What is Jerry Seinfeld's net worth and salary?
Jerry Seinfeld is an American comedian, television producer, actor and car collector who has a net worth of $925 million. Jerry earned the vast majority of his fortune thanks to the sitcom "Seinfeld" which has proven to be one of the most-profitable shows in television history, in terms of syndication royalties. Both Jerry and his co-creator Larry David own 15% of the show's back-end equity points. So not only did Jerry earn a fortune from base salary while the show was on, he has earned exponentially more in the years thereafter from global syndication sales.
To date, Seinfeld has generated several billion dollars in syndication revenue, including $500 million Netflix paid in September 2019 to acquire digital rights for five years.
Jerry personally earns $20-50 million in a given year, largely depending on if he is touring or not. He earns $20 million from a national tour. In 2020 Netflix paid him $20 million for exclusive rights to his special "23 Hours to Kill". Between June 2019 and June 2020 he earned $50 million thanks largely to Netflix deals and touring.
Key Facts- Earned a total of $100,000 for the first season of "Seinfeld"
- Was earning $1m per episode by season 9
- He was the first TV actor to earn $1m per episode
- Jerry earned $60 million in base salary from his show
- Turned down $5m per episode to do one more season
- That would have been $100 million
- Owns 15% of his show's backend equity
- Earns $40-50m per year from syndication and other royalties
- Owns over 150 cars
- Car collection is likely worth north of $50 million
- Owns a 12-acre oceanfront Hamptons estate
- Their Hamptons house is worth $70-100 million
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Early Life
Jerry Seinfeld was born on April 29, 1954 in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Massapequa, New York. He attended State University of New York at Oswego for two years. After his second year he transferred to Queens College where he earned a degree in communications and theater. He developed a passion for stand-up comedy while at Queens College and would periodically appear at open-mic nights. After college Jerry spent nearly 15 years grinding out a career as a stand-up comedian before hitting the television jackpot. He was a successful touring comic when in May 1981 he had an extremely successful appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. This appearance led to many more appearances on The Tonight Show and other late night programs like Late Night with David Letterman.
Creating "Seinfeld"
In 1989 Jerry teamed up Larry David, a one-time writer on SNL, to create a television pilot for NBC which they originally titled "The Seinfeld Chronicles". The re-named "Seinfeld" would eventually air 180 episodes over 9 seasons and today is considered one of the best shows of all time. It is also one of the successful shows in television syndication history, generating over $4 billion in revenue to date.
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Jerry's Seinfeld Salary
Jerry earned $20,000 per episode during the show's 5-episode first season, for a total of $100,000.
His per episode pay was doubled to $40,000 for the second and third seasons, for a total of $1.4 million.
For seasons 4, 5 and 6, a total of 70 episodes, Jerry earned $100,000 per episode. That equates to $7 million.
For seasons 7 and 8, a total of 46 episodes, Jerry's per episode salary was boosted to $500 thousand. That equates to $23 million.
For season 9 Jerry earned $1 million per episode, totalling $24 million for the season (which is the same as roughly $38 million after adjusting for inflation). He was the very first television actor to earn $1 million per episode. A record that was quickly broken when Tim Allen was paid $1.25 million the following year for his work on Home Improvement.
When you add it all up, Jerry earned roughly $60 million in salary alone from his show. Roughly the same as around $100 million after adjusting for inflation.
NBC was desperate to have Jerry come back for a 10th season. They reportedly offered him $5 million per episode to produce one more season. In other words, Jerry would have earned $110 million for the season. Had Jerry earned $5 million per episode it would still stand today as the highest per episode fee ever paid to a television actor, more than doubling the $1.8 million Charlie Sheen earned at the peak of Two and a Half Men in 2010.
Syndication Earnings
From the outset of Seinfeld, Jerry and Larry David each owned 7.5% of the show's backend equity points. At the peak of the show's success when Jerry and Larry were negotiating new deals with NBC, they were able to double their ownership stake to 15% each. When the show was first sold into syndication in 1998, it generated $1.7 billion in revenue. That left both Jerry and Larry with $255 million windfalls. As of this writing, Jerry and Larry have both earned at least $800 million off Seinfeld between salary, DVD, merchandise and syndication deals. Larry's net worth unfortunately was cut in half after he divorced Laurie Lennard in 2007.
When Seinfeld sold to Hulu for $180 million in 2015, Jerry and Larry each earned $27 million. In a given year, they earn $40-50 million from syndication sales and show royalties. Between June 2017 and June 2018, Jerry Seinfeld earned $60 million. Between June 2018 and 2019 he earned $40 million.
When Seinfeld sold to Netflix for $500 million in September 2019, both Larry and Jerry earned $75 million.
