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How much does it really pay to be a reality TV star? Deon Derrico of Doubling Down With the Derricos recently got candid about how much his extra-large family made from their TLC show, and how they’re faring financially now that they’ve cut ties with the network after five seasons.

‘Doubling Down With the Derricos’ star says TLC ‘paid well’ 

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Deon was a guest on the November 20 episode of The Sarah Fraser Show, where he opened up about his family’s decision to walk away from their TLC series after a dispute with the network over filming his and his then-wife Karen Derrico’s surprise divorce. 

While the Derricos’ relationship with TLC ended on a sour note, Deon said he and Karen had struck a fair deal for their five-season show, which followed their lives as parents to 14 kids, including multiple sets of multiples. 

“We were paid well. I feel like every time we negotiated, they would honor our requests,” he said. “But when you juxtapose the size of our family, and that’s including both GG and Eric … you have 18 people eating out of that pot.”

Deon didn’t reveal exactly how much the family earned from TLC. However, he did indicate it was more than $10,000 per episode. That means they could have pocketed more than $80,000 for an eight-episode season. 

“We made good money … We made very good money. But still, there’s 18 people,” he said. 

Deon was particularly frustrated that they weren’t able to leverage their reality TV fame into brand deals and endorsements. He said that TLC stood in the way of them profiting from the show in other ways. Like many reality TV personalities, including Bravo’s Bethenny Frankel, he felt there should be more protections for reality TV cast members. 

“Something needs to happen, specifically to reality stars, where we have better protections with networks,” he said.

Deon and Karen have gone back to work to make ends meet 

New episodes of Doubling Down With the Derricos last aired in mid-2024. Since then, the family had been unable to move forward with other TV projects due to a non-compete clause, which recently expired. Deon says they are looking at offers for a new show on another network. But in the meantime, they still need to put food on the table. 

Deon, who has worked as a real estate investor in the past, took a 9-to-5 job after his TLC show ended. Karen, who homeschools most of their younger children, has also started working outside the home. 

“I drive a school bus,” he said. “I went back to work. I had not worked in over 20 years … [Karen] is a substitute school teacher.”

“We’re just like everyone else,” he said. “The economy has eaten us alive … It is a struggle.”  

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