Industry Reports Shed Light On Shock Sackings

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation cast members Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) and George Eads (Nick Stokes) were reportedly sacked from the series this week after CBS took a hard-line stance during a pay dispute.

Network sources today told trade paper Variety that Fox, Eads and fellow supporting actors Gary Dourdan (Warrick Brown) and Paul Guilfoyle (Jim Brass) were "all offered minor raises in exchange for more airtime in a take-it-or-leave-it scenario". The actors were reportedly earning approximately $100,000 per episode but were negotiating for larger salaries.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, CBS asked all cast members to write a letter confirming that they would report to the set on Thursday, the scheduled first day of filming for the season premiere, "Viva Las Vegas". In the past the network has had problems with actors calling in sick in order to give themselves leverage in pay disputes, as several Everybody Loves Raymond cast members did last year.

Fox, despite earlier reports claiming she turned up to the set on Thursday (story), was sacked on Wednesday night after reportedly failing to send in her letter. Eads, who is also said not to have turned in his letter, reportedly turned up to work late on Thursday only to be fired. However, according to Variety sources, Fox did return her letter and "was surprised and mystified when she was fired". Sources close to Eads told the Hollywood Reporter that he too had sent his letter into CBS.

Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows) and William Petersen (Gil Grissom) are also looking for bigger paychecks, according to Variety. Both actors failed to report to the CSI set yesterday, "but for health reasons industry insiders said were legit", the trade paper said. Helgenberger reportedly earns $200,000 per episode, while Petersen is said to pull in $500,000.

CBS has yet to make any official comment on the firings of Fox and Eads. The original news can be found at the Hollywood Reporter and Yahoo! News.

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