Net Worth Ranker
What Is Whoopi Goldberg’s Net Worth?
Whoopi Goldberg, a multifaceted American entertainer, boasts a net worth of $30 million. This substantial wealth is the culmination of a successful career spanning film, television, stage, and authorship. Goldberg’s journey to financial success began in the mid-1980s and continues to this day, primarily through her work as a television talk show host and her various creative endeavors.
Whoopi Goldberg’s Salary and Career Highlights
Goldberg’s annual salary from “The View” is $8 million, contributing significantly to her overall income. This role, which she began in 2007, involves moderating and co-hosting the daytime talk show, where she engages in discussions on current events and social issues.
Her career milestones include winning a Grammy Award in 1986 for Best Comedy Recording (“Whoopi Goldberg: Direct From Broadway”). In 1991, she secured an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Ghost.” She joined the exclusive EGOT club in 2002, winning a Tony Award for Best Musical for “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and a Daytime Emmy for her work in “Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel.”
Goldberg’s breakout role came in 1985 with “The Color Purple,” for which she earned an Academy Award nomination. She solidified her place in Hollywood with roles in “Ghost” (1990), “Sister Act” (1992), and as the voice of Shenzi in “The Lion King” (1994). In 1994, she became the first African American woman to host the Oscars.
In the 1990s, “Sister Act” grossed over $200 million, earning Goldberg a Golden Globe nomination. During this decade, she starred in films such as “Corrina, Corrina” and “The Little Rascals.” From 1998 to 2004, she co-produced “Hollywood Squares.”
In 2010, Goldberg starred in Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls,” which grossed over $38 million worldwide. That same year, she lent her voice to “Toy Story 3,” a critical and commercial success. In 2018, she appeared in another Tyler Perry film, “Nobody’s Fool,” alongside Tiffany Haddish.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born Caryn Elaine Johnson on November 13, 1955, in New York City, Goldberg attended St. Columba’s in the Chelsea-Elliot area. She later dropped out of high school and briefly resided in East Germany before engaging in theater productions. After relocating to Berkeley, she held various jobs, including waiting tables and bricklaying. She joined the Blake Street Hawkeyes theater group, teaching comedy and acting classes while participating in various theater productions.
Her initial onscreen appearance was in “Citizen: I’m Not Losing My Mind, I’m Giving It Away” in 1982. In 1983, she created “Whoopi Goldberg,” a one-woman show comprising different character monologues. The play ran for 156 performances on Broadway.
In 1985, Steven Spielberg cast her as Cecile in “The Color Purple.” This film was a critical and commercial success, earning 11 Oscar nominations, including one for Goldberg as Best Actress.
Real Estate Ventures
In 1993, Goldberg acquired a home in LA’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood for $2.6 million. She listed this property for $8.8 million in January 2018 and sold it a month later for $8.795 million.
She previously owned a 745-acre farm in Vermont, which she sold for $2 million. Additionally, she sold an apartment in Manhattan in 2010 for $3 million and a home in Berkeley in 2015 for $2.05 million.
Her primary residence is a large estate in West Orange, New Jersey, which she purchased in 2009 for just under $3 million. These real estate transactions have contributed to Whoopi Goldberg Net Worth’s Net Worth.
Other Ventures and Accolades
Goldberg cofounded Whoopi & Maya, a company producing medical cannabis products for women, which ceased operations in February 2020. In 2021, she launched “Emma & Clyde,” a new line of cannabis products named after her late mother and brother.
She has been nominated for over 20 Emmy Awards for “The View,” winning the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2009. She is one of the few entertainers to have won Grammy, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony awards (EGOT).
In addition to her Golden Globe for “Ghost,” Goldberg also won a BAFTA for that role. In 1990, she was named an honorary member of the Harlem Globetrotters. In 2001, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In 2017, she was named a Disney Legend for her contributions to the Walt Disney Company. Overall, she has won more than 50 awards and has been nominated for over 80 more.
Goldberg received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001 at 6841 Hollywood Blvd. It was rumored that she was the highest-paid actress in film during the 1990s.
Activism and Personal Life
Goldberg is a long-time supporter of LGBTQ rights, receiving the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Vanguard Award in 1999 for her advocacy. She participated in the 1987 March On Washington, supporting LGBTQ rights and AIDS awareness. In April 2010, she launched Give a Damn with Cyndi Lauper and other celebrities to raise awareness about discrimination against the LGBT community.
In 1978, she witnessed a plane crash in San Diego, leading to PTSD and a lifelong fear of flying. She has been married three times and had high-profile relationships with actors Ted Danson and Frank Langella. She was married to Alvin Martin (1973-1979), David Claessen (1986-1988), and Lyle Trachtenberg (1994-1995). She has a daughter, Alexandrea Martin, who is also an actress and producer, and she had Alexandrea when she was 18 years old. She has three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Goldberg has admitted to being a former drug addict and suffers from dyslexia. She also spoke out about her abortion in 1991’s “The Choices We Made: Twenty-Five Women and Men Speak Out About Abortion.” Her mother passed away in 2010 after suffering a stroke, and her brother, Clyde, died of a brain aneurysm in 2015.
