What is Russell Peters' Net Worth?
Russell Peters is a Canadian comedian who has a net worth of $75 million. Even though he may not be quite as well known to American audiences, Russell Peters is one of the most successful and highest-paid comedians in the world. He is consistently one of the highest-paid comedians in the world, with annual earnings that typically top $20 million.
Peters began his comedic journey in 1989. He garnered attention with his performances on Canadian television programs and comedy festivals. However, it was his 2004 comedy special "Russell Peters: Outsourced," which aired on Comedy Central, that catapulted him to international fame. The special showcased his unique style of humor, often poking fun at various ethnic groups, including his own South Asian background, which resonated with diverse audiences globally. He has released several successful comedy specials, including "Red, White, and Brown" and "Notorious." Peters has achieved significant milestones in his career, including being the first comedian to sell out Toronto's Air Canada Centre and setting attendance records for a single stand-up comedian at venues worldwide.
Highest-Paid Comedians
In 2009, Peters earned $10 million, which made him one of the world's top ten highest-earning comedians. Between 2009 and 2010, Peters earned $15 million. In 2013, his earnings topped $21 million. In 2015, he earned $19 million.
Early Life
Russell Dominic Peters was born on September 29th, 1970, in Toronto, Canada. Peters was raised in an Anglo-Indian Catholic household alongside his older brother, Clayton, who later became his manager. His father was born in Bombay, India. As a young child, Peters was teased because of his ethnicity. His father recommended that he use words to defend himself, and he also learned how to box in order to boost his confidence.
Later, Peters discovered that he was suffering from an undiagnosed case of ADHD throughout most of his high school years. This led to poor grades, and he was ultimately "kicked out" of high school in tenth grade. He later transferred to another school and graduated in 1989. After being rejected from Sheridan College, he started working there as a DJ for the school's radio station. As the years went on, "DJ Russell" would become one of the most prominent Hip-Hop DJs in Toronto during the 90s.
Career
Fresh out of high school, Russell Peters performed his first standup routine as a 19-year-old at Yuk-Yuk's Comedy Club. In a chance 1992 meeting, Peters met his idol – George Carlin. The veteran comedian told Peters to perform whenever he could in order to hone his craft. The advice struck a chord with Peters, and he spent the next few years performing throughout Canada – often for little or no pay.
Russell Peters caused quite a stir when he appeared on CBC's Comics! His standup routine involved racial stereotyping of both black and Indian Canadians, and CBC received death threats as a result. Nevertheless, the incident proved to be great publicity for the young Peters, and he continued to perform controversial routines for the rest of his career. The routine earned Peters a Gemini Award, and he followed up with tours throughout the United Kingdom.
In 1997, Peters appeared on television again in an episode of CTV's Comedy Now! His career really started to take off in the 2000s, starting with a hosting role on BBC's Network East Late from 2000-2002. Looking back, Russell Peters has stated that he believes his breakthrough came in 2004 with a second appearance in CTV's Comedy Now! His standup routine once again proved popular, but an unauthorized YouTube clip from the show made him an international phenomenon. The clip went viral and launched Peters' career in earnest.
Although Peters was in talks to create a sitcom with various networks, he ultimately focused on live performances instead. In 2006, he performed at numerous sold-out shows in New York, and this led to his first comedy special, Outsourced. The DVD eventually sold over 100,000 copies. As Outsourced became more and more popular, the demand for his live performances rose.
Later, in 2006, he hosted the Canada Day Comedy Festival. In 2007, he sold out an entire arena in Toronto and toured Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries to perform in front of troops serving overseas. In 2008, Peters hosted the Juno Awards for the first time and performed at Madison Square Garden in New York. The latter performance led to his second, self-financed comedy special, Red, White, and Brown. Again, the DVD sold over 100,000 copies. In 2009, he hosted the Junos for a second time and raked in record-breaking ticket sales at London's O2 Arena.
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TV and Film
Although Peters moved to Los Angeles in 2006 with the hope of launching an acting career, comedy ultimately became his priority. Many of the roles he was offered involved faking an Indian accent, which Peters did not feel comfortable with. Nevertheless, Peters has enjoyed an impressive career as an actor in addition to his standup work. Some of his most notable film roles were in pictures such as The Take, New Year's Eve, Breakaway, Source Code, and Chef.
In terms of television, Peters has appeared in shows like Mr. D, Last Comic Standing, and The Indian Detective. Russell Peters is also an accomplished voice actor who has been featured in animated series such as Family Guy and BoJack Horseman. In addition, Russell Peters voiced the character of "Rocky the Rhino" in the 2016 Disney film The Jungle Book.
Controversy
Russell Peters was the subject of controversy after hosting the Juno Awards in 2017. He made several off-script remarks, including a rape joke. He refused to apologize or comment on his actions, and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences was forced to issue a statement denouncing Peters' behavior and words.
Personal Life
In 2010, Peters married his girlfriend, Monica Diaz. That year, they had a child together, and Peters released his autobiography, Call Me Russell. In 2012, Diaz and Peters divorced. Although Peters was engaged to another girlfriend in 2016, he later started dating 2012's Miss Universe Honduras, Jennifer Andrade. In 2019, they had a child together. Peters has considerable real estate holdings in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Ontario.
Real Estate
In June 2020, Russell listed his mansion in Hidden Hills, CA, for $8.5 million. The mansion is located within an exclusive gated community and spreads over 1.5 acres with a 20-car garage, 14-seat theater, billiard room, wet bar, and more. Neighbors include Vin Scully, Jeffree Star, and Paul George. He paid $6.5 million for the home in 2017. Russell sold this home in October 2020 for $7.8 million.
In 2014, he paid $4.75 million for an ocean-view home in Malibu, California. He listed this home in 2016 for an optimistic $12 million. As of this writing, he has not found a buyer for the property whose asking price has been cut to a slightly more reasonable $8 million. In the meantime, the house is actually rented full-time with a lease that costs at least $20,000 per month.
Russell owns several fairly modest properties in Las Vegas just off the strip and a 4,000-square-foot home 20 minutes out in the suburbs. Back in Canada, Russell owns a 9,500-square-foot mansion in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke, which he bought in 2019 for $5.4 million.
Encino Mansion With OJ Simpson & Kardashian Connection
In October 2020, Russell paid $5.6 million for a mansion in Encino, California that has an interesting connection to O.J. Simpson and Robert Kardashian, the late father of the famous brood.
In June of 1994, OJ Simpson was indicted for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. When living at his own Brentwood mansion became overwhelming due to the media circus, OJ moved in with his lawyer and longtime friend, Robert Kardashian. At the time, Robert was leasing a home located at 16254 Mandalay Drive in Encino, California. When he was living with Kardashian, O.J. was actually sleeping in the teenage Kim Kardashian's bedroom (Kim primarily stayed with her mother, Kris Kardashian; their parents divorced in 1991).
On the day OJ was indicted, police called Robert's landline at the home and requested the lawyer deliver his client to police headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. At some point, Al Cowlings showed up in his White Ford Bronco, and when no one was paying attention, the two escaped out a back door and drove off. A few hours later, the most famous car chase of all time ensued.
The owners of the home sold it in 1997 for $830,000. Robert died in 2003. The home sold again in 2016 for $1.3 million after being listed over and over for years. These buyers performed a major renovation. They sold the property to Russell in October 2020 for $5.6 million. Russell listed the home for sale several times over his brief stint as owner. He listed the home for $7 million a year after buying. By January 2024, he had lowered the price to $6.2 million. Here's a video tour from before Russell bought the home:
