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David Letterman Net Worth

From his years working as a television host, comedian, writer, and producer, David Letterman has amassed a huge fortune to become an incredibly wealthy celebrity.

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David Letterman Net Worth
Net Worth:$400 Million
Age:78
Born:April 12, 1947
Gender:Male
Height:1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Country of Origin:United States of America
Source of Wealth:Professional Comedian/TV Host
Last Updated:Feb 28, 2026

Introduction

David Letterman is an American late-night television talk show host with an estimated net worth of $400 Million.

Netflix commissioned David to produce the series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman, which has proven extremely popular. He has also made some of the most successful prime-time TV comedies, including Everybody Loves Raymond and Ed.

 

Earnings History

YearEarnings
2012$45,000,000
2013$42,000,000
2014$45,000,000
2015$35,000,000
Total$167,000,000

In the first half of the 2010s, David Letterman was consistently ranked among the world’s highest-paid television hosts. At the time, Letterman was still under contract with CBS to host The Late Show, a position he’d held since the early 1990s. Between 2012 and 2014, Forbes estimated that Letterman typically earned between $42 million and $45 million per year, with nearly all of this amount attributable to his contract with CBS. 

In 2015, David Letterman’s annual income declined to an estimated $35 million. This was because he retired midyear, and Stephen Colbert succeeded him. Unfortunately, we have only estimates of his total income for the period 2012-2015, which total $167 million. However, as most people are aware, Letterman was among the highest-paid television hosts for decades. Later in this profile, we’ll discuss some of his individual contracts with CBS earlier in his career, but they won’t represent his total income from all of his endeavors.

 

Before Wealth & Fame

Growing up in Indianapolis, David Letterman’s father worked as a florist, and his mother was a church secretary for the Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis. David has two sisters, Gretchen Letterman and Janice Letterman.

During his childhood, Letterman’s father survived a heart attack. This affected David to the extent that he was always worried about losing his father as a child. Unfortunately, David’s father passed away due to a second heart attack in 1973 at the age of 57.

David attended Broad Ripple High School and worked as a stock boy at the local Atlas Supermarket. He wanted to attend Indiana University, but due to his poor grades, he had to attend Ball State University, graduating in 1969.

Letterman started his career as a newscaster at his college’s student-run radio station. It is now part of Indiana Public Radio. He was always willing to work hard and take the lead, so he founded WCRD 91.3, a campus radio station.

 

Career 

With his degree in telecommunications, David first tried out television as a weatherman in Indianapolis before moving to Los Angeles, where he performed as a stand-up comedian at the Comedy Store. 

In 1978, he made his first appearance on The Tonight Show, which starred Johnny Carson. Due to David’s visibility, he won himself a mid-morning show called The David Letterman Show, which was canceled after only three months despite receiving two Emmy Awards.

David developed a following after moving to late-night television with the show Late Night with David Letterman. This was a huge hit with nighttime viewers and featured in the top 10 list, receiving 5 Emmy Awards and 35 nominations.

After Carson retired in 1992, David announced that he was leaving NBC to join CBS, as he felt that his prospects would be better there… and he was right. His new show, The Late Show with David Letterman, quickly drew in more viewers than The Tonight Show.

In January 2000, David had emergency quintuple heart bypass surgery. After his recovery, the first episode ended up being the show’s highest-rated episode.

In 2014, after 32 years of success, David announced his retirement from The Late Show, hosting the final episode on May 20, 2015. Since announcing his retirement, David has avoided public appearances, but in 2016, he was a celebrity correspondent for the documentary series Years of Living Dangerously.

In 2018, David returned to television as the host of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.” You can check out his official Instagram account to learn more about the show, which is currently being aired on Netflix. Behind the scenes, David founded and ran his own production company, Worldwide Pants.

 

More TV Personalities:

 

Personal Life

In 1968, David married his college sweetheart, Michelle Cook, but divorced soon after in October 1977. He started dating Regina Lasko in 1986, and the couple had a son together, Harry Joseph Letterman, on November 3, 2003.

There was an incident in 2005, where police discovered a plot by Kelly Frank, the house painter, who wanted to kidnap David’s son and demand a $5 million ransom.

David and Lasko were married on the 19th of March 2009. They are still married despite the numerous affairs that David revealed on his show. A blackmailer attempted to reveal his affairs with multiple of his female employees, which caused CBS News to conduct an in-depth investigation of David.

