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Actor Cheyenne Jackson posts SAG-AFTRA members short of health plan earnings
Variety reports actor Cheyenne Jackson launched an Instagram effort highlighting SAG-AFTRA members who say they are close to missing the union health plan's annual earnings minimum.
Actor Cheyenne Jackson has begun posting on Instagram the names and photos of SAG-AFTRA members who say they are close to missing the earnings needed to keep union health coverage, Variety reported Monday1.
Jackson told Variety he nearly lost his own SAG-AFTRA health insurance last year because he did not meet a qualifying annual minimum of about $28,000 in covered earnings, coverage that also extends to his husband and two children1.
He said a friend, Kathy Bates, helped him land a small role on the series Matlock so he could make up about $6,0001.
The Instagram project, which he called One Job Away, started a day before Variety's report1. Jackson, who has about 741,000 followers, said he had received hundreds of submissions in less than 24 hours and had posted 22 headshots, including actors Juston Graber, described as $198.48 short of qualifying, and Miho Saito, described as $402 short1.
Variety said Independent Spirit Award nominee Trace Lysette, original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Jai Rodriguez and Mean Girls actor Daniel Franzese were among those featured1. Jamie Lee Curtis has shared some of the posts with her Instagram audience, Variety reported1.
Jackson told Variety that residuals often do not count toward the following year's health-plan minimum, so a high-earning year does not protect coverage the next year1. He said fewer jobs and lower pay have left even long-working actors seeking a single guest role to keep insurance1.
He said he did not want to blame SAG-AFTRA leadership and wanted a broader discussion because, in his words, the system is not working1.
Variety also cited Drake Bell, who posted in mid-October a SAG-AFTRA health plan notice stating he had earned $17,480.53 in the July 2025-June 2026 period and needed $11,452.47 more to reach a $28,933 minimum1. In September, actors Jack Haven and Heather Matarazzo separately said they would not qualify without more work soon, Variety reported1.
SAG-AFTRA's response to Jackson's campaign was not included in Variety's account1.
Not medical advice.
