Net Worth Ranker
What Is John Langley’s Net Worth?
At the time of his death on June 26, 2021, John Langley, the prominent figure behind the reality television show “COPS,” had a net worth estimated at $200 million. This substantial net worth was accumulated over a career spanning several decades in the entertainment industry, primarily through his work as a television and film director, writer, and producer.
Sources of John Langley’s $200 Million Net Worth
The cornerstone of John Langley’s financial success was undoubtedly “COPS,” a television series he created and executive produced. The show ran for over three decades, generating substantial revenue through syndication deals, DVD sales, and international broadcasting rights. While specific annual salary figures for Langley are not publicly available, it’s evident that his income was directly proportional to the show’s sustained popularity and profitability. The show aired 1,072 episodes over 31 seasons between 1989 and 2019.
Adding to his income, Langley also executive produced other TV series such as “The Tony Rock Project,” “Vegas Strip,” “Las Vegas Jailhouse,” “Undercover Stings,” and “Jail”. The cumulative earnings from these projects contributed to his overall financial success.
Beyond his entertainment ventures, Langley’s real estate holdings further bolstered his net worth. Langley Productions was located at 1111 Broadway in Santa Monica. Langley acquired the property in 2004 for $1.9 million. Today the real estate is likely worth $5-10 million.
Langley and his wife of 40+ years Maggie also owned several properties in Manhattan Beach, California. In 1994 they bought a beachfront home for $400,000. They eventually acquired the lot next door and built a massive property that today would likely sell for $20-25 million. They acquired another Manhattan Beach home in October 2018 for $4.9 million. In 2005 the Langley’s paid $3.5 million to buy a seven-bedroom home in Ojai, California. Today this 11-acre property is likely worth $7-8 million. In 2015 John and Maggie listed a home in Santa Monica for sale for $2.1 million.
The Langleys also had ventures in the restaurant industry, briefly owning a restaurant in Manhattan Beach called Avanue and co-owning a restaurant in Ojai called Auberge. Upon opening Auberge restaurant, they also acquired the building in which the restaurant was located. Since 2015 the building has been home to Nocciola. John and Maggie also produced their own line of Argentinian wines.
Details of Langley’s Early Career and the Making of “COPS”
John Langley’s journey to becoming a television mogul began with his service in the intelligence unit of the United States Army from 1961 to 1963. In 1971 he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from California State University, Dominguez Hills. He then earned a master’s degree in literature and composition.
Early in his TV career, John worked as a publicist before teaming up with fellow producer Malcolm Barbour to make a documentary called “Cocaine Blues”. Cocaine Blues caught the attention of Geraldo Rivera who in 1986 teamed up with Langley and Barbour to produce a show called American Vice: The Doping of a Nation. This show was revolutionary because it showed three drug arrests on live TV for the first time in history. The show was a hit and an entire TV genre was born.
Langley and co-creator Malcolm Barbour unsuccessfully shopped around the pilot episode of COPS for several years. In 1987, a young development executive named Stephen Chao was looking for cheap programming to put on the upstart Fox Television Network which recently had a massive hit with America’s Most Wanted. It also helped that at the time, Hollywood was in the middle of a television writer’s strike. That made COPS, which did not require a single union actor or writer, especially appealing. When Chao saw the COPS pilot he instantly recognized the hit potential. COPS premiered on March 11, 1989. It was moved to primetime in 1991 with two back-to-back episodes in the 8pm time slot.
The financial impact of “COPS” cannot be overstated. From 1989 to 2019, the show aired 1,072 episodes over 31 seasons. It has been syndicated all over the world on multiple networks. The show was actually canceled by Fox in 2013, but it was quickly picked back up by Spike TV. DVD sales of “COPS” generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Fox and Langley Productions.
Langley was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6667 Hollywood Blvd. in 2011. Langley was also nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Informational Series for “COPS”.
John Langley died on June 26, 2021 reportedly from a heart attack while competing in a coast-to-coast off-road race in Baja California, Mexico. He was 78. He was survived by wife Maggie, two sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren.
