Andrew Dice Clay Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Andrew Dice Clay’s Net Worth?

Andrew Dice Clay, known as “The Diceman,” is an American comedian and actor whose net worth stands at $10 million. Rising to fame in the 1980s, he was recognized as a controversial stand-up comedian, celebrated for his confrontational style and explicit content. His character, “The Diceman,” was characterized by a tough-talking Brooklyn accent and a leather-clad look. Clay became infamous for his nursery rhymes infused with profanity and sexual themes.

In 1990, he achieved the milestone of being the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden for two nights in a row. Despite his success, his edgy material drew criticism, with various commentators deeming his humor misogynistic and offensive. In 1989, Andrew faced a ban from MTV after delivering adult-themed nursery rhymes during the MTV Video Music Awards; this ban, however, was lifted in 2011.

Clay’s career peaked with appearances in films such as “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane” (1990), yet by the mid-1990s, his fame began to diminish. A resurgence occurred in the 2010s, marked by roles in television shows like “Entourage” and “Dice,” a series based on his life. In 2018, Andrew portrayed Lady Gaga’s character’s father in “A Star is Born.” That same year, he launched the “I’m Ova Hea’ Now” podcast.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Early Life

Born Andrew Clay Silverstein on September 29, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York, Andrew Dice Clay was raised in a Jewish family alongside his mother Jacqueline, father Fred (who worked as a real estate agent and boxer), and a sister. At the young age of 5, he began entertaining his family with impressions, and by age 7, he had taken up the drums. During his teenage years, he attended James Madison High School, where he played percussion at weddings and bar mitzvahs in the Catskills. After completing high school, Andrew enrolled in Kingsborough Community College but chose to leave to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.

Career

Clay’s journey into comedy began in 1978 when he auditioned at Pips Comedy Club and secured a headlining spot at the Sheepshead Bay venue the following week under the stage name Andrew Clay. His performances initially centered on impressions, until he introduced his character “The Diceman,” inspired by Jerry Lewis’ Buddy Love from “The Nutty Professor” and John Travolta’s Danny Zuko from “Grease.” Shortly after, he started performing at renowned comedy venues such as The Improv, Dangerfield’s, and Catch a Rising Star, before relocating to Los Angeles in 1980. Mitzi Shore granted Dice the opportunity to perform late-night sets at The Comedy Store, leading to his film debut in the 1982 slasher parody “Wacko.” The following year, he officially integrated “Diceman” into his name, ceased his impression routines, and fully developed “The Diceman” persona, first showcasing it at The Comedy Store. His notable performances led to guest appearances on shows like “M*A*S*H” (1982) and “Diff’rent Strokes” (1982–1983), along with movie roles in “Making the Grade” (1984) and “Pretty in Pink” (1986). Additionally, he played a recurring role on NBC’s “Crime Story” from 1986 to 1988, featuring in 13 episodes.

In 1988, Clay’s stand-up at a Big Brother Association event was so successful that 20th Century Fox approached him the following day with a movie deal.

In that year, national attention came his way when he featured in HBO’s “Nothing Goes Right,” showcasing Rodney Dangerfield’s stand-up comedy. “Performance” magazine honored Andrew as Comedy Act of the Year in 1989, and he released his debut album, “Dice,” in March of that same year, which received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Following a 3-minute set at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1989, MTV banned him from the network. He then released his second album, “The Day the Laughter Died,” in March 1990, which achieved a #39 rank on the “Billboard 200” chart.

In 1990, Clay became the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden in NYC for two consecutive nights. In May of that year, he hosted “Saturday Night Live,” which caused cast member Nora Dunn and planned musical guest Sinead O’Connor to refuse participation in the show. Additionally, Andrew starred in the film “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane,” for which he earned a Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.

(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

In 1991, Clay launched his production company, Fleebin Dabble Productions, and that same year saw the release of his stand-up concert film “Dice Rules.” The film had a restricted theatrical release due to its controversial content. He signed a contract with ABC in 1993, but network management chose to drop his proposed one-hour drama, believing he was too controversial. His pay-per-view special “No Apologies,” released in July 1993, sold over 250,000 purchases, while the follow-up special “The Valentine’s Day Massacre” was bought by around 100,000 households in 1994. The year 1995 saw the release of Clay’s HBO special “Assume the Position” and the signing of a development deal with producer Bruce Helford and CBS, leading to the sitcom “Bless This House,” which aired for 16 episodes. During this period, Andrew began to shift away from the “Diceman” persona, increasingly discussing marriage and fatherhood in his performances while still retaining an edgy approach. In 1998, he issued a triple album titled “Filth” and made his inaugural appearance on the “Opie and Anthony” radio show.

In 2000, Clay returned to Madison Square Garden and released the stand-up specials “I’m Over Here Now” and “Banned for Life,” along with the album “Face Down, Ass Up.” He starred in a VH1 reality series called “Dice: Undisputed” in 2007 and participated in “The Celebrity Apprentice 2” in 2009, but was let go in the first week. Andrew made guest appearances on HBO’s “Entourage” and Fox’s “Raising Hope” in 2011, followed by a Showtime special titled “Indestructible” in the subsequent year. By 2013, he began co-hosting “Rollin’ with Dice and Wheels…The Podcast,” which aired until 2015, and appeared in the critically acclaimed film “Blue Jasmine.” In 2014, Clay published “The Filthy Truth,” and in 2018, he played a role in another acclaimed film, “A Star Is Born,” portraying the father of Lady Gaga’s character, Ally.

Personal Life

In 1984, Andrew married Kathy Swanson, but they divorced in 1986. In 1990, Kathy initiated a breach of contract lawsuit against Clay, seeking $6 million and alleging that he had deceptively persuaded her to hire their shared attorney as her divorce lawyer. In 1992, Andrew wed Kathleen Monica, and they welcomed sons into their family.Before their divorce in 2002, Maxwell and Dillon were married. Max, a stand-up comedian, had the opportunity to open for his father during tours. From 2010 to 2014, Clay was wed to Valerie Vasquez and was engaged to comedian Eleanor Kerrigan after dating her for eight years. In 2017, Dice underwent a stent placement in his heart due to exhaustion and dehydration, which led doctors to find a partially blocked artery during his hospital visit.

Real Estate

In 2003, Clay acquired a Hollywood house for $1.179 million and later bought a 4,461 square foot home in Las Vegas for $450,000 in 2006. Additionally, he owned a Hollywood home spanning 2,720 square feet, which he sold for $1.399 million in 2010.