How Suzanne Somers went from getting fired from ‘Three’s Company’ to ThighMaster fortune

nypost.com:

“Three’s Company” star Suzanne Somers passed away Sundayat the age of 76 after a battle with breast cancer. During her long career in showbiz, she made her fortune starring on the hit ’70s sitcom, as well as being a spokeswoman for the contraption, the ThighMaster.But as to how she got to be a part of the thigh-busting equipment empire, is a tale within itself.Somers was best known for playing the ditzy blonde Chrissy Snow on “Three’s Company” from 1977 to 1981 alongside late star John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt.Ritter was reportedly being paid $150,000 per episode — and Somers wanted to be on the same playing field.She asked the network executives for equal pay and demanded a salary bump similar to the “8 Simple Rules” alum.

But they didn’t back down and only offered her a $5,000 increase.After reportedly being pushed out, Somers had to find work to help pay her bills, including doing a spread for Playboy and even jetting off to Las Vegas to headline the casino hotel, the Horseshoe.Then in 1990, an opportunity arose.

Somers was asked to advertise the ThighMasters in a plethora of commercials. She went on to make millions.She revealed on the “Hollywood Raw” podcast last year how much she actually made from the sweat-inducing machine. “I grew up poor.

And I live a good life,” she said, adding that she has made “$300 million” from the ThighMaster over the decades.According to CNBC, once she passed the $10 million mark, she stopped counting how many devices she had sold.She then told the outlet how much she loves her fans who purchased her product.“Always tell the truth,” she explained at the time. “The public is smart, and they can smell BS.”As for how she became an investor for the company, she told Entrepreneur in 2020: “I.