How Much Does Jerry Seinfeld Make In Royalties?
instagram )
Jerry Seinfeld makes $50 million in royalties from his TV show Seinfeld every year. Seinfeld made $1 million per episode from the show when he was at the peak of his career.
Seinfeld gained widespread recognition for portraying a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the popular sitcom Seinfeld, which aired from 1989 to 1998.
Created and written by Seinfeld and Larry David, the sitcom is one of the most successful prime-time television shows in history.
Its enduring popularity over the past decades has solidified its place in television history and pop culture. Countless new fans continue to discover and enjoy it to this day.
Currently, Netflix holds the global streaming rights to Seinfeld as a part of a deal with Sony Pictures Television.
The streaming service offers all 180 episodes of the sitcom in the US and to its millions of subscribers worldwide, thanks to a five-year pact that took effect in 2021.
With that said, the cast members of Seinfeld earned substantial amounts of money, particularly Jerry, given his role as the lead character in the show.
How Much Does Jerry Seinfeld Make In Royalties?
Jerry Seinfeld makes up to $60 million in royalties per year from his show Seinfeld. Jerry has earned around $800 million from the show since 1998.
The show stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself alongside Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards, portraying his three best friends.
He and Larry co-created and co-wrote the program together, so the pair earn the largest stake of proceeds every time the sitcom has reruns.
According to the LA Times, Netflix’s acquisition of Seinfeld cost more than the $425 million WarnerMedia paid for Friends and the $500 million NBCUniversal paid for The Office.
However, the exact valuation remains undisclosed.
Jerry received $100-200 million from the deal, which is significantly higher than what he received when the streaming rights were acquired by Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
instagram )
In 2015, when the show was sold to Hulu for $180 million, he earned $27 million. Additionally, in subsequent years, he consistently received $40-50 million from royalties and syndication sales.
Residuals are calculated using formulas that consider factors like production agreement, production type, show duration, and the market of its distribution.
The show’s success directly impacts the earnings of its affiliated members, resulting in higher returns for them.
For instance, the actors from the comedy sitcom “The Office” earn between $1 million to $20 million annually in royalties.
Likewise, “Friends” cast members make nearly $20 million from syndicated reruns each year.
instagram )
Seinfeld and David each initially retained 7.5% of the program’s backend points. As the sitcom’s success grew, they negotiated a substantial increase to 15% individually.
In 1998, an earlier syndication deal valued at $1.7 billion was made, and Jerry received a significant share of $255 million upfront.
While the specific details of deals before and after this transaction remain undisclosed, it is estimated that the show generated around $3 billion in syndication revenue between 1995 and 2015.
Taking into account syndication royalties, merchandise sales, and DVD revenues, Seinfeld has amassed approximately $800 million since 1998 from the show.
How Much Does Seinfeld Cast Make On Reruns?
The Seinfeld cast upto $400 million on reruns with earnings varying among the actors. Jerry’s fortune has to be the biggest out of anyone on the show.
The creators of the show, Jerry and David, each make $400 million per syndication cycle.
When it comes to payouts to the cast, the lion’s share of royalties goes to the duo, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, as they have ownership stakes in the show.
In contrast, fellow stars Michael Richards, Jason Alexander, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus do not own a stake in the show.
At one point, the other cast members of Seinfeld were earning $1 million per episode, but unfortunately, they missed out on more lucrative deals after unsuccessful negotiations.
Today, the Seinfeld cast receives industry-standard pay for syndication, which pales in comparison to the substantial earnings of Seinfeld and David.
This contrasts sharply with the cast of Friends, who skillfully negotiated a share of the show’s profits, resulting in millions of dollars in earnings from reruns.
twitter )
Michael, Jason, and Julia’s returns are based on the typical SAG-AFTRA pay scale for residuals. According to the International Business Times, they also get a cut of DVD sales.
The trio was not granted any share of the show’s overall royalties.
During the show’s final run, the cast members took a strong stance at the negotiation table, asserting to Warren Littlefield, the NBC Entertainment chief, that they deserved $1 million per episode.
Fortunately, their appeal was successful, and as a result, Michael, Jason, and Julia saw their salaries increase significantly from $600,000 to $1 million per episode for the final season.
Before earning $600,000 per episode, they were making $160,000 per episode.
However, despite their successful salary negotiation, Michael, Jason, and Julia were unable to secure a share of the show’s royalties.
Consequently, their earnings will be limited to residuals based on the SAG-AFTRA pay scale and a portion of the proceeds from DVD sales.
Jerry Seinfeld Net Worth 2023
Jerry Seinfeld net worth stands at $950 million in 2023. The majority of his fortune comes from his successful career in acting, comedy, and producing.
The actor amassed a substantial amount of wealth, thanks to the show “Seinfeld” which has proven to be among the most profitable show in television history, considering the syndication royalties.
He holds 15% of the sitcom’s backend equity points.
Not only did he earn much fortune from his base salary during the show’s run, but he also saw his earnings multiply exponentially after the show’s conclusion, thanks to global syndication sales.
instagram )
He has generated millions in syndication revenues, including over $500 million Netflix paid to acquire digital rights for five years in September 2019.
The comedian personally receives $20-50 million in a given year, depending on if he is touring or not.
He earns around $20 million from a national tour. In 2020, Netflix paid him $20 million to gain exclusive rights to his special “23 Hours to Kill.”
Between June 2019 and June 2020, the actor earned an impressive $50 million, thanks to Netflix deals and touring.
How Many Cars Does Jerry Seinfeld Have?
Jerry Seinfeld has a collection of 150 cars. The collection is valued at over $150 million.
His car collection is so imposing that it has been featured in magazines and the actor has his very own television show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
An avid car collector, Seinfeld keeps his cars in a huge $1.4 million-dollar underground garage in Manhattan.
He collects all kinds of automobiles from brand new cars to limited edition rides, and vintage classic cars that are a rare sight today.
instagram )
Out of more than 150 cars in the actor’s collection, these are some of the exquisite machines which mean the most to him:
- 1963 Split Window Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
- 2004 Porsche Carrera GT
- 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo S “Flachbau”
- 1970 Porsche 911S
- 1969 Jaguar XKE Series 2 E-Type
- 1969 Lamborghini Miura
- 1949 Porsche 356 “Gmünd”
- 1964 Volkswagen Camper “EZ Camper”