David had a stalker, Margaret Mary Ray, who in May 1988 stole his Porsche, camped on his tennis court, and broke into his house multiple times. She was a diagnosed schizophrenic who died by suicide at the age of 46 in October 1998.

Another unhinged person took out a restraining order against Letterman as she claimed he was sending her coded messages via his television program. This apparently caused her bankruptcy and severe emotional distress.

 

Car Collection

It has been reported that his car collection consists of 10 Ferraris, 8 Porsches, 4 Austin-Healeys, 2 Honda motorbikes, a Chevy pickup truck, and one car from each of the following automakers: Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, MG, Volvo, and Pontiac.

 

Real Estate

In October 1994, David Letterman paid $5 million for a 7,816-square-foot home on an 88-acre plot in North Salem, New York. He then spent an additional $5 million for 20 acres of land adjacent to the property, bringing the total to 108 acres. As far as we’re aware, Letterman still owns the property, but little else is known about it. 

 

Philanthropy

Letterman supports many causes, donating large amounts of money to various charities. He donated nearly $600,000 to Habitat for Humanity and $10,000 to cancer research. He founded the American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming in 1993, which has distributed over $1.2 million.

 

Summary 

David Letterman has had a rollercoaster of a career and life. This has impacted his performances, drawing on his many and varied experiences. Through the rough patches that come with fame, David stood strong, holding his head high and charging straight on.

David has created the perfect life for himself, creating the career he has always wanted along the way. With his new show airing on Netflix, David’s net worth is definitely increasing by the minute.

John is a professional accountant with a passion for writing. When not helping clients identify tax and financial opportunities, you can find him writing, sailing offshore, or flying a plane. He’s worked and partied with the rich and famous from around the world, getting an inside look at the secretive lifestyles of high-net-worth celebrities.

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Danielle Steel Net Worth

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Danielle Steel Net Worth Profile
Net Worth:$600 Million
Age:78
Born:August 14, 1947
Gender:Female
Height:1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)
Country of Origin:United States of America
Source of Wealth:Professional Author
Last Updated:Feb 28, 2026

Introduction

Danielle Steel is an American professional writer with an estimated net worth of $600 Million. 

 

Quick Facts

  • Earned an estimated $201 million between 2010 and 2018
  • Peak annual income of $35 million in 2011
  • A former bookkeeper allegedly stole $2.7 million from her in 2009
  • 67th richest self-made woman in America

 

Net Worth History

YearNet Worth
2016$310 Million
2017$330 Million
2018$350 Million
2019$375 Million
2020$385 Million
2021$390 Million
2022$410 Million
2023$420 Million
2024$500 Million
2025$520 Million

Although not a billionaire, Forbes has been tracking Danielle Steel’s net worth for over a decade because she is a member of America’s Richest Self-Made Women. In 2016, she had an estimated net worth of $310 million, and for the next several years, this figure grew by $10-20 million annually. In 2024, her net worth jumped from $420 million to $500 million, and at the time of writing, she’s ranked as the 67th richest self-made woman in America, with an estimated net worth of $600 Million.

 

Earnings History

YearEarnings
2010$32,000,000
2011$35,000,000
2012$23,000,000
2013$26,000,000
2014$22,000,000
2015$25,000,000
2016$15,000,000
2017$11,000,000
2018$12,000,000
Total$201,000,000

According to reports, between 2010 and 2018, Danielle Steel earned approximately $201 million from all endeavors. She often earned substantial annual sums from book advances, film and TV rights, and royalties. This included estimated earnings of $32 million in 2010 and $35 million in 2011, which were her highest-earning years of the decade. During the 2010s, Steel’s earnings gradually declined, dropping to between $22 million and $26 million in the mid-2010s and to $12 million by 2018. 

 

Legal Issues & Lawsuits

In 1993, Steel filed a lawsuit against author Lorenzo Bene, who was going to disclose that her son had been adopted by her husband at the time, John Traina. California law states that adoption records must remain sealed to protect adoptive families and can only be opened under very special circumstances. Generally, the records can be disclosed for medical purposes or with the consent of the adopted child once they reach adulthood. Steel believed that if her son’s adoption went public, it would violate her family’s privacy.

