We know her, we love her, and we wish we could be her. ABC’s hit show, Scandal, introduced us to Olivia Pope, a powerhouse of talent, power, and courage. Unbeknownst to many people, Olivia Pope is actually based on a real person. That’s right, the force of a character is actually inspired by Judy Smith, a crisis manager, lawyer, author, and television producer. The seven-year-long series was full of drama, no sleep, affairs, murder, and politics. How much would the real Olivia Pope make doing a job like this for such high profile clients?
The real Olivia Pope had a lot to do with the making of the show
Smith met with Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes when she was an intern at a law firm in Washington D.C. Rhimes met with Smith, and within 15 minutes, she said, “I must do a show about your life.” Smith worked as the deputy press secretary in the White House for President George H. W. Bush, and after leaving the White House, she became what she is today, helping high profile clients get out of scandals (via ABC).
Smith collaborated with Rhimes on the show and the two sent back and forth ideas. Rhimes would write the script and ask Smith how she would react in the situation (via Washington Post).
The real Olivia Pope's net worth is probably much more than the Scandal character
Smith has 30 years of experience in her field of fixing big disasters, and she hides the stories we aren’t meant to hear. The Washington native works 24/7, just like the character Olivia Pope. Scandal’s character is notoriously terrible at having relationships, friendships, or any real time to herself. A person like that has to be making a huge lump sum.
The real Olivia Pope, Judy Smith, has a net worth is somewhere between $1 to $5 million, and has increased as of late, as in 2018, her net worth was around $100,000 to $1 million (via Trend Celeb Snow). It’s likely that Olivia Pope would be making less than the real version of herself, simply because Smith does so much (via Networth Stats).
The lovable fixer on the small screen would definitely be making a big chunk of change but the real crisis manager is bringing in the big money.
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