- Angela Kinsey may be a millionaire today, but she’s always been aware that steady income may not last forever. In fact, during her first two seasons on hit workplace sitcom The Office, she kept a side gig and opted to drive a Honda instead of splurging. Now, with rising living costs and a shaky job market, side hustles are becoming the norm, especially among Gen Z.
The actors who brought Dunder Mifflin to life in the hit sitcom The Office—including Steve Carell, John Krasinski, and Jenna Fischer—may not have received real commissions for selling paper, but their paychecks still rolled in over nine seasons, turning several cast members into millionaires along the way.
But Angela Kinsey, who played the no-nonsense accountant Angela Martin in the series, knew a thing or two about balancing the books—on- and off-screen. Despite the show’s growing popularity, she kept a side gig through its first two seasons, working the box office at an improv theater.
The actress said she was hesitant to quit too soon, unsure whether the quirky workplace comedy would last. Instead, she always planned for the well drying up sooner rather than later.
“I just knew that even though I was on a hit show, that I would need to be already thinking ahead and strategizing ahead about what’s my next job,” Kinsey told CNBC’s Make It.
“Don’t take anything for granted and save.”
Fortune reached out to Kinsey for comment.
Nothing is for certain in show business
While the show was slowly becoming a household staple, Kinsey still tried to remain financially humble. When her 10-year-old Chevy Blazer broke down during season two, she didn’t splurge on a luxury upgrade, instead she purchased a Honda.
“I tried to keep a level head now that I had consistent income, knowing that everything has a finite end date and that consistent income would eventually go away, and I didn’t want to be stuck with a lot of big purchases,” the 54-year-old said.
In the early days of the show, popular stars like Krasinski and Fischer reportedly earned $20,000 per episode, with their pay rising to $100,000 an episode by the time season four aired, according to Entertainment Weekly. While it’s unclear how much Kinsey was paid per episode, she told CNBC that it was “enough for her to start building her savings.”
Her net worth now is estimated at about $8 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth—thanks in part to her acting gigs as well as subsequent fame as an author, podcaster, and influencer.
Kinsey’s not alone in scraping her way through show business. Jimmy Fallon survived on $7 a day and lived with cardboard furniture in order to make ends meet before making it big on Saturday Night Live and later as the host of The Tonight Show.
“It’s really tough, say anyone going into the business or acting or any of that stuff, the entertainment stuff, you’re going to get beat up,” Fallon advised. “It’s going to be to the point where you’re like, ‘I’m so depressed I can’t do it.’ But just know that if you can just get through it and keep working, eventually, whatever is going to happen in life will work out.”
Today, Fallon’s worth is estimated at $70 million.
Using a side gig to get ahead in the game
Given the high cost of living, taking on a side hustle alongside a nine-to-five job is increasingly becoming the norm. In fact, some 90% of all U.S. job seekers report working side hustles, with 41% admitting they’re clocking in at two jobs at once.
And while for people like Kinsey, a side gig can boost cash flow and be a backup if your main career prospects go south, side hustles can also boost one’s chances of being your own boss; it’s something that young people in particular are increasingly taking advantage of.
“Gen Z is seeing people talk about burnout, and they’re thinking, ‘If that’s what’s coming, I would rather design a career that actually serves me, versus working myself into the ground for somebody else’s benefit,’” Natasha Stanley, head coach at careers site Careershifters.org, previously told Fortune.
And with the democratization of technology and social media making side gigs easier than ever to pursue, the practice is likely to only expand.
“Why is [launching a business] easier now than ever before? Because 20 years ago we didn’t have this here,” explained Gen Zer Chase Gallagher, pointing to his phone. “This device has made me millions of dollars because it’s helped me market my business; it’s helped me connect with crazy types of people. I can go online today and pay 400 bucks and have an LLC.”
