<p id=”par-1_15″>The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have scored a major win in their fight for fair pay. </p>
<p id=”par-2_28″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/americas-sweethearts-dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-season-2-netflix-cheerleaders-return.html/”>Season 2 of <em>America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders</em></a> dropped June 18 on <a href=”https://cheatsheet.com/tag/netflix”>Netflix</a>, In the final episode, the women learn that they are finally getting a much-needed raise. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-america-s-sweethearts-stars-celebrate-pay-win”>‘America’s Sweethearts’ stars celebrate pay win </h2>
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‘America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ Spoilers: Which Season 2 Rookies Made the Team? </a>
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<p id=”par-3_63″>Pay has long been <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-paid-nfl-cheerleaders-earn-skimpy-salaries.html/”>a controversial issue for NFL cheerleaders</a>. Women earn an average of just $150 per game across the league, according to reports. Cowboys cheerleaders – along with cheerleaders from other teams – have been lobbying for wages that better reflect the time and personal commitment the job requires. Now, that hard work has paid off for members of the DCC. </p>
<p id=”par-4_34″>“Our efforts were heard, and they wanted to give us a raise,” Megan McElaney said in the season-ending episode of <em>America’s Sweethearts</em>. “And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is, like, life-changing.”</p>
<p id=”par-5_29″>“Happy’ isn’t even the right word for it. It kind of felt like a relief, like everything had paid off. And finally, we were done fighting,” Jada McLean said.</p>
<p id=”par-6_11″>“We pushed and we got back good results,” Armani Latimer said. </p>
<p id=”par-7_61″>The Cowboys organization does not disclose specific information about cheerleader salaries. But McLean – who has retired from the DCC – told <a href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/style/dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-salary-americas-sweethearts.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The New York Times</a> that in the 2024-25 season (her fifth with the team), she made $15 an hour and $500 per appearance. With the pay raise, veteran cheerleaders could be making $75 an hour or more, she said. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-once-cowboys-cheerleader-said-she-made-fast-food-wages”>Once Cowboys cheerleader said she made fast-food wages </h2>
<p id=”par-8_51″>In <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/ari-americas-sweethearts-dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders-cheering-another-nfl-team.html/”>season 1 of <em>America’s Sweethearts</em></a><em>,</em> the cheerleaders opened up about the financial costs of working with America’s most iconic football team. While cheering requires a major investment of time and energy, most had to work second or even third jobs to make ends meet while part of the DCC squad. </p>
<p id=”par-9_24″>“I would say I’m making like a Chick-fil-A worker that works full time,” Katherine Puryear said in a season 1 episode of the docuseries. </p>
<p id=”par-10_55″>“As a nurse, I work 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., then go to practice and get home at 12, sometimes 1 a.m.,” her teammate and fellow <em>America’s Sweethearts </em>cast member Kelcey Wetterberg said. “I mean, a lot of us work full-time jobs and then come to DCC at night. So it can be really exhausting.</p>
<p id=”par-11_37″>Charlotte Jones executive vice president and chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys, admitted that cheerleaders were “not paid a lot.” But she insisted that becoming a member of the DCC is about more than a paycheck.</p>
<p id=”par-12_81″>“The facts are that they actually don’t come here for the money,” she said. “They come here for something that’s actually bigger than that to them. They have a passion for dance. There are not a lot of opportunities in dance to get to perform at an elite level. It is about being part of something bigger than themselves. It is about a sisterhood that they were able to form, about relationships that they have for the rest of their lives.”</p>
<p id=”par-13_11″><em>America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders </em>Season 2 is streaming on Netflix. </p>
<p id=”par-14_11″><em>For more news and exclusive interviews, follow </em><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/showbizcheatsheet/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram</em></a><em>.</em></p>