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Personal Life
Somewhat infamously, Jerry dated Shoshanna Lonstein for four years, starting when she was 17 and still in high school. He was 38. In 1998 Jerry met Jessica Sklar at a sports club a few months before she was set to marry a theater producer named Eric Nederlander. Three weeks after returning from her honeymoon, Sklar moved in with Jerry and broke up with her husband. The husband filed for divorce just four months after the wedding. Jerry and Jessica married a year later and have been together ever since. They have three children together.
Jerry Seinfeld Car Collection
Jerry is one of the largest private collectors of Porshes in the world. He owns a total of around 150 vehicles, of which roughly 45 are Porsches. For many years while living in Los Angeles to film Seinfeld, he kept his collection in a hangar at the Santa Monica airport. In 2002 he spent $1.4 million to acquire a property on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He proceeded to spend another $500 thousand constructing a garage that can house dozens of cars. Each car can be brought down to the ground level via custom-built car elevator. This facility has four separate storage areas, plus a modest living space, club room, office, and kitchen. Coolest of all may be the cameras outfitted throughout the complex that Seinfeld is said to be able to access via his smartphone at any time – the rich comedy superstar equivalent of breaking out your Hot Wheels and make sure they're all in proper shape.
Jerry Seinfeld's collection is notable not just for its size but for the rarity and historical significance of its contents. One of the crown jewels is the 1949 Porsche 356/2 Gmünd, chassis number 40 of the 52 built, valued for its originality and as a precursor to the 911. Another remarkable piece is the 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, famous for its association with James Dean and known as the "giant killer" on the race track
A significant addition is the 1964 Porsche 911, the first of its kind imported into the U.S. and originally Ferry Porsche's personal car. Seinfeld bought it for around $400,000 in 1996 and invested heavily in its restoration. The 1970 Porsche 908/03, a winner in multiple endurance races, is a treasured icon in his collection.
Other unique models include the 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS, known for its ducktail spoiler and driving perfection, and the 1957 Porsche 356 A Speedster, which Seinfeld sold at auction in 2016 for $682,000. The 1986 Porsche 959, a technological marvel of its time, was acquired by Seinfeld for approximately $700,000.
Seinfeld also owns a rare 2000 Porsche Carrera GT Prototype, a mechanical supercar, which he attempted to sell in 2016 for $1.5 million, and the 1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder, a light and powerful car celebrated for its racing successes.
Outside of Porshe, Jerry does own or has owned a number of interesting other marks. There's the 1964 Volkswagen Camper "EZ Camper" that he sold in 2016, a classic camper van that may have reminded him of his suburban upbringing. There's his 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Coupe, better known as one of the first cars driven onscreen by Agent 007. There is at least one automaker that has not earned the comedian's respect: Lexus. He's referred to Lexus as having "perfected the idea of a coffin on wheels," and has expressed disdain for everything from the brand's production line to its very logo.
The estimated total value of Seinfeld's car collection is staggering, ranging between $85-$100 million.
Real Estate
East Hampton: In 2000, Jerry and Jessica paid a total of $32 million over three transactions to put together a 12-acre oceanfront estate in East Hampton, New York. One of the sellers was Billy Joel. They reportedly then spent several million dollars on renovations that included building a large new house on the property and adding a private baseball diamond in the back of the property (Jerry is a massive Mets fan). The Hamptons property has a 22-car garage.
Manhattan: In 2005 the Seinfelds spent $4 million for a townhouse in New York City. Their main NYC home is the entire 19th-floor of a building overlooking Central Park. He reportedly spent so many years renovating that Upper West Side co-ops boards universally implemented new rules against extended renovations. They call it the "Seinfeld Law".
Telluride: In 2007, the couple spent $7.55 million to acquire a 27-acre estate in Telluride, Colorado. A year later they paid $2.3 million for a separate 17-acre adjacent property.
They listed the primary property for sale in 2011 for $18.3 million. They removed the listing for several years, re-listing in March 2021 for $14.95 million. At the same time they also listed the 17-acre adjacent property, which has a four-bedroom home, for $2.775 million.
In February 2022 the sold the primary 27-acre property for $14 million. Here's a video tour of that property:
Other: In 2007 Jerry spent $4.5 million on a warehouse in at the Santa Monica airport, apparently to house cars he still keeps on the West Coast.
In 2011 they bought a relatively-modest lake home in Vermont, near where Jessica grew up.
Yacht "MOKA"
In 2015 Jerry took ownership of a 138-foot yacht called "MOKA." The yacht can fit 12 guests in six cabins and nine crew in three cabins. It costs $1-2 million per year to operate. Jerry sold MOKA for an estimated $25 million in 2019. Here is MOKA pictured off the coast of Italy:
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