Net Worth

Bill Maher Net Worth: What Is Bill Maher’s Annual Salary?

Lakshmi

Updated on:

bill maher net worth

Bill Maher Net Worth- Bill Maher is a $140 million net worth American comedian, actor, and television host. A significant portion of his current net worth can be attributed to a prudent investment in the New York Mets made in 2012. More on this investment will be provided later in the article. Bill earns $10 million per year. He is best recognized for his political satire, comedy, and sociopolitical commentary, which he expresses frequently on his HBO talk show “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

Childhood

William Maher was born on January 20, 1956, in New York City. William, his father, was a network news editor and radio announcer, and Julie, his mother, was a nurse. He grew up in River Vale, New Jersey, with his sister, and graduated from Pascack Hills High School in 1974. He continued his studies at Cornell University, where he majored in both English and history.

Maher began his career as a comedian and actor after graduating from college in 1978. He hosted the Catch a Rising Star comedy club in New York City in 1979. He began appearing on shows like “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” and David Letterman’s “Late Show” a few years later, in 1982.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bill Maher (@billmaher)

Personal Details

Maher is not married. He began a 17-month romance with former Playboy Cyber Girl Coco Johnsen in 2003. Following the breakup, Johnsen sued Maher for $9 million, citing “pain and suffering” and claiming that he had pledged to marry her. In May 2005, the complaint was dismissed. Best-selling novelist and former model Karrine Steffans, science educator and journalist Cara Santa Maria, and singer Anjulie Persaud are among the women he has been romantically linked to.

He is on the boards of several organizations, including Project Reason, which supports science and secular ideals, and NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). He has also served on the PETA board of directors since 1997.

Career

Maher made his feature film debut in 1983 with “D.C. Cab.” Beginning in the mid-1980s, he began starring in minor roles in several television episodes, including the sitcom “Sara” (1985), “Max Headroom” (1987), “And murder, She Wrote” (1989, 1990), and “Charlie Hoover” (1991). (1991). During this time, he also appeared in “Ratboy” (1986), “House II: The Second Story” (1987), “Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death” (1988), “Newhart” (1988), and “Pizza Man” (1991). In 1990, he also hosted the CBS chat show “Midnight Hour.”

Maher rose to prominence as the host of the late-night political talk show “Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher,” which aired on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997 and then on ABC from 1997 to 2002. The show’s customary format began with a topical monologue by Maher, followed by the introduction of guests. Guests typically came from a wide range of backgrounds, including show business, popular culture, political pundits, political consultants, authors, and the rare news figure.

The guests (and, on occasion, Maher himself) would then engage in relevant conversations. During its run, “Politically Incorrect” was extremely successful and received several honors. Emmy Awards for Outstanding Technical Direction, two CableACE Awards for Best Talk Show Series, and a Genesis Award for Best Television Talk Show are among them.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bill Maher (@billmaher)

Furthermore, Maher was nominated for 10 Emmys, two TV Guide nominations, and two Writers Guild nominations for his efforts on the show, including hosting, writing and producing.

Following some controversial comments made by Maher six days after the September 11, 2001 attacks, “Politically Correct” lost a considerable amount of cash when corporations such as FedEx and Sears Roebuck dropped their commercials. As a result, ABC decided not to renew his show contract. The show was eventually terminated on June 16, 2002.

Maher took over as host, co-producer, and co-writer of the new HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher” in 2003. The 18th season of the show premiered on January 19, 2020.

It has a similar format to “Politically Incorrect,” except it includes fewer celebrities and more specialists on current events, such as journalists, professors, and politicians. “Real-Time” has also been a huge success, as evidenced by its longevity. It has also received over ten Primetime Emmy nominations and six Writers Guild nominations.

Maher has been nominated for 22 Emmy Awards throughout his career but has yet to win one. As a result, he retains the record for the most Emmy nominations without ever winning one.

In 2005, he was voted No. 38 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time, and in September 2010, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Other Ventures and Projects

Outside of his shows, Maher has frequently appeared as a political analyst on other cable news networks. He is a frequent guest on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,” as well as MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and “The Rachel Maddow Show.” He also served as an executive producer for HBO’s “Vice” and collaborated with director Larry Charles on the documentary film “Religulous” (2008). He has also published nine HBO comedy specials, two of which were nominated for Emmy Awards, and has toured the United States playing standup.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bill Maher (@billmaher)

New York Mets Investment

Maher bought a minority share in the New York Mets in 2012. His stake may be as large as 4%, which would have cost $20 million in 2012. The Mets are now valued at roughly $2 billion, so a full 4% ownership would be worth $80 million.

What Is Bill Maher’s Annual Salary?

The annual pay of Bill is $10 million. He is best recognized for his political satire, comedy, and sociopolitical commentary, with his HBO talk program “Real Time with Bill Maher” serving as a platform for many of his opinions. Early Life and Career Beginnings: On January 20, 1956, William Maher was born in New York City.

How Did Bill Maher Earn His Net Worth?

Maher has amassed quite a pension after hosting late-night TV in one form or another for the past 27 years. The majority of his fortune stems from hosting over 500 episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher, for which his yearly pay is estimated to exceed $10 million. Given that he has hosted the show since 2003, the comedian might have made up to $170 million throughout that time.

His compensation for Politically Incorrect would not have been quite as high, but given that it ran for eight years and grew in popularity year after year, it would have been among the highest for a talk show presenter at the time.

But Maher’s fortune has come from more than merely presenting TV shows. The host is also a successful businessman, owning a part in the New York Mets. He reportedly purchased a 4% share in 2012 and given that the Mets are currently worth over $2 billion, Maher’s investment may be worth up to $80 million.

In addition, he has made a few astute real estate judgments. Notably, the comedian has a 3.2-acre Beverly Hills property that was sold to him by none other than Ben Affleck. Because this occurred in 2003, the mansion is now believed to be worth $20 million.