Cheyenne Jackson has appeared in more than 40 television series, including “Imperfect Women,” “American Horror Story,” “Call Me Kat,” “Glee” and “30 Rock,” as well as several films.
But last year, he was on the verge of losing his SAG-AFTRA health insurance because he didn’t meet the annual minimum qualifying income of about $28,000. The insurance also covers her husband, Jason, and their two children.
“I was one gig short of getting my insurance,” Jackson told me. “We really rely on SAG insurance. It’s really good.”
He contacted his friend, “Matlock” star Kathy Bates. He needed to earn $6,000.
“I called her and said, ‘Look, I’m in trouble and I could really use your help. Is there anything I can do on ‘Matlock’?'” Jackson recalled. “She says, ‘Give me a second. Just give me a minute.'”
Bates called him back within five minutes. “She said, ‘I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is I got you a role in ‘Matlock.’ The bad news is you have five lines and you don’t have a name,'” Jackson said. “I was like, ‘Sign me up! No ego amigo here.’ I played detective with no name. I searched a crime scene and said, “Hey, Sergeant, we got some blood here. »
Jackson is now paying it forward by launching the “One Job Away” initiative. Started yesterday, he posts portraits and biographies on his Instagram feed of actors who are about to lose their SAG-AFTRA health insurance.
With 741,000 followers on Instagram, Jackson claims to have received “hundreds” of submissions in less than 24 hours. “The most important discussion is simply how the residuals and SAGs are configured,” Jackson says. “I make quite a bit of money from residuals, but a lot of that residual doesn’t go toward your SAG contributions. You’re basically starting over every year.”
In other words, Jackson says, “An actor can make $500,000 a year, but if he doesn’t make much the next year, the $500,000 doesn’t help him cover the next year’s health insurance minimum.”
He continues: “The journeyman actors and major characters who have led multiple shows and have been there for years and years, are all of a sudden, because there are so many fewer jobs and the salaries are so much lower, they’re scrambling to find a little guest spot to try to maintain their confidence. »
Among the 22 portraits Jackson posted is Juston Graber, who is just $198.48 shy of qualifying for SAG-AFTRA insurance. Miho Saito is only $402 short. Others include Independent Spirit Award nominee Trace Lysette, original “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” star Jai Rodriguez and Daniel Franzese of “Mean Girls” fame.
Jamie Lee Curtis reposted some of Jackson’s “One Job Away” posts to her 6.7 million Instagram followers.
Jackson does not denounce the leadership of SAG-AFTRA. “I don’t want to play a blame game,” he said. “What I want to do is start to have a broader conversation, because it’s clear the system isn’t working at the moment.”
“Drake & Josh” actor Drake Bell recently blasted the union after discovering he didn’t qualify for its insurance.
On her Instagram Story on October 13, Bell posted a screenshot of the SAG-AFTRA health plan’s website that says: “You are not eligible for health plan coverage at this time. Your reported covered income from July 2025 to June 2026 did not meet the minimum eligibility requirements, or you were not eligible under other eligibility rules.”
The web page says Bell earned $17,480.53 and needs $11,452.47 more to qualify by reaching the $28,933 required for the SAG-AFTRA health plan.
Bell wrote on the screenshot: “Don’t become an actor. Don’t join SAG. You can work for 35 years and they still say (middle finger emoji).”
In September, “Atypical” actor Jack Haven and “Princess Diaries” star Heather Matarazzo both revealed they wouldn’t qualify for health insurance if they didn’t find more work soon.
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