Despite her arguments, the state supreme court ruled in favor of opening the adoption record, which was highly unusual given that her son was still a minor at the time. Controversially, the court decided that, because of Steel’s public profile, privacy standards didn’t apply to her and therefore agreed that the records could be opened.

 

Theft By Former Assistant

In 2009, Steel was the victim of theft after her bookkeeper stole approximately $2.7 million from her. Kirsty Watts had worked for Steel for 15 years when, in November 2008, Steel discovered irregularities in the way Watts had handled credit cards and subsequently terminated her employment. An investigation later revealed that Watts had stolen the money by writing herself cheques and paying herself bonuses. She also used Steel’s credit card reward points to buy flights and gift cards for her family.

Watts was sentenced to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to stealing over several years and agreed to surrender her assets to help repay the money. So far, she has returned the majority of what she stole, mainly through the sale of her home, its contents, and her family’s vehicles.

 

Real Estate

Danielle Steel and her husband, Thomas Perkins, own the Spreckles Estate in San Francisco, California. The property has a significant history. It was initially split into four units before Steel acquired it and began her restoration efforts. She also reportedly purchased approximately 25 parking permits for guests in the adjoining streets.

While we don’t know precisely how much Steel paid for the home, recent estimations place its current valuation at roughly $19.2 million. Public records show that the annual property taxes range from $130,000 to $140,000. Over at least twenty-five years of ownership, the couple is estimated to have spent at least $2.5 million on property taxes alone. 

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Actors

Tom Hanks Net Worth

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Tom Hanks Net Worth Profile
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Introduction

Tom Hanks is an American professional actor with an estimated net worth of $400 Million.

Hanks has starred in almost a hundred movies during his forty-year career. While he can easily command between $20 and $25 million per movie today, once upon a time, he earned just $800 for his role in the 1980 film He Knows You’re Alone.

One of Hanks’ highest-grossing movies was Forrest Gump, which earned him an estimated $70 million after he forwent his salary in exchange for backend points. His other significant paydays include $68 million for The Da Vinci Trilogy, $40 million for Saving Private Ryan, and $20 million for Cast Away.

 

Quick Facts

  • Earned more than $411 million from twenty-one films
  • Rejected a $7 million salary for Forrest Gump in exchange for backend points

 

Net Worth History

Tom Hanks’ net worth is largely due to earning over $200 million in salary in the 90’s. That money has had almost three decades of compound growth. When we first researched his net worth in 2020, it was estimated to be $400 million. Since then, he’s likely seen compound growth from investments, in addition to earnings from Finch, Elvis, Pinocchio, and A Man Called Otto, to name a few.

In 2025, Tom Hanks’ net worth is estimated to be $400 Million.

 

Film Salaries

YearProjectSalary
1980He Knows You're Alone$800
1984Splash$70,000
1988Punchline$5,000,000
1988Big$1,800,000
1989The 'Burbs$3,500,000
1990The Bonfire of the Vanities$5,000,000
1994Forrest Gump$70,000,000
1995Toy Story$50,000
1998You've Got Mail$20,000,000
1998Saving Private Ryan$40,000,000
1999Toy Story 2$5,000,000
1999The Green Mile$20,000,000
2000Cast Away$20,000,000
2004Polar Express$100,000,000
2006The Da Vinci Code$18,000,000
2009Angels & Demons$25,000,000
2010Toy Story 3$15,000,000
2013Captain Phillips$15,000,000
2016Inferno$25,000,000
2018Toy Story 4$15,000,000
2022Elvis$8,000,000
Total Calculated Earnings:$411,420,800

Tom Hanks’ first publicly recorded acting salary was $800 in 1980 for He Knows You’re Alone. Eight years later, he was earning multiple 7-figures for performances in films such as Punchline ($5 million), Big ($1.8 million), and The ‘Burbs ($3.5 million).

 

Forrest Gump Earnings

Hanks was initially offered $7 million to star in Forrest Gump, unarguably the most iconic movie of his career. However, the movie’s production was struggling with a budget of only $50 million and was on the verge of being shut down. Hanks agreed to a deal in which he exchanged his upfront salary for a share of the box office revenue. Due to the film’s success, Hanks was compensated with an estimated $70 million, ten times his original salary.

