Key Takeaways
- Christy Carlson Romano claims she was paid $6,000 per episode of former Disney Channel sitcom Even Stevens while co-star Shia LaBeouf earned $12,000.
- Romano discovered a letter that her mother wrote her agent in 2000, asking for “equal pay” and revealing that their family was “deep in debt.”
- The pay gap is detailed in Romano's new memoir, Once Upon a Trainwreck: The Fall and Rise of a Child Star.
Christy Carlson Romano alleges that her former Even Stevens co-star Shia LaBeouf received twice as much as her on the Disney Channel sitcom.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, per Variety, Romano, who played Ren Stevens in the 2000s series, claims she was paid $6,000 per episode of the series, while LaBeouf, who played Louis Stevens, was paid $12,000. Earlier this month, the entertainer released her memoir, Once Upon a Trainwreck: The Fall and Rise of a Child Star.
"I was a kid and the female lead on 'Even Stevens,'" she wrote in the post. "I was paid half of what Shia was paid; we were co-leads and had the same screen time."
Romano claimed that she located proof of the pay disparity while writing her debut book: a handwritten letter her mother sent to her agent in 2000, requesting equal pay and acknowledging that their family was “deep in debt.”
"Shia receives $12,000 per episode and Christy $6,000," the letter reads. "With 30% going into trust, we can't make it here financially. This show also holds her up from other work that pays more. Christy wants what Shia is getting."
“By then, my paycheck was keeping us afloat,” Romano added. “My mom was fighting for me, and she was also fighting for a household that depended on a teenage girl. It took me years to understand I could love her for advocating for me and still wish I had gotten to just be a kid.”
The actress explained that while LaBeouf “earned every dollar” from the show, the entertainment industry “decided” that she was “worth half” as much as her co-star. Romano has frequently discussed LaBeouf throughout the promotion tour for her memoir, describing their early relationship as contentious.
Throughout 2026, the actor has seen numerous legal troubles, from being arrested for his involvement in a physical altercation in New Orleans, to his estranged wife, actress Mia Goth, filing for divorce and sole custody of their 4-year-old daughter. Also this month, LaBeouf settled a non-disclosure agreement lawsuit with his ex-girlfriend, singer and actress FKA Twigs, who can now openly discuss her experiences as a victim of domestic violence.
Even Stevens ran for from 2000 to 2003, followed by The Even Stevens Movie in 2003.
