What is Joey Diaz's Net Worth?
Joey Diaz is a Cuban-American actor and comedian who has a net worth of $1.5 million. Joey Diaz has appeared in numerous films and television series. His big-screen credits include "Analyze That," "The Longest Yard," and "The Many Saints of Newark," while his notable credits on the small screen include the sitcom "My Name is Earl." Diaz is also known for his many appearances on the podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience," as well as for hosting his own podcasts "The Church of What's Happening Now" and "Uncle Joey's Joint."
Early Life and Education
Joey Diaz was born on February 19, 1963 in Havana, Cuba and was raised in North Bergen, New Jersey. There, his mother ran a bar and a numbers racket. When Diaz was three, his father passed away; his mother later died when he was 16. He was subsequently taken in by a number of families, with his reckless behavior keeping him from settling down in one place for long. During this period, Diaz started taking drugs and committing crimes. Despite his delinquency, he did well in school at North Bergen High School, winning performing arts awards and graduating in 1982. He then moved to Colorado, where he became homesick. This prompted a return to New Jersey. However, Diaz moved back to Colorado in 1985 to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder. Unhappy there, he ultimately dropped out of the school.
Prison Time
In 1988, Diaz was sentenced to four years in prison for kidnapping and aggravated robbery. While incarcerated, he performed stand-up comedy routines for his fellow inmates, fueling his passion for launching a stand-up career. Diaz was released from prison after serving 16 months of his sentence.
Stand-up Comedy Career
After taking a course in stand-up comedy, Diaz made his professional stand-up debut in June of 1991 at the Comedy Works in Denver, Colorado. During this period of his life, he was still struggling with a cocaine addiction, a problem that led to a disaster of a set in 1992. Diaz subsequently swore off taking the substance before performances. Continuing to develop his act, he won a few amateur comedy competitions. In 1995, Diaz relocated to Los Angeles to take his career to the next level. He found steady success over the ensuing years, and released a number of stand-up comedy specials.
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Film Career
In the late 90s, Diaz made the transition to acting. He made his feature film debut playing a referee in the 1998 sports comedy "BASEketball." Diaz next appeared in two films in 2002: the drama "American Gun" and the comedy "Analyze That." The following year, he was in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star." In 2004, Diaz showed up in two major Hollywood titles: the superhero film "Spider-Man 2" and the action comedy "Taxi." He subsequently played Anthony Cobianco in the remake of the sports comedy "The Longest Yard." After that, Diaz appeared in such films as "18 Fingers of Death!," "Smiley Face," "Boiler Maker," and "The Deported."
Kicking off the 2010s, Diaz appeared in "Stacy's Mom," "Sinatra Club," and "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star." In 2013, he played the coach of Robert De Niro's character in the boxing comedy "Grudge Match." Diaz was in another boxing film, the biographical drama "The Bronx Bull," in 2016; it starred William Forsythe as legendary champion Jake LaMotta. The same year, Diaz played a mobster in Warren Beatty's "Rules Don't Apply." Following a five-year break from the big screen, he returned in 2021 to play Buddha in the crime drama "The Many Saints of Newark," a prequel to the HBO series "The Sopranos."
(Photo by Michael Schwartz/WireImage)
Television Career
Diaz began his television career in 2000 with an appearance on the BET stand-up comedy show "ComicView." His first acting roles on the small screen followed in 2001, with appearances on the crime drama series "18 Wheels of Justice" and the sketch comedy show "Mad TV." Diaz went on to appear in episodes of numerous shows after that, including "NYPD Blue," "Karen Sisco," "ER," "Cold Case," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "How I Met Your Mother," and "Everybody Hates Chris." He had one of his bigger roles in 2007, playing a prisoner named Joey on the third season of the sitcom "My Name is Earl." Diaz closed out the decade with a role in the ABC Family television film "The Dog Who Saved Christmas."
In 2011, Diaz appeared in episodes of "Supah Ninjas" and "The Mentalist." He continued to make guest appearances on a range of shows over the subsequent years, such as "Kickin' It," "Childrens Hospital," "Partners," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "TripTank," "Maron," and "Superior Donuts." In 2020, Diaz landed a recurring role on the Netflix adult animated series "The Midnight Gospel," which also features the voice talent of Duncan Trussell, Stephen Root, Maria Bamford, Phil Hendrie, and Steve Little, among others.
Podcasting
Beyond film and television, Diaz has made a name for himself in the podcasting world. In 2010, he launched his first podcast, "Beauty and Da Beast," which he co-hosted with Felicia Michaels. The podcast ran through 2012. Diaz subsequently created "The Church of What's Happening Now," co-hosted by Lee Syatt. He later launched another podcast, "Uncle Joey's Joint," in 2020. In addition to these podcasts, Diaz has made many appearances on "The Joe Rogan Experience."
Personal Life
Diaz was previously in a marriage that ended in divorce in 1991. With his ex-wife, he had a daughter from whom he became estranged. Later, in 2009, Diaz married Terrie Clark, with whom he has another daughter.
