This TV star once rejected a massive Rs 450-crore deal but still built an empire, earning up to Rs 1200 crore per year without doing any acting.
In the mid-90s, television in America was finally reaching the dizzying heights it is at now. The big bucks had started flowing in, ad TV stars were now being offered sums of money that would put Hollywood money to shame. At this juncture, a stand-up comic-turned-actor did the unthinkable. He turned down a once-in-a-lifetime multimillion dollar deal from a major network, the largest sum ever turned down by a single artiste.
The actor who rejected Rs 450-crore deal
Jerry Seinfeld was an up and coming comedian in the 80s. He gained nationwide fame in the late-80s when he began starring in his own sitcom titled Seinfeld, where he played a fictionalised version of himself. The show, which began in 1988, went on to earn critical acclaim and also top the ratings charts across the US. By 1996, Seinfeld was easily the most popular primetime show in the US when Jerry decided he wanted to end it. But National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the network airing it, wanted one more season.
In 1997, NBC reportedly offered the comedian a deal of $5 million per episode for one season of 22 episodes. The star’s salary would come out to $110 million (Rs 450 crore in the exchange rate from then). However, Time magazine reported that Jerry refused because he wanted to spend more time with his family. As per an MSN report, NBC executives were stunned and numb at the rejection as they clearly had not expected it. Seinfeld eventually came to an end the following year.
Jerry Seinfeld’s career after Seinfeld
After concluding his sitcom career, Seinfeld focussed more on comedy and less on active. In fact, he appeared in only one film – and that too an animated one. In 2007, he voiced the protagonist in Bee Movie. The comedian continued to host variety shows and appear on comedy specials all through the 2000s. In 2012, he began hosting the popular show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
Jerry Seinfeld’s net worth and earnings
Despite appearing scarcely in films, Jerry is one of the richest performers in the world courtesy his royalties from Seinfeld and other specials. According to Forbes, his net worth is just under $1 billion (Rs 8300 crore). Cosmopolitan reports that he still earns up to $45 million (Rs 370 crore) every year from Seinfeld royalties. In fact, as per Forbes, he earned $267 million (Rs 1200 crore) in 2004 from the show's royalties, his best-ever single year earning.
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 "Jerry Seinfeld on stage")
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