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Danny Pintauro, best known for his role as Jonathan Bower in the hit 1980s sitcom “Who’s the Boss,” recently opened up about balancing his acting career with a side job as an Amazon Flex delivery driver. This revelation came during a conversation about the realities of residual payments for actors.
Pintauro explained that he chose to work with Amazon, a company founded by Jeff Bezos, because it offers the flexibility he needs to accommodate his audition schedule. This allows him to pursue acting opportunities without being tied down by a traditional job.
Discussing the public’s perception of actors taking on regular jobs, Pintauro noted, “There’s always been this fascination with actors who work everyday jobs, and it’s often seen as a negative. But I think we’re moving past that notion.” He shared these thoughts with Fox News last week, emphasizing that in today’s economy, it’s common for people to juggle multiple jobs to ensure they can support themselves and their families.
Pintauro also addressed the widespread misconception about actors’ financial stability due to residuals from past roles, particularly from popular shows like “Who’s the Boss.” He remarked, “Pretty much everyone misunderstands what residuals mean. It’s surprising to me how people assume that if they recognize you, you’re financially secure for life, but that’s not the case.”
“Pretty much everyone misunderstands what residuals mean,” he said. “It’s crazy to me. People always assume that if they recognize you, you must be financially set for your life, and that’s just not how it works.”
The “Cujo” star claimed residuals in the ’80s were different than modern day standards, saying that “DVD compilations” were non-existent.
He added that there was “nothing in the contract to stipulate what to do if that should come up” and “reruns” were also rare.
“The thing that people really don’t understand is that when a network or Amazon Prime [Video], let’s say, purchases the series, I get some money from the purchase, but I get less money every time it gets purchased,” Pintauro continued.
“So Season 1, for instance, has been purchased so many times … that I’m getting five to six cents per episode, and then they can air it as many times as they want and I don’t get paid anymore.”
Pintauro explained that the money he received from the show was great, but he used a lot of it to pay for his Stanford University tuition, where he got a degree in drama, and to support himself in the years to follow.
“So there isn’t a pile of money sitting around these days,” he concluded.
Pintauro starred in “Who’s the Boss” for eight seasons from 1984 to 1992 alongside Tony Danza, Judith Light and Alyssa Milano.
His latest projects were in the 2022 film “A Country Christmas Harmony” and the 2025 TV series “The Comeback Kids.”
Pintauro has been open about his job as a delivery driver, including in April when he shared that “the entertainment business has been so slow.”
At the time, he shared via Instagram how he had delivered 38 packages, saying, “there’s no shame in staying in motion.”