Jerry Seinfeld Is Officially (Finally?) a Billionaire
The '90s sitcom actor reaches new heights of wealth with a large portion of his income sourced from Seinfeld's syndication deals.
The popular '90s TV hit Seinfeld has officially earned Jerry Seinfeld the status of "billionaire." Co-created with Larry David, the show has seen success since its 1989-released pilot episode and proved to be a cornerstone of American television. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the hit sitcom and its series of syndication deals are what bolstered the actor's net worth, which amounts to more than $1 billion.
It's estimated that $465 million of Seinfeld's net worth comes from syndication deals from various local TV stations across the country. Netflix's deal to acquire the streaming rights to the show certainly didn't hurt, with the proceeds of that deal granting Seinfeld an additional $94 million. Bloomberg also notes that the actor has earned more than $100 million since the '80s from touring while representing the show. The real estate Seinfeld owns, including his Central Park West apartment and Hamptons home, is estimated to be worth around $40 million. These underliers of the actor's wealth don't even include the myriad of other assets he owns, including a vintage car collection.
So what's behind Seinfeld's success? According to Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, author of the book Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything, “It [the show] addresses the absurdity of everyday, modern life, which allows for this frequent feeling that one is in Seinfeld." Television, particularly American television, seems to do well when an audience can have a parasocial relationship with it. This can be true for other popular sitcoms, such as Friends, where one can imagine being a part of Rachel and Monica's roomate antics or witnessing Ross's string of failed relationships. Similarly, the sitcom has certainly gathered Friend's Jennifer Anistion a large amount of wealth and fame over the years, with the actress's net worth valued at $300 million. While it's a mere chunk of change in comparison to Seinfeld's net worth, it's safe to say that TV can easily make someone an insurmountable amount of money.
When Bloomberg reached out to Seinfeld's representative, Amy Jacobs, she deemed the wealth calculation "incorrect" but opted not to offer additional specifics.
