If you haven’t seen the new Amazon show ‘Jury Duty’? It’s worth a quick binge. Long story short, it’s an Office-style mockumentary about jury duty in the United States but with a big catch: the affable everyman jury foreman (Ron Gladden) had no idea it was fake and that everyone around him for the month-long “trial” – including the litigants, jurors, and the judge – were professional actors.
A real life mini The Truman Show? But instead of Gladden realizing the ruse, the surprise is revealed to our real life Truman Burbank after the verdict is delivered along with a $100,000 prize for his experience. There was a time not all too long ago when $100,000 was a nice haul. Hardly enough to retire on, sure, but a helpful windfall for any Middle Class American who wants to buy a sweet car, pay off a few bills, or even put a hefty down payment on a new house.
Those days are long gone. In an interview with Variety, Gladden was asked what he planned to do with his winnings. His answer said all you need to know about living in a blue state in the 2020’s.
“$100,000 is really not that much here in Southern California,” Gladden replied. “Like, I’m gonna pay a third of that to taxes instantly. And then we’re talking student loans. Surviving down here, I’ve got this little Corgi puppy now as well, too. So it’s really not gonna go that far. “
Gladden won rent money. That’s about the size of it. California’s cost of living is famously terrible, and the state’s New Jersey-esque taxes and socialist experiments aren’t helping. In fact, the average home price in LA County (where the shoot happened) is now at around $818,633 according to Zillow, so Gladden couldn’t even put 20% down on a new pad for himself and his Corgi. He wouldn’t do much better out here where some New Jersey cities (notably Jersey City) are now among the most expensive places to live in the entire country.