 

The Da Vinci Trilogy

In 2006, Hanks earned $18 million for The Da Vinci Code, which remains his third-highest-grossing film of all time, with a worldwide total of $760 million. The original’s success paved the way for two further movies, Angels & Demons and Inferno. Hanks earned $25 million each for the second and third films in the series, totaling $68 million in salary for the trilogy.

 

Toy Story Salary

Hanks earned just $50,000 for voicing Woody in the original 1995 Toy Story film. The movie’s success tripled the budget for the second installment, from $30 million to $90 million. As a result, Hanks was paid $5 million in 1999 for Toy Story 2. For Toy Story 3 and 4, the budget was $200 million, and Hanks’ salary increased to $15 million per installment.

 

Highest-Grossing Movies

Hanks’ highest-grossing films primarily comprise the Toy Story franchise. Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 both grossed $1.07 billion at the box office, with a production budget of $200 million. Toy Story 2 grossed $497 million worldwide, compared with $90 million for the 1995 Toy Story, which took in $394 million. The original film had a much smaller budget of $30 million, making it the best-performing in terms of ROI.

The Da Vinci Code (2006) was Hanks’ third-highest-grossing movie, at $760 million. Forrest Gump came in fourth, grossing $678 million on a production budget of just $55 million. Other films to make the list include Angels & Demons ($486 million), Saving Private Ryan ($482 million), and Cast Away ($430 million).

Several films in Hanks’ career performed incredibly well at the box office but didn’t make the top ten. However, they are worth mentioning. Big (1988) grossed $152 million worldwide on a budget of just $18 million. Sleepless in Seattle (1993) grossed $228 million on a $21 million budget.

Here’s the complete list of Tom Hanks’ ten highest-grossing movies:

  1. Toy Story 4 – $1.07 billion (2019)
  2. Toy Story 3 – $1.07 billion (2010)
  3. The Da Vinci Code – $760 million (2006)
  4. Forrest Gump – $678 million (1994)
  5. Toy Story 2 – $497 million (1999)
  6. Angels & Demons – $486 million (2009)
  7. Saving Private Ryan – $482 million (1998)
  8. Cars – $462 million (2006)
  9. Cast Away – $430 million (2000)
  10. Toy Story – $394 million (1995)
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Boxers

Terence Crawford Net Worth

Terence Crawford won multiple world championship boxing titles, amassing a fortune from his exceptional talent.

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Terence Crawford Net Worth Profile
Net Worth:$8 Million
Age:38
Born:September 28, 1987
Gender:Male
Height:1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Country of Origin:United States of America
Source of Wealth:Professional Boxer
Last Updated:Feb 28, 2026

Introduction

Terence Crawford is an American former professional boxer with an estimated net worth of $8 Million.

 

Net Worth History

When we first started tracking Terrence Crawford’s net worth in 2023, he was estimated to be worth $8 million. However, this estimate was made before his last three fights with Errol Spence, Israil Madrimov, and Canelo, which earned him at least $37.5 million in total. His actual earnings, in all likelihood, were much higher than this. As a result, recent estimates place Crawford’s net worth at approximately $8 Million at the time of writing.

 

Fight Purses

Fight DateOpponentPurse
Jun 28, 2014Yuriorkis Gamboa$521,932
Nov 30, 2014Ray Beltran$800,000
Oct 24, 2015Dierry Jean$1,226,824
Feb 27, 2016Hank Lundy$1,200,000
Jul 23, 2016Viktor Postol$1,300,000
Dec 10, 2016John Molina Jr.$1,504,955
May 20, 2017Felix Diaz$1,650,000
Aug 19, 2017Julius Indongo$2,000,000
Jun 9, 2018Jeff Horn$3,000,000
Oct 13, 2018Jose Benevidez Jr$3,625,000
Apr 20, 2019Egidijus Kavaliauskas$4,000,000
Dec 14, 2019Amir Khan$5,500,000
Nov 14, 2020Kell Brook$3,500,000
Nov 20, 2021Shawn Porter$6,000,000
Dec 10, 2022David Avanesyan$5,000,000
Jul 29, 2023Errol Spence Jr.$25,000,000
Aug 3, 2024Israil Madrimov$2,500,000
Sep 13, 2025Canelo Alvarez$10,000,000
Total Earnings:$78,328,711

In a previous interview, which we’ll discuss shortly, Terence Crawford recounted his fight purses from the earliest years of his career. Crawford earned just $600 for his first professional boxing bout, which was actually less than he earned as an amateur. He also mentioned that it took him roughly twelve fights before he began earning $2,500 per fight. In other words, Bud’s first twelve pro bouts potentially earned him less than $20,000. 

