Is Jerry Seinfeld about to join the billionaire’s club? The comedian and co-creator of his show Seinfeld got rich not through stocks or acquisitions – but by being funny
Jerry Seinfeld has amassed an impressive fortune, but very little in his portfolio resembles that of the super-wealthy.
Bloomberg pegs Seinfeld’s net worth at upwards of US$1 billion – with roughly half that sum, US$465 million, coming from syndication deals for his eponymous sitcom.
Turner Broadcasting paid more than US$1 million per episode to air Seinfeld reruns, The New York Times reported in 1998. And when Netflix bought streaming rights to all nine seasons in 2019, it paid more than US$500 million in a deal that netted Seinfeld an additional US$94 million, Bloomberg reports.
The comedian has also pocketed US$100 million since he began touring in the 80s, according to the outlet.
That’s not all. There’s a US$40 million property portfolio, including homes in New York City, the Hamptons and California, according to Bloomberg. But Seinfeld’s vintage car collection – featured prominently in Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee – didn’t factor into its calculations, Bloomberg said.
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While Bloomberg reported Seinfeld was now a billionaire, a rep for the comedian told Bloomberg its estimates were “inaccurate”.
Bloomberg’s estimates assume that Seinfeld invested his earnings, received a 15 per cent cut of the TV syndication deals, and a 35 per cent cut of gross box office sales on the road, which was sourced from Pollstar data, according to the outlet.
Seinfeld’s representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from us.
- Bloomberg reported in March that Seinfeld – known for his observational comedy – was now a billionaire, but the comedian’s rep said the estimates were ‘inaccurate’
- The show Seinfeld, co-created by Larry David, ended in 1998 after 180 episodes, but Seinfeld has pocketed over hundreds of millions in rerun and streaming deals