naive at the time and signed away the rights to her book.
"They wouldn't have the show, the movie or the new series without the column or the book," she said, adding that she did not receive royalties from the "Sex and the City" franchise.
"People assume one gets a part of that, I have to be honest with you, I knew when I signed the contract it was a bad deal," she said.
Reflecting on why she signed away from the rights to her work, Bushnell admitted she settled with the deal she was offered because producers made her feel as though she couldn't turn their offer down.
"They had the attitude of 'shut up, you're lucky to get this, it's either you take it or you get nothing,' but that's true of women forever," she said.
While she may not have cashed in on the success of the show, it did help to launch her own career as a writer. Bushnell explained to the Daily Mail that she has since gone on to become a best-selling author with 90% of her money generated from her books.
"The fact of the matter is, you know, I'm fine, I'm doing OK, so I just keep working," she added during an appearance on Meghan Markle's Archetypes podcast last year.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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