Here's Just How Much Money Jerry Seinfeld Has Made From 'Seinfeld' Success
According to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, Jerry Seinfeld’s earnings from Seinfeld have made him a billionaire. The classic sitcom, which began in 1989 and ran for nine seasons, has proven to be one of the most durable television shows in history. It continues to play in rerun blocks each night of the week on TBS, in addition to many local affiliates and an oft-advertised streaming home on Netflix.
Those myriad syndication deals have made Seinfeld, 69, about $465 million, according to Bloomberg. The Netflix deal earned him a further $94 million, for a total of $559 million after the fact. The tally didn't include his initial payment for the sitcom, which was enormous. According to Parade, Seinfeld made $500,000 per episode for the seventh and eighth seasons; and $1 million per episode for the final season.
His net worth, estimated to be slightly in excess of $1 billion, also includes substantial assets not related to his eponymous show. Those include an estimated $100 million he’s earned from touring since the 1980s; and roughly $40 million in real estate. Seinfeld’s notable car collection was not included in the estimate.
Seinfeld followed the comedian, playing a heightened version of himself, and his trio of narcissistic pals—frequent liar George (Jason Alexander), career-driven Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), and slacker Kramer (Michael Richards)—as they spread their petty grievances about Manhattan.
Seinfeld created the show with Larry David, who would later adapt the show’s format in an R-rated style for HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Seinfeld’s cast re-teamed for Curb’s seventh season to play themselves, as David attempts to rescue his on-screen marriage by mounting a televised reunion.
Seinfeld took several seasons to find its feet, but once it did, it spent the remainder of its run atop the Nielsen chart. A number of its plot points have made their way into the cultural lexicon, such as the phrase “yada yada,” and the concept of Festivus, the annual airing of grievances. The show went on to inspire a variety of “scheming pals” sitcoms, including How I Met Your Mother, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and perhaps most notably, Friends.
Late last year, Seinfeld teased a proper reunion that may amend the show’s controversial ending, in which the central foursome are sent to prison for their collective bad deeds.
“I have a little secret for you about the ending, but I can’t really tell it, because it is a secret,” Seinfeld told a Boston audience in October. “You can't tell anyone.
"Something is going to happen that has to do with that ending. It hasn’t happened yet. And just what you are thinking about, Larry and I have also been thinking about. So, you’ll see."