Netflix free climber Alex Honnold’s fee for nerve-jangling Taipei 101 stunt
American rock climber, Alex Honnold, climbed Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan without ropes or a safety net during a jaw-dropping Netflix’s Skyscraper Live special
Daredevil, Alex Honnold, left Netflix viewers gobsmacked when he climbed a skyscraper (Image: AP)
Alex Honnold had viewers on the edge of their seats as Netflix live-streamed the daredevil climbing a skyscraper without ropes or a safety net. The rock climber, 40, scaled up the Taipei 101 skyscraper – which is 508 metres tall – in Taiwan alone this morning, capturing the world’s attention not only for his mind-blowing physicality, but also for how extreme sports are broadcast in a digital age.
The history-making 101 story climb took 1 hour and 35 minutes to complete, with Alex, who has 30 years of climbing under his belt, simply declaring: “Sick” as he stood at the top of the tower, triumphantly.
But how much did he get paid?
Before undertaking the stomach-churning feat – which was shared by Kim Kardashian on her Instagram Stories – the gutsy climber was asked if this would be his biggest payday in a an interview with the New York Times.
Insisting he would have done it for free, Alex said: “I would do it for free. If there was no TV programme and the building gave me permission to go do the thing, I would do the thing because I know I can, and it’d be amazing. I mean, just sitting by yourself on the very top of the spire is insane.
“And so, you know, if there wasn’t the whole spectacle around it, and I just had the opportunity to go do it by myself, I’d be fine with that. I would do that, but in this case, there is a spectacle. I’m not getting paid to climb the building. I’m getting paid for the spectacle. I’m climbing the building for free.”
So, how much is he actually making?
Admitting he wouldn’t say because he was ’embarrassed’ by the amount, Alex claimed it was nowhere near the salary of a mainstream sport’s star, continuing: “I’m not gonna say. It’s an embarrassing amount. Actually, if you put it in the context of mainstream sports, it’s an embarrassingly small amount. You know, Major League Baseball players get like $170 million contracts. Like, someone you haven’t even heard of and that nobody cares about.”
Sources with knowledge of the deal told the New York Times that Alex “will be paid in the mid-six figures for the climb.”
Reacting to his achievement after a video of him standing at the top of the tower was shared on X by Netflix, one fan wrote: “Climbs a 101-story skyscraper in 1 hour 35 minutes. No rope. No drama. Reaction? “Sick.” That level of calm after that level of insanity is exactly why Alex Honnold is different.”
Meanwhile, another shared: “Absolutely incredible to witness this live” as a third declared: “The absolute B***S to look down at the very tippity top!”
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