Throughout Hollywood history, most movie stars chose to never act in TV shows. The reason for that is starring in a TV series was considered slumming it for a movie star and it was widely believed that their careers would never recover from that kind of move. These days, it has become incredibly common for movie stars to take television work.
Of course, there are many reasons why movie stars are willing to star in TV shows these days. For example, since we are in the midst of a golden age of television, starring in a series is no longer seen as a step down for a movie star. For that reason, it is pretty easy for a movie star to headline a TV show and then go back to making movies. On top of all that, it has to be noted that over the last few decades the biggest TV stars have been making an absolute fortune.
Even though it has been off the air for more than two decades, Seinfeld is still widely considered to be among the top TV shows of all-time. As a result, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the show’s top stars are very wealthy. With that in mind, it begs an obvious question, does Julia Louis-Dreyfus or Jerry Seinfeld have a higher net worth?
Her Television Dominance
When most young actors are starting out, they are forced to take minor roles in forgettable projects. On the other end of the spectrum, you have Julia Louis-Dreyfus, an actor who made her TV debut as a Saturday Night Live cast member. Even though Louis-Dreyfus’ SNL tenure wasn’t overly memorable, landing a part in such a legendary show was a harbinger of things to come for her.
After banging around Hollywood for a few years after she left Saturday Night Live, Julia Louis-Dreyfus landed the role of a lifetime when she was cast as Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes. Since that show went on to become a megahit, Louis-Dreyfus managed to demand an extremely healthy salary for her to continue starring in the series for all of its nine seasons.
Since Seinfeld ended in 1998, most of the show’s main stars have failed to find similar success as an actor. On the other hand, Julia Louis-Dreyfus seems to have the Midas touch these days. After all, she went on to star in The New Adventures of Old Christine, a show that lasted five seasons, and the acclaimed movie Enough Said. Of course, Louis-Dreyfus' most notable post-Seinfeld project is Veep, an incredibly popular show she headlined for seven seasons. Based on all of the years that Julia Louis-Dreyfus has spent starring in successful shows, the fact that celebritynetworth.com reports that she has a $250 million fortune seems to hit the mark.
Comedy Obsessed
Throughout Jerry Seinfeld’s adult years, he has tirelessly worked to make the world laugh. After spending several years honing his craft on stages, Jerry became one of the most respected comedians of his generation. With that in mind, it seemed like just a matter of time before Jerry would become a bigger star.
During the late-‘80s, Jerry Seinfeld was approached to do a show by NBC. While the resulting sitcom wasn’t an instant success, over time Seinfeld’s unique storylines and hilarious characters propelled it to become incredibly popular. In fact, Seinfeld was so successful that Jerry was making a fortune from it by the time he decided to put an end to the series after its ninth season. While some people may think that Seinfeld ceased to be a cash cow for Jerry after it stopped airing new seasons, that couldn’t be further from the truth. After all, Jerry co-created Seinfeld which means he had an ownership stake that resulted in him making a fortune from the show’s ongoing reruns.
Since Seinfeld came to an end, Jerry Seinfeld has continued to find success. For example, Jerry created and hosts Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, a unique talk show that became a surprise hit. More importantly, Jerry has performed standup comedy around the world which has been extremely lucrative for him. Even though Jerry Seinfeld is such an accomplished performer, it is still staggering that he has a $950 fortune according to celebritynetworth.com.
Turning Things Around
Since Jerry Seinfeld is reportedly closing in one being worth $1 billion as of the time of this writing, it is clear that he is one of the wealthiest people in Hollywood. Despite that, it seems entirely possible that Julia Louis-Dreyfus will be worth more than him at some point in the future.
Of course, it should go without saying that Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a comedy genius who earned all of her success. However, as it turns out, she was born into wealth as her great-great-grandfather Léopold Louis-Dreyfus founded the Louis Dreyfus Company, a company that is worth billions. In fact, Julia’s father, Gérard Louis-Dreyfus chaired the Louis Dreyfus Company which reportedly allowed him to become worth $3.4 billion according to Forbes.
In the past, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has denied that her father who passed away in 2016 was a billionaire at all. However, when you consider her family’s fortune and her dad’s former role running the Louis Dreyfus Company, most observers find that claim highly dubious. For example, even though celebritynetworth.com claims Julia is worth $250 million now, they write that could change dramatically in the future. “When combined with her current net worth, future royalties, and real estate, it's very likely that Julia will be worth well over $1 billion at some point in her life.”