John DiMaggio Reveals He Got No Pay Raise For ‘Futurama’ Reboot After Lengthy Negotiations

Voice actor John DiMaggio was the last “Futurama” star to confirm that they would be returning for Hulu’s “Futurama” reboot.

DiMaggio, who voices the lovable robot Bender, was the hold-out. He initially resisted reprising his role because he felt that the entire cast had not been paid enough for their work. After it was announced that DiMaggio was returning to the cast, many felt that he had finally gotten paid what he deserves.

Unfortunately, it seems that’s not the case. At Phoenix Fan Fusion, DiMaggio revealed that he didn’t get the pay raise that he was hoping for. In fact, he didn’t receive a pay raise at all.

The news got picked up by Variety, who transcribed DiMaggio’s remarks from the fan convention.

“People are like, ‘I’m so glad you got more money!’ I didn’t get more money,” DiMaggio was quoted saying. “But what I did get was a lot of respect, and a lot of head nods from people who are like, ‘Yo bro, I see you and thank you.'”

DiMaggio said that it was “quite rewarding” to receive praise from his colleagues for speaking out, adding, “Trying to get money out of Disney is like trying to get blood from a stone — you ain’t gonna get it.”

He added, “But listen, this was the best thing about that fight: I had Disney, Hulu, I was holding on to their collective testicles so hard that they couldn’t, y’know, there was nowhere for them to go. But there was also nowhere for me to go, and who wants to hold on to those for that long?”

If DiMaggio didn’t sign on the dotted line, he revealed that the show was “planning on using guest stars, [and] they were going to replace Bender's voice each episode.” The statement was reportedly met with groans from the audience.

In a long Twitter message, John revealed the reason why he had yet to renew his contract. On February 15, he posted a long message to Twitter titled “Update: #bendergate.”

“Hi,” he began. “I’ve been thinking about everything that’s been going on these past months and just to be clear, I don’t think that only I deserve to be paid more. I think the entire cast does.”

“Negotiations are a natural part of working in show business,” he continued. “Everyone has a different strategy & different boundaries. Their ‘price.’ Some affect offers, some hold their ground.”

“Bender is part of my soul and nothing about this is supposed to be disrespectful to the fans or my Futurama family,” he continued. “It’s about self-respect. And honestly, being tired of an industry that’s become far too corporate and takes advantage of artists’ time and talent.”

“Look, I wish I could give you every detail so you would understand, but it’s not my place. Thanks again for the love everyone. Still hoping for the best,” he concluded. “In the meantime, I’ll be in New Orleans shooting ‘Interview with a Vampire’ for AMC – and very grateful to be! Thanks.”

Although a few fans commented “Greed over fan service,” other fans pointed out that John was trying to improve the industry for voice actors everywhere and supported his position.

On May 1, DiMaggio revealed that #BenderGate was officially over.

In a statement, John DiMaggio said in the classic words of Bender, “I’M BACK, BABY! So d--- grateful for the love and support of fans and colleagues alike during this whole time (especially my wife, Kate), and I cannot wait to get back to work with my Futurama family. #Bendergate is officially over.”