 

Top Rank Contract & Earnings

In the early 2010s, Bud Crawford signed a contract with the boxing promotion, Top Rank. Thanks to a 2019 lawsuit, we can see how much he earned from several of his fights under the promotion. The first of which was a $500,000 base purse for defending the WBO World Lightweight title against Yuriorkis Gamboa in June 2014. He also received an additional $21,931.60 from a share of the ticket sales. Later that year, he earned $800,000 for defending the title against Ray Beltran. 

In October 2015, Crawford earned a total purse of $1,226,824 from his fight against Dierry Jean. The following year, he fought three times, all under the Top Rank promotion, earning $1.2 million against Hank Lundy, $1.3 million against Viktor Postol, and finally, just over $1.5 million against John Molina Jr. The last two fight purses disclosed in the lawsuit were $1.65 million against Felix Diaz in May 2017 and $2 million against Julius Indongo in August 2017. 

 

Peak Career Fight Purses

Following on from the above, Crawford began earning significantly more money per fight. This includes guaranteed purses of $3.625 million against Jose Benevidez Jr. and $4 million against Egidijus Kavaliauskas from the promoter. From then on, Crawford typically earned at least $3.5 million per fight, with notable paydays of $5.5 million (base purse) in his 2019 bout with Amir Khan, and $6 million against Shawn Porter (2021).

The highest-disclosed purse of Bud Crawford’s career was his 2023 fight against Errol Spence Jr., in which he earned a total of $25 million. Technically, other fights could have earned him more, but this was his highest known purse.

As for his shocking upset decision win over Canelo Alvarez in September 2025, reports suggest Terrence earned a base purse of $10 million. His total earnings from the fight were never publicly disclosed, though some suggest it could have been as much as $30 million. Still, nothing has been confirmed, so we’ve only listed his base purse in our calculations.

 

How Crawford Spent His First $1 Million

In July 2023, Terence Crawford was interviewed by GQ for its My First Million series, which has previously featured numerous professional athletes. Some of the other fighters to be interviewed for the series include Canelo, Israel Adesanya, and Kamaru Usman. In the series, athletes describe how they spent their first million dollars; however, note that the term is used loosely. Some discuss their first $1 million in expenditures, which could have been spread over a long period. Others outline how they spent their first $1 million in earnings.

In Terence Crawford’s case, he appears to be talking about how he spent his earnings from 2015 and 2016, when he began earning more than $1 million per fight. With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of how Bud Crawford spent his first million dollars:

  • Sister’s house – $260,000
  • Second sister’s house – $250,000
  • Four-bedroom home – $150,000
  • Gym building – $100,000
  • GMC Denali – $85,000
  • Pickup truck – $80,000
  • Grandma’s house – $80,000

Expenses Summary

Analyzing the above expenses, Crawford spent 84% ($840,000) of his first million dollars on real estate, of which $590,000 went toward his family’s homes. He bought each of his sisters a house and spent roughly $80,000 to help his Grandma remodel her home. Crawford then spent $150,000 on his home in Nebraska and $100,000 to buy the building that housed his gym. Terence and his team had initially been renting half the building, but when the landlord died, his wife sold the building to Crawford. This is currently the home of his B&B non-profit organization.

Lastly, Crawford spent the remaining 16% of the $1 million ($165,000) on two vehicles. This is a rather admirable account of his expenditure, as he didn’t start dropping tens of thousands of dollars on jewelry like most athletes. There’s no mention of his investments outside of real estate, but hopefully, they were just too boring for the video.

 

Legal Issues & Controversy

Crawford has been involved in several controversies during his career, including in 2016, when he was arrested in Omaha, Nebraska, for disorderly conduct and trespassing. However, the charges were later dropped, and in 2020, a public altercation occurred between Crawford and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum. Crawford felt disrespected by the lack of promotion for his fight, but the situation was later resolved.

Crawford is also known for his trash-talking and charismatic personality, which have helped build his reputation as one of boxing’s biggest stars today. He is recognized for his philanthropy and charitable work, including numerous initiatives that support underprivileged children and young athletes in his hometown of Omaha.

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