Child actors from the classic sitcom “Who’s the Boss?” Sometimes they need to look for other sources of income to supplement their salaries and day-to-day expenses. Danny Pintauro, known for his role as Jonathan Bower during the ABC show’s eight seasons, generated buzz in April after sharing on Instagram that he works as a part-time delivery man for Amazon. The revelation surprised many fans, who saw the artist of a successful series pursuing a new profession, but Pintauro recently detailed on the podcast “Pod Meets World”, as reported by Entertainment Weekly, that this is just one of his several occupations to cover expenses, as his acting career does not offer ongoing financial stability.
Pintauro himself expressed surprise at the public’s reaction to his post about the work on Amazon Flex, stating that he had not imagined the impact, as he considered that his efforts on multiple fronts were already known. He clarified that delivering orders is just one of the five temporary activities he currently performs, characterizing the life of an actor as a “freelancer”, with acting being one of his “six jobs”.
Regarding his role at Amazon, Pintauro detailed that a two- to three-hour shift yields between US$80 and US$100. He emphasized the need to seek means of support, stating that it is necessary to “do what we have to do to survive” and “keep moving as human beings”. The actor reinforced that there is no distinction between his situation and that of any other person in this regard, pointing out that he no longer receives “money from copyrights”.
The actor mentioned that this is not the first time he has faced intense reactions from the public when working outside of acting. After “Who’s the Boss?” ended, he took a job at the Gap store for a summer, and the situation created a buzz. “Someone brought a hidden camera and took photos of me folding clothes, saying: ‘He’s already lost all his money, Danny Pintauro’s ruin!'” Pintauro recalled, exemplifying the mistaken perception that many have about the financial stability of TV stars.
In the series “Who’s the Boss?”, Danny Pintauro played Jonathan Bower, son of the character Angela Bower, played by Judith Light. The program, which aired from 1984 to 1992 with a total of 196 episodes, told the story of Tony Micelli (Tony Danza), who takes on the role of butler in the Bower house, accompanied by his daughter Samantha (Alyssa Milano). When initially publishing his work on Amazon, Pintauro included a reflection in the caption: “There is no shame in keeping moving. Working hard while ‘not working'”.
He emphasized at the time that the entertainment sector is in a period of great inactivity, which led him, like many other professionals, to look for different alternatives. “I’ve been doing what a lot of people do: turning around, showing up and accepting the jobs that come my way while continuing to build the projects I really want,” he declared, mentioning that “38 projects [were] closed today!” as an example of the difficulty.
In an interview with People magazine, Pintauro had already commented that “people overestimate what the copyright of a sitcom was in the 80s and 90s”, thus justifying his need for multiple jobs. The actor revealed that he invested a considerable part of his earnings, but also used a large amount to pay for his studies at Stanford and to support himself in early adulthood, in his early 20s, highlighting that there was not an “infinite amount of money available”.