Original Power Rangers star Thuy Trang, who famously played the Yellow Ranger, reportedly paid a heavy price for advocating for what she believed was a fair wage, a new documentary series claims. According to stunt coordinator Jeff Pruitt, Trang, along with fellow actors Walter Emanuel Jones (Black Ranger) and Austin St. John (Red Ranger), orchestrated a daring move to address their compensation as the children’s action show became a massive hit in its first season in 1993.
Pruitt recounted the explosive moment during the latest episode of Investigation Discovery’s Hollywood Demons, stating that the incident occurred during a presentation for the network’s station owners, which allegedly included media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
“The owners of the stations all came,” Pruitt remembered. “Rupert Murdoch came, they brought out the Power Rangers. Thuy went up to the microphone and started reading this speech. How rotten Fox was for not paying them more money, and how they all deserved more money… the station owners were just looking like, ‘What is this?'”
Pruitt further claimed that Trang’s bold action was immediately followed by remorse. “When it was over, she walked backstage, and she just ran to me and grabbed me and started crying, and said, ‘What did I do? Oh god, what did I do?’ She regretted it instantly, but it was kind of too late.”
The documentary sheds light on the stark financial reality faced by the young stars despite the show’s phenomenal success. By 1994, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had reportedly generated over a billion dollars in toy sales alone for Saban Brands. However, Pruitt stated that the actors, including Trang and her co-stars Amy Jo Johnson (Pink Ranger), David Yost (Blue Ranger), and the late Jason David Frank (Green Ranger), saw little of this wealth.
“One of the things Saban said was, ‘Look, I’m giving them the chance to become stars.’ But from the actors’ point of view it was, ‘Well, now the show has taken off and I’m still not making any money,'” Pruitt explained.
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Director Worth Keeter corroborated the account, noting that Trang, St. John, and Jones were all under the same management and that a key demand during contract negotiations – a percentage of the lucrative toy sales – was “never, ever going to happen.” This impasse allegedly led to Trang’s public address.
Head writer Tony Oliver also recalled the tense atmosphere, claiming Trang went “off script and said something along the lines of, ‘You know, we’re up here giving you a show, and maybe you should be up here giving us a show, because we’re giving you all the ratings.'”
Following Trang’s speech, the trio were reportedly fired. The decision, Oliver stated, had a chilling effect on the remaining cast, sending a clear message: “‘Don’t even try it. We’ll just replace you like that. We don’t care.'” Trang was subsequently replaced by Karan Ashley as the Yellow Ranger. Tragically, Thuy Trang died in a car accident in 2001 at the young age of 27.
While the surviving original cast members eventually found their way back to the franchise in various forms, the documentary raises questions about the treatment of young talent in highly profitable productions.
