After the series' debut, Fonda and Tomlin expressed displeasure once it became public that their salaries were just equal to those of Waterston and Sheen, even though "the show is not 'Sol and Robert', it's 'Grace and Frankie,'" in the words of Tomlin,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kang|first1=Inkoo|title=Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin Go Public About Their Unfair 'Grace and Frankie' Paychecks|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/jane-fonda-and-lily-tomlin-go-public-about-their-unfair-grace-and-frankie-paychecks-20150513|website=Women and Hollywood|publisher=Indiewire.com|access-date=June 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621221225/http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/jane-fonda-and-lily-tomlin-go-public-about-their-unfair-grace-and-frankie-paychecks-20150513|archive-date=June 21, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> and contended this constituted a significant pay inequity. Shortly thereafter, Waterston and Sheen went on the record to support their co-stars' demands for a salary increase, with Waterston being quoted as saying: "I think they're being cheated".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Vanmetre|first1=Elizabeth|title=Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston agree 'Grace and Frankie', stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin deserve pay raise|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/martin-sheen-sam-waterston-female-stars-pay-raise-article-1.2218513|access-date=June 10, 2015|agency=New York Daily News|date=May 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610065942/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/martin-sheen-sam-waterston-female-stars-pay-raise-article-1.2218513|archive-date=June 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> After fans of the series gathered nearly 200,000 signatures on a petition protesting the disparity, the two actresses issued a public statement backing away from criticism, saying: "This just reminds us to be mindful of how things come across in interviews. We appreciate everyone's support and the attention to this issue, but the structure of ''Grace and Frankie'' is fair, and we couldn't be happier to work with Skydance, Netflix and the great cast of this show."<ref name=gennis>{{cite web|last1=Gennis|first1=Sadie|title=Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin Say They're Okay with Grace and Frankie Gender Pay Disparity|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/jane-fonda-lily-tomlin-grace-and-frankie-gender-pay-disparity|website=TV Guide|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc.|access-date=June 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610011511/http://www.tvguide.com/news/jane-fonda-lily-tomlin-grace-and-frankie-gender-pay-disparity/|archive-date=June 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Fonda and Tomlin made a statement to ''[[TheWrap]]'' clarifying they were never displeased with the salaries to begin with and they had in actuality "made a joke in an interview about our salaries, which was taken out of context."<ref name=gennis/>
After the series' debut, Fonda and Tomlin expressed displeasure once it became public that their salaries were just equal to those of Waterston and Sheen, even though "the show is not 'Sol and Robert', it's 'Grace and Frankie'"
