What is Darrell Hammond's Net Worth?
Darrell Hammond is an American comedian who has a net worth of $2 million. Darrell Hammond is an American actor and stand-up comic who is best known for his tenure as a cast member on the sketch comedy television show "Saturday Night Live." He joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1995, and previously held the record for the most number of consecutive seasons of any cast member, until his 14 seasons was surpassed by Kenan Thompson. He appeared as a regular cast member until 2009, and now cameos when his schedule allows. While with SNL, he performed the most impressions of any cast member. Of his 107 impressions, he is most famous for his spot-on portrayals of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Regis Philbin, John Travolta, and Sean Connery. After his time on "SNL," Hammond had recurring roles on such shows as "Damages," "Are We There Yet?," and "At Home with Amy Sedaris." His childhood was quite rough, and he wrote about his experiences in the book, "God If You're Not Up There, I'm F***ed", which was released in the fall of 2011. In September 2014, it was announced that Darrell Hammond would return to Saturday Night Live as the show's announcer. Hammond took over for longtime announcer Don Pardo, who had recently passed.
Lost Fortune
During a 2015 interview on the "Opie and Jim" radio show, Darrell explained that most of the money he earned during his 12 years at SNL was squandered by an investment manager. At one point he went to the bank and was told that his balance was just $12,000. Fortunately his finances have recovered somewhat thanks to his book deal, SNL job, continued personal appearance fees and new work.
Early Life and Education
Darrell Hammond was born on October 8, 1955 in Melbourne, Florida to Max and Margaret. He had a turbulent upbringing marked by abuse from both his mother and his war veteran father. To cope with the trauma, he began doing comedy impressions. Hammond also played baseball in high school and at Brevard Community College. He went on to graduate from the University of Florida in 1978 with an advertising degree.
Career Beginnings
After graduating from college, Hammond moved to New York City, where he worked as a waiter while studying acting at the HB Studio. He also performed in some theatrical productions and did a set at a comedy club. Hammond eventually returned to Florida and became a voiceover artist in the Orlando metro area.
Saturday Night Live
Hammond gained national fame in 1995 when he became a regular cast member on the sketch comedy television show "Saturday Night Live." During his 14-year tenure through 2009 – at the time the longest consecutive tenure of any "SNL" cast member – he became renowned for his many celebrity impressions, totaling over 100. He received some of his greatest recognition for impersonating such political figures as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Dick Cheney, John McCain, and Jesse Jackson. Among the other notable celebrities Hammond impersonated were Sean Connery, Regis Philbin, Phil Donahue, John Travolta, Geraldo Rivera, and Dan Rather.
In 2014, Hammond returned to "SNL" as the show's new announcer; he replaced longtime announcer Don Pardo, who passed away in the summer of that year. Since then, Hammond has made a number of appearances in sketches, including as Bill Clinton, and, for a brief time, as Donald Trump.
Further Television Career
Hammond made some guest appearances on other shows during the years he was on "SNL." He appeared in episodes of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Starved," and "Las Vegas." In 2009, Hammond had a recurring role on the legal thriller series "Damages." He had another recurring role a few years after that, playing Brick Street on the TBS sitcom "Are We There Yet?" He subsequently appeared in an episode of "Deadbeat" and lent his voice to the short-lived adult animated series "Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio."
In 2017, Hammond was in an episode of "Criminal Minds." He also began appearing on the truTV surreal comedy series "At Home with Amy Sedaris." The following year, Hammond portrayed George Washington in the television film "The Last Sharknado: It's About Time," and made an appearance on the black comedy show "Dream Corp LLC." His other credits have included the Disney Channel comedy series "Bizaardvark" and the Disney+ animated anthology series "What If…?"
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Webby Awards)
Film Career
Hammond's first feature film appearance was in the 1996 sports comedy "Celtic Pride," starring Daniel Stern, Dan Aykroyd, and Damon Wayans. He reunited with Aykroyd two years later for the musical comedy "Blues Brothers 2000," a sequel to 1980's "The Blues Brothers." Hammond closed out the decade voicing the character Master Little in the animated musical "The King and I." Early in the new millennium, he made appearances in the spy comedy "Agent Cody Banks" and the parody film "Scary Movie 3." Hammond subsequently had roles in the teen comedy "New York Minute," the romantic drama "Kiss Me Again," the crime comedy "Puff, Puff, Pass," and the romcom "Ira & Abby."
In 2007, Hammond was in three movies. He had supporting roles in "Epic Movie" and "Shortcut to Happiness," and starred in the horror comedy "Netherbeast Incorporated." Hammond next starred alongside his "SNL" cast mate Kenan Thompson in the comedy "Wieners." His other credits have included the comedies "Nature Calls" and "Scary Movie 5."
Other Appearances
Among his other work, Hammond contributed to the 1980s underground comedy song "Wappin'," in which he impersonates various Looney Tunes characters. He has also been a regular guest on "The Howard Stern Show," and has his own stand-up comedy special on Comedy Central. In 2007, Hammond debuted on Broadway in the musical comedy "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." Later, in 2015, he briefly took on the role of Colonel Sanders in television commercials for the fast food chain KFC.
Personal Life
Hammond has been open about his history with substance abuse and mental health struggles, which he attributes to his traumatic upbringing. He long battled alcohol and cocaine addiction, and eventually went to rehab in 2009. During his tenure on "SNL," Hammond often cut himself backstage, and on one occasion was taken to a psychiatric ward. He released a memoir entitled "God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked" in 2011.
In 1990, Hammond married his wife Elizabeth. The pair divorced in 1994, but remarried in 1997. They divorced for a second time in 2012. Their only child, daughter Mia, was born in 1998.
