Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is now worth more than $1 billion, thanks in large part to streaming and syndication deals for his eponymous sitcom “about nothing.”
Mr. Seinfeld, placed on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index for the first time, made $465 million from syndication of his eponymous show, along with $94 million from streaming deals with Netflix, $100 million from touring and $40 million in real estate, according to Bloomberg.
Both Mr. Seinfeld and the show’s co-creator, Larry David, own a 15% stake in the rights to “Seinfeld,” according to CelebrityNetWorth.com.
From 1998 to 2013 alone, “Seinfeld” reruns raked in about $3.1 billion, according to the Financial Times.
The terms of a 2019 deal Netflix made to stream the show’s catalog were not disclosed, but the streaming giant paid “far more than” $500 million, people familiar with the agreement told the Los Angeles Times at the time.
Years after the deal, viewers still flock to the reruns on Netflix. The third through eighth seasons of “Seinfeld” all ranked in Netflix’s top 500 shows by viewership from January to June 2023, according to Bloomberg.
In addition to syndication revenue, Mr. Seinfeld’s other projects, such as his 2020 special, “23 Hours to Kill,” and shows like “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” also pumped up his fortune.
The collection of vintage cars featured on “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” was not factored into Bloomberg’s calculations, but CelebrityNetWorth estimates the collection is worth more than $50 million.
A representative of Mr. Seinfeld, Amy Jacobs, told Bloomberg on Friday that the calculation of his wealth was “inaccurate” but did not elaborate.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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