What is Countess Vaughn's Net Worth and Salary?
Countess Vaughn is an actress, singer, and television personality who has a net worth of $1.5 million. Countess Vaughn is best known for playing Kim Parker on the television sitcom "Moesha" and its spinoff "The Parkers." She is also known for her appearances on reality TV, including on the shows "Celebrity Fit Club," "Celebrity Rap Superstar," and "Hollywood Divas." Among Vaughn's other credits are the films "Trippin'" and "Max Keeble's Big Move."
"The Parkers" Salary & Royalties
In the final season of "The Parkers," Mo'Nique and Countess Vaughn earned $55,000 per episode. There were 22 episodes. That worked out to $1.21 million for that season.
In April 2023, Mo'Nique sued Paramount and CBS over allegedly unpaid royalties for her UPN sitcom "The Parkers." In her lawsuit, she claimed the companies "artificially depressed [the show's] profitability to retain millions that would otherwise be contractually due" to Mo'Nique and the show's writers. The Parkers produced 111 episodes between 1999 and 2004. By producing over 100 episodes, the series qualified for syndication. Mo'Nique has claimed that the show generated $800 million dollars in syndication deals between 2004 and 2009. It generated millions more over the next decade + and even more millions when it was sold to Netflix in 2020. She has estimated that The Parkers has generated $2 billion in revenue since going off the air. Mo has claimed that none of these profits have gone to her or her co-star Countess Vaughn. Mo has further claimed that the show cost a total of $60 million to produce during its entire run.
Early Life
Countess Vaughn was born on August 8, 1978 in Idabel, Oklahoma to Sandra and Leo. As a kid, she sang at her church.
(Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
Television Career
In 1988, Vaughn won the junior championship on the television competition show "Star Search" with her rendition of the song "I'll Be There." She was subsequently cast as Alexandria DeWitt in the fourth season of the NBC sitcom "227." Vaughn remained on the show until 1989. She had her next notable role from 1992 to 1993, playing Keisha on the ABC sitcom "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper." In the years after that, Vaughn appeared on such shows as "Thea," "Roc," and "Minor Adjustments." She eventually had her breakthrough role in 1996 when she began playing Kim Parker, the boy-crazy best friend of Brandy Norwood's titular character, on the UPN sitcom "Moesha." Vaughn starred on the show for its first four seasons, leaving in 1999. She went on to reprise her role on the show's spinoff, "The Parkers," which ran from 1999 to 2004. On that show, Vaughn starred opposite Mo'Nique, who played her character's mother Nikki.
After the end of "The Parkers," Vaughn began appearing on reality television. In 2006, she appeared in the third season of VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club," where she became the first-ever cast member to gain weight as opposed to lose it. The following year, Vaughn competed on MTV's short-lived "Celebrity Rap Superstar," featuring eight rappers teaching eight celebrities how to perform rap songs. She was taught by rapper Warren G. However, an illness caused her to leave the show after the fifth episode. Vaughn returned to reality TV in 2014 to star on "Hollywood Divas" alongside Lisa Wu, Golden Brooks, Paula Jai Parker, and Elise Neal. The show ran for three seasons through 2016 on TV One. Among her other television credits, Vaughn appeared in episodes of "Cuts," "Let's Stay Together," and "Harlem."
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Film Career
Although mostly known for her television appearances, Vaughn has been in some films. In 1999, she played Anetta Jones in the comedy "Trippin'," starring Deon Richmond and Maia Campbell. A couple years later, Vaughn appeared in the Disney comedy "Max Keeble's Big Move."
Music Career
As a singer, Vaughn released her first and only studio album, "Countess," in 1992. It featured songs in various genres, including dance music and R&B, with its lead single being a cover of James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." The album's other single was "Wait for Me."
Personal Life
In the first season of the reality television series "Hollywood Divas," Vaughn revealed that she had had an abortion when she was about 18 years old. She said that she made her decision due to the pressures of being a black woman in Hollywood who had just started her career.
In early 2002, Vaughn married Joseph James. Together, they had a son before divorcing in 2005. Vaughn went on to date David Whitten, with whom she had a daughter in 2009. The couple got engaged, but split up in 2018.
