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Quibi staffers have a bone to pick with Reese Witherspoon. According to a new report from Page Six‘s Sara Nathan, Quibi employees are “seething” that A-list stars have continued to draw million-dollar paychecks, even as the platform’s own staffers brace for pay cuts and potential layoffs. Witherspoon’s work on Quibi’s Fierce Queens has been a particularly prickly subject, as Page Six reports that the actress and producer was paid $6 million to narrate the nature docuseries. (A Quibi spokesperson contacted Decider to dispute that compensation level, calling it “utterly inaccurate.”)
Witherspoon’s Fierce Queens was pitched as a major component of Quibi’s launch day library — the docuseries showcases the animal kingdom’s strongest females, from cheetahs to hyenas to ant queens — but sources tell Page Six that viewers aren’t flocking to the series. Despite its star power, Fierce Queens has reportedly been one of the the weakest performers on the already-struggling platform. “Quibi may have to implement cutbacks, and people are fuming that stars like Reese got paid millions,” said one source.
The source added that Quibi has already cut overtime for lower-level staffers and quietly laid off others. “The mood is dark,” they told Page Six. A Quibi spokesperson told Decider that this was also inaccurate, and that “[Quibi] is not laying off staff as a part of cost saving measures.”
Quibi has struggled to break into the streaming landscape since its launch on April 6. While the service boasts short-form content — “quick bites” — from the likes of Chrissy Teigen, Chance the Rapper, Jennifer Lopez, LeBron James, and more, the app fell out of the App Store’s list of Top 50 free iPhone apps in just one week.
In May, Quibi claimed that it had recorded more than 3.5 million app downloads and 1.3 million active users, but CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg told the New York Times that these figures are far below his projections. “It’s not up to what we wanted. It’s not close to what we wanted,” he said. “I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus. Everything.”
UPDATED 6/3/2020 AT 4:20 PM ET: Decider has obtained an internal memo from Quibi that disputes Page Six’s report. “The story was completely inaccurate,” the memo reads. “We are pleased with the performance of Fierce Queens; additionally, the talent compensation was utterly inaccurate. We are grateful for Reese’s continued support of Quibi.”
“Nothing has changed since our last company meeting two weeks ago,” the memo continues. “Quibi is in a good financial position. As we said in that meeting, we will look for ways to tighten our belt. We are not laying off staff as a part of cost saving measures. We’ve recently added a dozen new Quibi employees.And in regard to tightening our belt, our senior leadership team has volunteered to take a 10% pay cut because it’s the right thing to do.”
The full text of the internal memo reads as follows:
Good morning–
Many of you have already seen the NY Post’s Page Six story. The story was completely inaccurate. We are pleased with the performance of “Fierce Queens”; additionally, the talent compensation was utterly inaccurate. We are grateful for Reese’s continued support of Quibi.
We are proud of the work that Jim Toth and the Content team are doing every day. Their integrity and commitment to their work is unparalleled and we are fortunate to have them on our team.They have delivered compelling content that is working great with our audiences.
Nothing has changed since our last company meeting two weeks ago. Quibi is in a good financial position. As we said in that meeting, we will look for ways to tighten our belt. We are not laying off staff as a part of cost saving measures. We’ve recently added a dozen new Quibi employees.
And in regard to tightening our belt, our senior leadership team has volunteered to take a 10% pay cut because it’s the right thing to do.
We are excited about the future. As we shared in our most recent company meeting, the best is yet to come. We are confident in Quibi and the work that you are creating every day.
As the last several days have shown us, there are so many important challenges facing all of us, and we are thankful that we are all able to work together to support each other, and create a platform that can celebrate the diverse voices of our community.
Meg and Jeffrey
Full disclosure: Both Page Six and Decider are part of the New York Post Digital Network.
Where to stream Fierce Queens
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