“Tom Selleck Gave $1,000 Bonuses to ‘Magnum P.I.’ Crew from His Own Salary After Network Denied Them: ‘It Made Me Mad'”
Tom Selleck reveals in his new memoir, You Never Know (via Business Insider), that he personally awarded $1,000 bonuses to the crew of Magnum P.I. during the show’s eighth and final season after the studio refused to do so. Selleck, who starred as Thomas Magnum in the series from 1980 to 1988, describes the move as a gesture of appreciation, as he did not want the final season to appear as merely a cash grab.
During the contract negotiations, Selleck requested that the studio grant bonuses to the crew if the season was completed on time and under budget. The studio’s response was that discussing crew bonuses could set a problematic precedent, a notion that frustrated Selleck. Determined to ensure his team was rewarded, Selleck found a way around the studio’s resistance by negotiating a significant personal bonus for himself. With his agent Bettye McCart and lawyer Skip Brittenham’s help, he arranged for part of his bonus to be distributed directly to the crew.
“I instructed Skip and Bettye to tell Universal—not ask—to issue $1,000 checks to every regular member of our ‘Magnum’ team in Hawaii and L.A.,” Selleck writes. “Since it was coming out of my bonus, there was no precedent involved.”
When the checks were distributed, Selleck received a photo of the L.A. crew with their oversized checks and a caption reading, “Thanks, Tom. What a ‘grand’ gesture.” This thoughtful act brought Selleck great satisfaction.
Although Magnum P.I. ended in 1988, it was rebooted in 2018 with Jay Hernandez in the lead role. The reboot ran for five seasons and 96 episodes until 2024. Selleck later enjoyed continued success with CBS’s Blue Bloods, which is concluding this fall after 14 seasons and nearly 300 episodes.
Selleck recently expressed hope that CBS might reconsider its decision to cancel Blue Bloods, noting, “We’re the third-highest scripted show in broadcast. We’re winning the night. All the cast wants to come back, and we’re still delivering strong episodes.”
You Never Know is now available for purchase.
