What Was George Carlin's Net Worth When He Died?
Seemingly more often than other citizens of the planet, comedians can get away with being less than politically correct and less than family-friendly while in the public eye. Rather than coming off as offensive, the talented comedian can sometimes mask rude and lewd comments in the name of their craft. A pioneer for comedy with no social or political constraints was George Carlin. In fact, he once said, "I am repelled by wholesomeness."
Carlin began working in radio in the late 1950s before building a nightclub act with Jack Burns. As "Burns and Carlin," the two toured nightclubs with their "anti-establishment" material and appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jack Parr." Carlin went solo after two years of working with Burns and branched out into performance venues that drew audiences who were receptive of his deviatory stand-up routines. But he did not always cater to that audience.
His comedy was deemed as counterculture
By the late 1960s, George Carlin was a television regular, appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Carol Burnett Show." He also booked shows in Las Vegas for three years. After taming his material in exchange for more success on television and in Las Vegas for a few years, Carlin reverted back to his authentic self, which included material dubbed in the early 1970s as "counterculture." His embodiment of counterculture was seen even in the titles of his comedy specials like "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television," which became a part of arguments in a Supreme Court case regarding what you'd expect: offensive language spoken on television. He was once arrested for saying all of those seven words at one of his shows.
Despite the controversy, Carlin landed 14 HBO specials and appeared on "The Tonight Show" 130 times (via HBO). His comedy routines touch on topics from abortion to environmental concerns and remain relevant to social and political debates of the 21st century, as explained by Danielle Chiriguayo for KCRW.
George Carlin amassed a fortune by the time he died
When George Carlin died of heart failure in 2008, his Hollywood peers expressed the impact that he had on comedy. Per The Reporter, Ben Stiller referred to him as "brave" and stated that Carlin was "always challenging us to look at ourselves and question our belief systems." What adds to the intrigue of Carlin is his humble beginnings. He grew up with a single mother in Manhattan and took several odd jobs in his adolescence. When he and Jack Burns began to pursue their nightclub act, Carlin left his radio job with only $300. This obviously changed within just a decade.
In the late 1960s, the regular performances allowed for Carlin to earn $250,000 per year. He continued to perform into the 21st century. He filmed his last HBO special, "It's Bad for Ya," just a few months before his death, upon which he had amassed a fortune of around $10 million (per Trending News Buzz). These millions were earned despite the shift to a counterculture persona that he began to express after achieving success with less edgy comedy that was digestible for mainstream America. Judd Apatow told the New York Daily News that Carlin went from earning upward of $12,500 per week performing in Las Vegas to performing in small venues with progressive audiences, where he made much less money. Nevertheless, the brutal honesty and tackling of tough topics are what made Carlin a household name.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Carlin was worth $10 million when he died.
He won multiple awards during his lifetime
In the long run, George Carlin clearly made the right choice in following his authenticity. According to The Reporter, Carlin released 23 comedy albums, three books, appeared in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," and voiced the character Fillmore in Disney and Pixar's animated film "Cars." He won a total of four Grammys for his comedy albums and five Emmys for television appearances. He was also posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Carlin's polarizing career in comedy is all discussed in the 2022 documentary series from fans and fellow comedic figures Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio titled "George Carlin's American Dream." Carlin's daughter Kelly Carlin served as a co-executive producer as well. Comedians from all walks of life have explained Carlin's influence, but he influenced American culture overall. Per the New York Daily News, Bonfiglio stated that the conversations all the way up to the Supreme Court showed that Carlin's comedy "created a new category of speech in our country." Perhaps it pays to speak one's mind as Carlin so frequently did. Maybe if Carlin had existed in today's world, his success would not be the same, but he'd surely find a way to incorporate his commentary into the modern sociopolitical landscape.