Alex Honnold, an American climber who summited the 1,667-foot skyscraper Taipei 101 on Saturday, January 24, 2026, without a rope or harness, chose to open up about what Netflix paid him to take part in the epic stunt. Honnold, who has been known for his intense climbing stunts since the early 2010s, has been climbing for 30 years. Surprisingly, taking on such a big challenge during a live Netflix broadcast wasn't any different than his everyday climbs.
Opening up to The New York Times, Honnold shared that the six-figure paycheck that came from his summit of Taipei 101 seemed like "an embarrassing amount" in comparison to other professional athletes at his level. Honnold explained that while he was happy about the payout he'd be receiving for the climb, which was reported to be roughly $500,000, he'd take on the summit for free if he could.
"I’m not getting paid to climb the building," the climber explained. "I’m getting paid for the spectacle. I’m climbing the building for free." Honnold, who has been dreaming of doing a free solo climb for years, shared that while he was excited for the opportunity, he wasn't going to let himself think too much about the climb beforehand. Treating it like another day of work, Honnold was frank with reporters and media who wanted to discuss the stunt.
Rather than waxing poetic about his feelings surrounding the climb or his interest in extreme stunts, Honnold was mechanical about what was to come when he summited Taipei 101. Sharing his plans post-climb were to have dinner at the tower's buffet, he shared with Netflix that once the climb was over, he wouldn't be taking much time to bask in the glory of achieving his dreams. "I’ll go home, and I’ll go back to my climbing practice," Honnold revealed, making it clear that his climb was merely a milestone on his path.