Climber responds to rumour about how much Netflix paid him to climb 1667ft skyscraper

A man who climbed Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world, has responded to speculation about how much he was paid by Netflix to take part in the stunt.

Last month, professional rock climber Alex Honnold ascended the 1,667ft tall skyscraper in Taiwan's capital without a rope, harness or safety equipment in a quite remarkable time of one hour and 31 minutes.

The climb was broadcast live on Netflix, with viewers experiencing every moment as a team of hosts and commentators provided real-time context, analysis, and reaction.

Ahead of the attempt, Honnold was asked whether the stunt would be his biggest-ever payday. Given the risk involved, you would assume the Sacramento-born climber would have received a hefty sum.

But according to the man himself, it was an "embarrassingly small amount" when put into a sporting context. "It’s less than my agent aspired to,” he told The New York Times, when asked about his paycheck.

“It’s an embarrassing amount,” he added, after refusing to disclose the exact figure.

When pressed again on his earnings for the challenge, Honnold said: “Actually, if you put it in the context of mainstream sports, it’s an embarrassingly small amount."

At the time, two people with knowledge of the deal claimed Honnold would be paid in the mid-six figures, as per The New York Times, with speculation emerging that it could be around the $400,000 to $600,000 mark.

A few weeks on from his climb in Taiwan, the American sat down on Steven Bartlett’s The Diary Of A CEO podcast.

Here, he was asked by Bartlett directly if he’d been paid half a million dollars for the stunt.

“Basically, I've done a ton of work for free over my life," he said. "It's all part of the game, and I just love playing the game. And so you just let it play out. It's funny because with this building, a lot of people thought that I was underpaid for it.

"But afterwards, some people have approached me about some bonuses and some other work stuff. Basically, a lot has already happened, and it's only been a couple of weeks since the building."

Honnold added: "You don't need to get paid for the thing itself because it always works. Don't get hung up on how much you get paid. Just do the thing, make sure it's freaking rad, and it all sorts itself out."

Alex Honnold climbs Taipei 101 building by hand in Taipei. Image credit: Getty

On the podcast with Bartlett, Honnold said he was asked by a reporter from The New York Times about how the earnings compared to a boxing match, hence the "embarrassing amount" comment.

Honnold continued: “If you compare it to Major League baseball contracts, then it's an embarrassingly small amount. But I was never complaining. I thought it was great.”