What is McG's Net Worth?
McG is an American director and producer who has a net worth of $60 million. McG rose to fame in 2000 with his feature directorial debut, the hit big-screen adaptation of "Charlie's Angels." He has since directed such films as "Terminator Salvation," "The Babysitter," "Family Switch," and "The Uglies." McG has also worked on television, having co-created the Fox series "Fastlane," directed episodes of various shows, and executive-produced shows through his company Wonderland Sound and Vision.
Early Life and Education
McG, whose full name is Joseph McGinty Nichol, was born on August 9, 1968 in Kalamazoo, Michigan and was raised in Newport Beach, California. He attended Corona del Mar High School, where he formed a band with future Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath. McG went on to attend the University of California, Irvine, from which he earned his bachelor's degree in psychology.
Career Beginnings
In 1993, McG started the record label G Recordings while working as a delivery truck driver. To the label, he signed the rock band Sugar Ray, which was led by his high school friend Mark McGrath. McG produced the band's 1995 debut album, "Lemonade and Brownies," and co-wrote a number of songs on its second album, 1997's "Floored." He went on to become a prolific music video director, with notable credits including the videos for Sublime's "Santeria" and Smash Mouth's "All Star." Eventually, this led McG to direct television commercials for such brands as Coca-Cola and the Gap.
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Film Career
Impressed with McG's music video work, actress Drew Barrymore approached the director about directing a big-screen adaptation of the crime drama television series "Charlie's Angels." McG agreed, and went on to direct the film as his feature directorial debut. Costarring Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu alongside Barrymore, the film was a major commercial hit, grossing over $250 million worldwide. McG subsequently founded his own production company, Wonderland Sound and Vision. The company's first film was the sequel "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," released in 2003 and also directed by McG. Next, McG directed the biographical football drama "We Are Marshall" and produced the supernatural horror film "Stay Alive," both in 2006. He went on to direct "Terminator Salvation," the fourth installment in the "Terminator" film series. Starring Christian Bale, it was released in 2009 to mixed reviews and disappointing box office. McG's next film as director was the 2012 romantic spy comedy "This Means War," starring Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hardy, and Chris Pine.
In 2014, McG directed the action thriller "3 Days to Kill," starring Kevin Costner. The same year, he co-produced "Before We Go," "Playing it Cool," and "Mercy." In 2015, he co-produced the teen comedy "The DUFF." McG subsequently directed the teen comedy slasher film "The Babysitter," which was released on Netflix in 2017. He would later direct the 2020 sequel, "The Babysitter: Killer Queen." In the meantime, McG co-produced the romcoms "When We First Met," "I Feel Pretty," and "Tall Girl," and directed and produced the Netflix science-fiction film "Rim of the World." He continued largely focusing on romcoms in the early 2020s by co-producing "Holidate," "Love Hard," "Tall Girl 2," and "Música." McG also directed the 2023 Netflix comedy "Family Switch," based on Amy Krouse Rosenthal's children's book "Bedtime for Mommy" and starring Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms. Also for Netflix, McG directed the dystopian science-fiction film "The Uglies," based on the novel by Scott Westerfeld and starring Joey King.
(Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Television Career
McG's first television series was "Fastlane," which he co-created with John McNamara in 2002. Ultimately, the Fox show was canceled after a single season in 2003. After that, McG had executive producing credits on "The O.C.," "The Mountain," and "Supernatural." In 2007, he directed the pilot episode of the NBC series "Chuck," and then served as an executive producer on the show until the end of its run in 2012. McG went on to direct the pilot episodes of such shows as "The Mysteries of Laura," "Kevin From Work," "Shadowhunters," "Lethal Weapon," and "Turner & Hooch"; he was also an executive producer on those shows.
Unrealized Projects
McG has been behind a myriad of unrealized film and television projects over the years. In the early 2000s, he was hired to direct the fifth installment in the "Superman" film series, but dropped out due to his agoraphobia when boarding a plane to Australia. McG later signed a three-year first-look production deal with Warner Bros. to produce the films "Nightcrawlers," "Yucatan," and "Maintenance," all of which he eventually left. After he directed "Terminator Salvation," he was expected to direct a remake of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" for Disney, but this did not pan out. Later, McG began developing a film adaptation of the rock musical "Spring Awakening," and in 2016 was briefly signed on to direct the reboot film for the "Masters of the Universe" franchise. For television, his unrealized projects have included the shows "Camp Morningwood," "Our Show," "The Intruders," "Clive Barker's Hotel," and "I, PI."
Personal Life
McG previously dated actress and former model Bridget Moynahan, whom he first met on an airplane.
