Considering he has had a career plagued by drug abuse and legal problems, it can be easy to forget that Artie Lange is a successful comedian who has gathered a significant amount in net worth in more than three decades since he began his career as a comedian.
The New Jersey-born comedian has made just as much money as he has seen the insides of rehab facilities and while that might come across as a surprise to casual followers of the comedian, it is not to his millions of fans who still watch him perform in various shows all over the country.
In this article, we discuss Artie Lange’s net worth, along with how he makes his money. Take a look.
What is Artie Lange’s Net Worth?
According to Celebrity NetWorth, the popular comedian has a net worth of $500,000, but other websites like Bankrate and Celebs Net Worth today, put his net worth at $10 million and $14 million respectively, but according to the comedian himself, his current net worth lies somewhere in the middle at $2 million.
It is a simultaneously impressive and depressive net worth for a man that has made more than $10 million in career earnings since he decided to take the ultimate risk of abandoning a $70, 000 per year job as a longshoreman to pursue a career in comedy, despite bombing in his first attempt four years before.
While it is without a doubt that the New Jerseyan comedian could have been worth a whole lot more but for his inability to walk a straight line, Artie Lange’s undeniable talent as a funny man has kept the lights on, with more than $2 million in net worth.
How Does He Make Money as a Comedian?
When he decided to quit a $70, 000 per year job for the uncertainty of comedy, many would have considered Artie Lange crazy and irresponsible but it is a move that has turned out to be highly rewarding, financially.
Of course, he had his fair share of struggles before he got his first paid gig as a comedian, earning $30 for a standup comedy gig at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. After the paid comedian door opened, other opportunities came in, including his first paid regular gig at Stand Up NY in Manhattan.
As Artie Lange’s career expanded beyond small comedy clubs, so did the opportunities through which he earned money. Outside of standup gigs which have remained a constant in his life, he has made money through TV shows and movies, radio shows, and podcasts.
TV Shows and Movies
The first TV show Artie Lange made money from was Mad TV, a sketch comedy series. He was selected as one of eight cast members of the show and made as much as $7,500 per episode, including a significant signing bonus. He appeared in a total of 41 episodes in two seasons of the show.
He followed up his first major TV show appearance with his first movie, What’s Your Sign? and he has appeared in more than 15 movies ever since, including popular titles like The Bachelor, Elf, and several others.
Other notable TV shows through which Artie Lange has made money and accrued his net worth are Rescue Me, Game Over, The Norm Show, and Crashing, where he plays a version of himself. On The Norm Show, he earned as much as $35,000 per episode.
Outside of salaries earned from appearing in shows and movies, he has also made more than $1 million from development deals with major Hollywood studios. He signed a $750,000 development deal with Fox in 1997 and a $350,000 deal with NBC.
Radio and Podcasts
Aside from income made through movies and TV shows, Artie Lange has also made money through his career in radio and podcasts.
His first radio show was The Howard Stern Show, which he was a part of from 2001 to 2008. Artie Lange reportedly earned as much as $450,000 per year, rising to as much as $700,000 in his last year on the show.
In podcasts, he has recorded and performed on podcasts like The Artie and Anthony Show, and his podcast, The Artie Quitter Podcast.
Other ways Artie Lange has made money and built his net worth is through books. He has written more than three books, all of which have made the New York Times Bestseller list, including his debut book, Too Fat to Fish.
