What are Jerry Seinfeld’s net worth and salary? American comedian, television producer, actor, and auto enthusiast Jerry Seinfeld.
The total worth of Jerry Seinfeld is $950 million. Jerry amassed the majority of his wealth thanks to the sitcom “Seinfeld,” which has established itself as one of the most lucrative programs in television history in terms of syndication royalties.
Jerry owns 15% of the show’s backend equity points. So not only did he make a lot of money from his base salary while the show was running, but he also made a ton more money in the years that followed from global syndication sales.
Seinfeld has so far brought in several billion dollars from its syndication deals, with Netflix paying $500 million in September 2019 to secure the show’s five-year digital rights.
Jerry’s annual personal income ranges from $20 to $50 million, largely depending on his touring schedule. A nationwide tour brings in $20 million for him. 2020 saw Netflix pay him $20 million for the exclusive rights to his “23 Hours to Kill” special. He made $50 million between June 2019 and June 2020, primarily from touring and Netflix deals.
Early Life
On April 29, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York, Jerry Seinfeld was conceived. He was raised in Massapequa, New York. He spent two years studying at the State University of New York at Oswego.
He transferred to Queens College after his second year and received a degree in communications and theatre there. While attending Queens College, he discovered a love for stand-up comedy and frequently participated in open-mic events.
Jerry struggled as a stand-up comedian for nearly 15 years after graduating from college before finally finding success on television.
When he made a hugely successful appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in May 1981, he was already a well-known touring comedian. This appearance paved the way for numerous additional appearances on The Tonight Show and other late-night shows, including Late Night with David Letterman.
Developing “Seinfeld”
In 1989, Jerry teamed up with former SNL writer Larry David to develop a television pilot for NBC that they initially dubbed “The Seinfeld Chronicles.”
The renamed “Seinfeld” would eventually air 180 episodes over 9 seasons and is now regarded as one of the best shows of all time. With over $4 billion in earnings to date, it is also one of the most lucrative television shows to ever be distributed in syndication.
Jerry Seinfeld’s Annual Salary
Jerry made $20,000 per episode during the first season’s five episodes, for a total of $100,000. For the second and third seasons, his hourly rate was doubled to $40,000, for a total of $3.5 million.
Jerry made $100,000 per episode for a total of 70 episodes across seasons 4, 5, and 6. That comes to $7 million.
Jerry’s pay per episode was increased to $500k for the 46 episodes that made up seasons 7 and 8, for a total of 46 episodes.
That is equivalent to $23 million. Jerry made $1 million per episode in season 9 and $24 million overall (or roughly $38 million when adjusted for inflation).
He was the first television actor to make $1 million per episode. A record that was quickly surpassed when Tim Allen received $1.25 million the following year for his work on Home Improvement.
Jerry’s return for a tenth season was a top priority for NBC. They allegedly made him an offer of $5 million per episode to create one more season.
For the entire season, that would have brought in $100 million. Jerry’s $5 million per episode pay would have been the highest amount ever paid to a television actor, surpassing Charlie Sheen’s $1.8 million at the height of Two and a Half Men in 2010.
Syndication Earnings
Jerry and Larry David each held 7.5% of the show’s backend equity points at the beginning of Seinfeld. Jerry and Larry were able to increase their ownership stake to 15% each at the height of the show’s popularity when they were negotiating new deals with NBC.
The program brought in $1.7 billion when it was first sold into syndication in 1998. As a result, Jerry and Larry each received a windfall of $255 million.
As of this writing, Jerry and Larry have each made at least $800 million from Seinfeld in salary, DVD, merchandise, and syndication deals. Sadly, Larry’s divorce from Laurie Lennard in 2007 caused his net worth to be reduced by half.
Jerry and Larry each made $27 million when Seinfeld was sold to Hulu for $180 million in 2015. They make between $40 and $50 million a year from syndication sales and show royalties. Jerry Seinfeld earned $60 million between June 2017 and June 2018. He made $40 million from June 2018 to June 2019.
Larry and Jerry each made $75 million when Seinfeld was sold to Netflix in September 2019 for $500 million.
Personal Life
Shoshanna Lonstein and Jerry had a somewhat infamous four-year relationship that began when she was still in high school and 17 years old. He was 38. A few months before Jessica Sklar was scheduled to marry theatre producer Eric Nederlander in 1998, Jerry and Jessica first met at a sports club.
Sklar moved in with Jerry and divorced her husband three weeks after returning from her honeymoon. Four months after the wedding, the husband filed for divorce.
Jerry and Jessica got married a year later and have been together ever since. Together, they are the parents of three kids.
Collection of Automobiles
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Jerry is one of the biggest private Porshe collectors in the world. He has about 150 cars in total, 45 of which are Porsches.
He kept his collection in a hangar at the Santa Monica airport for many years while residing in Los Angeles to film Seinfeld. He invested $1.4 million to purchase a home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 2002. He then built a garage that can accommodate many cars for another $500,000.
Real Estate
East Hampton: In 2000, Jerry and Jessica spent a combined total of $32 million over three transactions to build a 12-acre oceanfront estate in East Hampton, New York. Billy Joel was one of the sellers.
They reportedly then invested several million dollars in renovations, which included expanding the house and constructing a private baseball diamond at the back of the property. A 22-car garage is on Hampton’s property.
Manhattan: The Seinfeld family spent $4 million on a townhouse there in 2005. The entire 19th floor of a building with a view of Central Park serves as their primary residence.
He reportedly spent so much time renovating that Upper West Side co-ops boards all adopted new regulations prohibiting prolonged renovations. The “Seinfeld Law” is what people refer to it as.
Telluride: In 2007, the couple spent $7.55 million to buy a 27-acre estate in Telluride, Colorado. A 17-acre neighbouring property was purchased for $2.3 million one year later.
The primary property was put up for sale for $18.3 million in 2011. After taking the listing down for several years, they relisted it in March 2021 for $14.95 million.
The 17-acre neighbouring property, which has a four-bedroom house, was also listed at the same time for $2.775 million.
