What Is Karl Pilkington's Net Worth?
Karl Pilkington is an English television and radio personality, travel show presenter, writer, actor, and former radio producer who has a net worth of $3 million. Karl Pilkington rose to prominence while producing and appearing on Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's Xfm radio program in the early 2000s.
On television, Karl has appeared on "The Ricky Gervais Show" (2010–2012), the travel documentary series "An Idiot Abroad" (2010–2012), Gervais' series "Derek" (2012–2014), the documentary series "The Moaning of Life" (2013–2015), and the comedy series "Sick of It" (2018–2020).
Pilkington, Gervais, and Merchant are the founders of the television production company RiSK Productions, and Karl has published several books, including "The World of Karl Pilkington" (2006), "Happyslapped by a Jellyfish" (2007), "An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington" (2010), and "The Moaning of Life: The Worldly Wisdom of Karl Pilkington" (2013).
Early Life
Karl Pilkington was born on September 23, 1972, in Sale, Greater Manchester, England. He grew up with mother Dorothy, father Alan, an older brother, and an older sister in the Racecourse Estate neighbourhood, and he attended Ashton-on-Mersey School. Karl has said that he didn't like school and only showed up to sell copies of video games to other students, stating, "I wasn't going to school to learn, I was going to earn." Pilkington dropped out when he was 15 and worked as a disk and cassette printer as part of a Youth Training Scheme program.
Career
Karl moved to London to work as a producer at radio station Xfm, and he later became head of production. In 2001, he started working on "The Ricky Gervais Show" as a producer, but after Gervais and Stephen Merchant began asking him to appear on the show, he gained popularity with listeners and became a main presenter on the program. Pilkington also created features such as "Educating Ricky" and "Monkey News" for the show. In 2010, "The Ricky Gervais Show" was turned into an animated HBO/Channel 4 series that aired 39 episodes over three seasons. Karl also worked with Gervais and Merchant on the 2007 "Extras" series finale and "An Idiot Abroad," and he was an extra in the 2010 film "Cemetery Junction," which Ricky and Stephen wrote, directed, and appeared in.
In 2012, Pilkington began playing Dougie on Gervais' Channel 4 series "Derek," appearing in eight episodes. He has also appeared in the 2012 Indian film "Chingari" and the television series "Flipside TV" (2003), "3 Minute Wonder" (2006), and "Comedy Lab" (2007). Karl starred in the travel documentary series "The Moaning of Life" from 2013 to 2015 and the Sky One comedy series "Sick of It" (which he co-created) from 2018 to 2020. He has also performed voice-over work for numerous companies, including Vodafone, Unilever, and Sony PSP.
(Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)
Personal Life
Since the '90s, Karl has been in a relationship with Suzanne Whiston, a journalist, media personality, and producer who he met while they were both working at Manchester radio station Key 103. Pilkington was a supporter of the football club Manchester City during his youth, but he switched his allegiance to Manchester United in the '90s. He stated in 2018, "I feel like supporting United is like having a tortoise as a pet. I had a tortoise, and they are not entertaining to watch. You don't watch them, but you know you have got a bit of responsibility to show some interest. That is what I do with United. I keep an eye on them." In 2014, Karl designed a card for the charitable organization the Thomas Coram Foundation to be auctioned off on eBay.
Awards and Nominations
In 2010, Pilkington received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program for "The Ricky Gervais Show," and he was named Best Presenter for "An Idiot Abroad" at the Factual Entertainment Awards in 2011. "The Ricky Gervais Show" also earned him a TV Quick Award nomination for Best Comedy Show in 2011. In 2012, Karl received a Broadcasting Press Guild Award nomination for Best Multichannel Programme and a National Television Award nomination for Most Popular Factual Programme for "An Idiot Abroad."
Real Estate
In 2015, Pilkington paid £2million for a seaside home in Sandbanks, a small peninsula in Dorset, England. The home includes four bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, a cinema room, and a roof terrace with views of Poole Harbour.
