Christy Carlson Romano says she was paid half of Shia LaBeouf's salary on 'Even Stevens'

Left · 2Christy Carlson Romano said in an Instagram post that she was paid half of what Shia LaBeouf was paid on the Disney Channel sitcom 'Even Stevens', although the two were co-leads with the same screen time. 1 2 Left · 2Romano played Ren Stevens, the older sister of LaBeouf's Louis Stevens, on the show, which ran for three seasons from 2000 to 2003. 1 2 Left · 2She made the post a few days after the Oct. 6 release of her memoir, 'Once Upon a Trainwreck: The Fall and Rise of a Child Star'. 1 2

Left · 2Romano said she found, while writing the book, a letter her mother wrote to her agent in 2000 asking for equal pay and admitting the family was deep in debt; she shared a photo of it, along with a throwback photo of herself, LaBeouf and her mother, Sharon. 1 2 Left · 1According to Variety, the letter reads that LaBeouf received $12,000 per episode and Romano $6,000, that 30% went into trust, and that the show kept her from other, better-paid work. 2 Left · 2Romano wrote that her paycheck was keeping the family afloat, that she could love her mother for advocating for her while still wishing she had been allowed to be a kid, and that 'Shia earned every dollar'. 1 2

Left · 2She said the memoir is not about LaBeouf or other famous names but about 'a girl who grew up too fast, and a business that decided she was worth half'. 1 2 Left · 1Variety reported that representatives for Disney and LaBeouf did not immediately respond to its request for comment; it also noted Romano's podcast remarks a month earlier that she and LaBeouf were 'like oil and water' during filming. 2 Left · 1The pay figures come from Romano's account and the letter she posted; neither outlet reported independent confirmation from Disney or LaBeouf. 2