How Much Amy Schumer Is Really Worth
Amy Schumer has made a stunning transformation over the years. Starting out as someone who was just trying to make their name in show business, she's gone on to become a Hollywood star who's gotten married and welcomed a baby boy into the world (and changed his admittedly unfortunate name) — all while managing to establish the kind of career that's brought her fame and fortune. However, both of those aspects have stirred up buzz when it comes to just how much money the star makes.
Schumer sparked headlines in 2017 when news started circulating regarding how much she was paid for her Netflix stand-up special, The Leather Special. "Schumer, who had a lucrative $11 million Netflix deal, reportedly went back to the streaming service and asked for more money after finding out that Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock were making gargantuan $20 million paydays from their own Netflix deals," Vanity Fair reported. Apparently, while "that juicy morsel of information pleased advocates for closing the Hollywood wage gap... it also sparked an online debate, with critics thrashing Schumer for apparently believing she deserved equal pay to two comedy legends."
Schumer responded by "saying she would never seek to get equal pay to Chappelle and Rock — just that she used the information as negotiation leverage to sweeten her deal," per VF. Despite the fact that she may not have the earning potential of the two older comedians, she's still worth a decent amount of money, in part thanks to another lucrative endeavor.
A book (not movies) led to one of Amy Schumer's biggest paydays
Amy Schumer has remained busy with money-making roles over years, including 2015's Trainwreck, alongside Bill Hader; 2017's Snatched with Goldie Hawn; and 2018's I Feel Pretty, which co-starred Michelle Williams and Emily Ratajkowski. These are the kind of gigs that have helped the comedic star build up a fortune that sits at around $16 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
While a fair share of that amount surely comes from her movie deals, and she obviously made a lot of money thanks to her Netflix special — Variety notes that her pay was "significantly more" than the $11 million she was originally offered from the streaming service — she also earned a surprising amount of money for her biography, The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo.
"Simon & Schuster's imprint Gallery Books reportedly paid Amy $9 million for the rights to her [book] which was published in 2016," Celebrity Net Worth explains. As impressive as that is, what makes it even more notable is that "at $9 million, Amy now officially holds the third-place record for highest book advance of all time, behind Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton (#1 at $15 million and #2 at $14 million)." Apparently, this is one star who's able to make money by being funny on-screen and in print.