Jerry Seinfeld is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the sitcom Seinfeld, which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David. It was described as the "show about nothing," as it often dealt with mundane everyday situations that were relatable to its large audience.
With a successful career spanning over four decades, Jerry Seinfeld has amassed a considerable amount of wealth. In fact, as of 2022, Jerry Seinfeld's net worth is estimated to be $950 million, making him one of the richest comedians in the world.
But, what did he exactly do to get here? How did he begin his career? And where did he invest his money? Let's get straight into the article and decode all these questions revolving around Jerry Seinfeld.
Some Interesting Facts About Jerry Seinfield
- Wrote a number of books, including an all-time bestseller, SeinLanguage.
- Made a total of $100,000 in the first season of his debut show "Seinfeld."
- Earned $1 million per episode in Seinfeld's final season. He was the first TV actor to touch this milestone.
- Made around $60 million in base salary from "Seinfeld."
- Rejected an offer of $5 million per episode of appearing in another season of Seinfeld, which would have been $100 million.
- Jerry owns 15% of his show's backend equity.
- Owns a 12-acre house in Hamptons that is worth approximately $70-100 million.
- He reportedly makes around $40-50 million every year through his syndications and royalties.
- Owns around 150 cars that are estimated to be worth over $50 million.
Early Life
Jerome Allen Seinfeld was born on 29th April 1954, in Brooklyn, New York City. His father was a Hungarian-Jewish sign painter. Jerry's mother was a Syrian Jew, and he also had an elder sister named Carolyn. After being raised in the hamlet of Massapequa in New York, Jerry graduated from Massapequa High School.
He then moved on to pursue his college degree at the State University of New York at Oswego. But, due to personal reasons, he moved to Queens College, the City University of New York, after completing his second year. This was the college where Jerry graduated with a degree in communications and theater in the year 1976.
Jerry Seinfeld's Career
Jerry's career started taking shape back in his college days when he participated in his college productions which instigated his passion for stand-up comedy. Later on, after graduating, he started participating in open mic nights and performed in front of many public gatherings. In fact, he went on to do his stand-ups for almost 15 years and rose to fame as a popular comedian. During this time, he was doing many tours and was making good money out of his stand-up shows.
Things were going fine for him until he got fired from the 1980s sitcom, Benson. Yet, it seemed like Jerry was not going to slow down as just after a year, he got featured as a guest on Johnny Carson's “The Tonight Show.” The interaction in this episode was so good that he was again invited for multiple episodes. No doubt, both Carson and his audience loved Jerry Seinfeld.
Soon after this event, other talk shows also reached out to him, and in no time, Jerry was on the infamous “Late Night with David Letterman.” By this time, Jerry was a popular face in U.S households, and in 1987, HBO aired the first comedy special of Jerry Seinfeld's career, titled “Stand-Up Confidential.” All of this seemed like Jerry was getting his big break in the television industry, but what came next overshadowed all his past work and conciliations.
In 1989, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld collaborated and created "The Seinfeld Chronicles," which turned out to become one of the best sitcoms ever created in the television industry. Jerry also continued his stand-up career even after all this success and even starred in the 2012 web series, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee." This show was also a massive hit on various streaming platforms, including Netflix and Crackle.
Creating "Seinfeld"
Seinfeld was a legendary sitcom from NBC studios, with Jerry Seinfeld leading it from the front. NBC proposed this show to Jerry after seeing his growing popularity in the Television industry in the late 1980s. Seinfeld was produced by West-Shapiro Productions and Castle Rock Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures Television.
After getting the proposal from NBC, Jerry reached out to his fellow comedian friend and “Saturday Night Live” writer Larry David to help him create a promising sitcom. Although Seinfeld was largely written by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, it also included many scriptwriters like Larry Charles, Gregg Kavet, Peter Mehlman, and others.
Did You Know?
The show was initially named "The Seinfeld Chronicles" but was later renamed to "Seinfeld." To everyone’s surprise, its first season instantly became popular. It then went on to rule the American television industry for almost a decade. And, after its finale episode, the show wrapped up with nine seasons and a total of 180 episodes. In fact, even today, this sitcom is considered as one of the best shows in the history of TV syndication.
Jerry's Seinfeld Salary
Seinfeld was not just in the limelight because of its massive popularity, but it also made headlines with the salary being offered to the protagonist, Jerry Seinfeld. In the first season of the sitcom, Jerry was earning approximately $20,000 per episode. But, as this season only had five episodes, Jerry bagged a total of $100,000 off it.
After this, Seinfeld got approved for a second and third season, where Jerry was paid $40,000 per episode, which was double of his previous salary. This paycheck reportedly made him $3.5 million for two seasons.
However, it still seemed like even this hefty amount was not enough, considering the hype of this sitcom that was running throughout the country. And, to match it up, the producers compensated Jerry with a whopping $9.4 million for a total of 70 episodes in seasons four, five, and six.
When the show came to its ninth and penultimate season, Jerry made history by becoming the first-ever television actor to charge $1 million per episode. If we add up all these paychecks from the show, Jerry Seinfeld made around $60 million off his salary alone.
What's more surprising is that NBC was desperate to renew Seinfeld for the 10th season, and it was reported that they offered Jerry Seinfeld $5 million per episode for a total of 20 episodes. If this deal had moved forward, Jerry would have taken a mind-boggling $100 million for a season. But, the legend turned down this offer.
Syndication Earnings
If you thought that Seinfeld's salary made Jerry rich, you are about to get another surprise. At the beginning of the sitcom, both Jerry and Larry owned around 7.5% of the equity of the show. But, as the show became an instant success and peaked quickly, Jerry and Larry negotiated new deals with NBC studios, and they doubled their ownership stake to 15% each.
It was all nominal news until Seinfeld generated $1.7 billion in revenue during its first-ever syndication sale. This deal made $255 million for both Larry and Jerry. As of today, both of these comedians have earned at least $800 million of their sitcom's salary, merchandise, DVDs, and syndication deals.
In 2015, Hulu bought Seinfeld for approximately $180 million, out of which Jerry and Larry both made $27 million. In the same year, they additionally earned $50 million from the shows' royalties and syndication sales. It was also reported that between June 2017-19, Jerry reportedly made around $100 million from his show. Not just that, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David earned $75 million each after the makers of Seinfeld signed a five-year deal with Netflix in September 2019, which was reportedly priced at $500 million.
Real Estate
Seinfeld has made many investments in different sectors, and real estate is nothing different. He and his wife, Jessica, have multiple properties spread across the country. One of their most expensive purchases is an oceanfront estate in East Hampton that is valued at $32 million. Well, this property also includes a private baseball diamond (Jerry is a huge Mets fan) and a garage capable of housing 22 cars.
They also own a townhouse in Manhattan which is also their primary residence in New York, and it costs around $4 million. This townhouse is on the 19th floor and has a view of Central Park. Not just that, they also have two adjacent estates in Telluride, Colorado. These properties are spread across 17 acres and 26 acres. These two properties were even listed for sale in 2021, one of which was priced at a whopping $14.95 million.
Car Collection
If we're talking about Jerry Seinfeld's net worth, we can’t skip his massive car collection. One of the largest private collectors of Porches in the world, Jerry has roughly around 45 of them. On top of this, he has a total of around 150 vehicles whose cost is estimated to be between $50-$150 million. Some of his most expensive and rare Porches include:
- 1964 Volkswagen Camper "EZ Camper"
- 1959 Porsche RSK Spyder
- 1964 Porsche 911
- 1983 Porsche 959
On top of this, Jerry surprisingly has a home dedicated to his cars in a small building in New York (talk about the most expensive city for a living). He purchased this property for $1 million and renovated it for an additional $500,000. This three-story building has enough space for all his cars. Apart from this, the building also has a basement that can house even more cars (I guess Jerry is still hunting for more Porches).
Personal Life
Jerry Seinfeld's personal life was a hot gossip back in the 90s when he was reported to be dating a fashion designer named Shoshanna Longstein. What's shocking about this relationship was that Jerry's rumored girlfriend was still in school and was only 17 years old during this controversy. However, the legendary comedian denied these claims and announced that they were just friends. But, they did date after Shoshanna turned 18 for around four years between 1993 to 1997.
In 1999, Jerry found the love of his life in Jessica Sklar, who is an author and philanthropist. Jerry and Jessica have three kids named Sascha (born in 1999), Julian (born in 2003), and Shepherd (born in 2005). Jerry and his family currently reside in New York City.
Favorite Quotes from Jerry Seinfeld
- "A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking." – Jerry Seinfeld
- "It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper." – Jerry Seinfeld
- "Marriage is like a game of chess except the board is flowing water, the pieces are made of smoke, and no move you make will have any effect on the outcome." – Jerry Seinfeld
- "To me, if life boils down to one thing, it's movement. To live is to keep moving." – Jerry Seinfeld
- "I don't want to hear the specials. If they're so special, put 'em on the menu." – Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld FAQs
What Is Jerry Seinfeld's Net Worth?
Jerry Seinfeld's net worth is estimated to be $950 million.
How Much Money Does Jerry Seinfeld Earn?
With his show's syndication deals and royalties, and his current projects, it is reported that Jerry Seinfeld makes more than $6 million every month, and it is calculated to be more than $70 million every year.
How Tall Is Jerry Seinfeld?
Jerry Seinfeld is around 1.80m tall, which is equal to around 5 feet 10 inches.
How Old Is Jerry Seinfeld?
Jerry Seinfeld is 68 years old.
When Is Jerry Seinfeld's Birthday?
Jerry Seinfeld was born on April 29, 1954.
Who Is Jerry Seinfeld's Wife?
Jerry Seinfeld married Jessica Sklar in 1999.
Does He Have Children?
Jerry Seinfeld has three children named Sascha, Julian, and Shepherd.
Takeaway
Although Jerry Seinfeld made the most of his money through royalties and syndication, it is a sure bet that Jerry always knew how he would create his wealth. Increasing his ownership in Seinfeld or investing in the real estate sector on a large scale just shows Jerry's vision of attaining ample wealth.
You don’t have to create a runaway hit comedy show to make millions, though.
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