The entertainment industry, though appealing, can be ruthless and gruesome, leaving many in financial ruin. It is a story many live every year. But even though Bobby Lee has lived his share of this timeless tale, he has come out of the other side with an impressive net worth. The San-Diego born comedian has amassed a substantial net worth, through a range of career moves that range from stand-up to acting and podcasting. And along with his relationship with Khalyla Kuhn, the comedian has become an all-round success.
Bobby Lee Has a $1 Million Net Worth
Bobby Lee’s decision to pursue a career in comedy was met with derision by his parents. According to him, their intention was for him to run the family’s clothing business. This skepticism was in part down to the low odds of being a successful comedian, especially as an Asian man in America. In the early days of his career, this difficulty manifested, and the comedian deferred to working in cafes and restaurants to make ends meet. All of this happened in the mid-90s when the comedian began his journey.
Today, Bobby Lee’s perseverance and talent have paid off, and he has accrued a personal net worth of $1 million. The actor/comedian has made his money primarily from stand-up comedy, podcasting/YouTube, and acting.
His First Notable Source of Income was Stand-Up
Bobby Lee began his comedy career in 1994 at the La Jolla Comedy Store. At first, he did other jobs at the store before he eventually kicked off his stand-up comedy career. Within a year of performing at the club, Bobby Lee received his first significant income, as an opening act for Pauly Shore and Carlos Mencia.
As the years passed, Bobby Lee became a regular fixture in the stand-up circuit and was a regular act at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Soon enough, Bobby Lee expanded his creativity and income source beyond stand up and into acting.
Bobby Lee has Appeared in More than 70 Movies and TV Shows
Bobby Lee’s first acting role was in 1999, as an extra in The Underground Comedy Movie. He got his first named character role in 2001, in the TV movie, Unreal TV. His progress continued with roles in Pauly Shore Is Dead, American Misfits, and Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies. At the early stages of his acting career, he joined MADtv, as the only Asian cast member of the sketch comedy show.
As an actor, Bobby appeared in the 2005 comedy show titled Kims of Comedy show along with Steve Byme, Ken Jeong, and Kevin Shea. He also appeared in two other movies, Mind of Mencia and Curb Your Enthusiasm the same year. The actor also featured in other notable films such as The League in 2009, Hard Breakers in 2010, The Dictator in 2012, Laid in America in 2016, and more. He starred in the music video for Eminem’s song titled We Made You in 2009.
His exact earnings across each role in TV or Film is unknown. But since Bobby Lee made his debut in 1999, he has appeared in more than 70 movies and TV shows, which in no doubt, has contributed substantially to his $1 million net worth.
Lee Hosts Two Podcasts
Lastly, and perhaps the biggest contributor to Bobby Lee’s net worth is his podcast success. He began hosting the video podcast, TigerBelly, with his partner, Khalyla Kuhn, in 2016. The podcast covers a range of issues, from sexuality, ethnicity to politics and racism.
Since its creation in 2016, the show has gotten more than 74 million views with more than 420 thousand subscribers. According to SocialBlade, the channel has an average monthly earning of $10,000 and yearly revenue of $129,000.
Beyond the podcast’s YouTube income, he also makes money through direct advertising with various companies, such as HIMS, Caliper CBD, and Blue Apron. While TigerBelly is his primary podcast, Bobby Lee also hosts a podcast, Bad Friends, with Andrew Santino, launched in 2020.
With a $1 million net worth, Bobby Lee exists in a higher financial bracket than most Americans. However, while this allows him to enjoy a bit of luxury, the actor/comedian keeps a low financial profile, and there are limited documented details about his spending habit.
Bobby Lee’s Relationship with Khalyla Kuhn is Complicated
Just like his successful career, Bobby Lee is also successful in his love life. He has been in a relationship with his long-time sweetheart named Khalyla Kuhn. The two of them met in 2013 via the popular dating app, Tinder. They began dating shortly after, and have been a couple since.
Although there are reports that suggest that Bobby Lee and Khalya Kuhn got married in a New York church in August 2016, no concrete evidence has backed the claim. There are also reports that the couple is in a polyamorous relationship with a third party. Like the marriage claim, details remain fuzzy.
What is certain, however, is that the two of them have been together for more than six years, have no children, and have a successful podcast together. While they don’t have a child, they have a dog named Gobitron.
Khalyla Kuhn is a former Nurse
Aside from being the popular partner of the comedian, Khalya Kuhn was a nurse. She reportedly spent a significant part of her childhood in the Philippines, where she lived in affluence. However, for reasons that remain unknown, Kuhn, along with her mother, who raised her alone, relocated to the US.
In the US, Khalya Kuhn studied biochemistry at a yet to be known university, and before she became a media personality, she worked as a private teacher and a nurse. As a private tutor, she taught anatomy, physiology, and microbiology.
As the story goes, Khalya was a nurse when she met Bobby Lee. A few years after, she developed heart problems, which kept her in the hospital for several weeks. Following her recovery, nursing became too stressful a job for her health. To keep busy, she started a podcast, and the rest, as they say, has been history.
Kuhn has been involved in a few Controversies
Since TigerBelly came alive, Khalya Kuhn as been part of a few controversies. One of them is the nature of her relationship with Bobby Lee. Although both of them are publicly committed to each other, according to her, there is a third partner in the relationship. Their polyamory arrangement has been a source of debate among fans of their show and the comedian.
Another notable controversy was a tongue-in-cheek comment during an episode of TigerBelly. During episode 37 of the show, Khalya said she was only with Bobby Lee for the money. The clip of the comment went viral and drew accusations of being a gold digger from fans of the comedian. However, she acknowledged it was a joke taken out of context.
Perhaps the most significant controversy Khalyla Kuhn has been involved in was in 2016. During an episode of their show, the notable actress, Margaret Cho, discussed an email exchange with Tilda Swinton, over her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Doctor Strange. The episode was reported in several media outlets. It is the only ‘positive’ controversy for Khalya Kuhn and her show thus far.
