Kevin James Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Kevin James’ Net Worth and Salary?

Kevin James is a multi-talented American comedian, actor, writer, and producer with a net worth estimated at $100 million. His rise in the entertainment industry resembles the dream scenario many stand-up comedians envision. He transitioned from performing on the stand-up circuit in the late ’80s to making appearances on popular talk shows like “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” and “Dennis Miller Live.” Following this, he guest-starred on his friend Ray Romano’s sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” before landing the lead role in his own hit sitcom, “The King of Queens.” The series enjoyed a successful run of nine seasons, during which Kevin also produced his own comedy special and began his film career. His cinematic debut came in 2005 with “Hitch,” alongside Will Smith, which turned out to be a significant success. Since that breakthrough, he has been featured in several films, including “Grilled,” “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” “Grown Ups,” “The Dilemma,” and “The Zookeeper.”

Salary

During the show’s middle seasons, Kevin’s earnings per episode on “The King of Queens” reached $300,000. In the final seasons, he earned $400,000 per episode. Additionally, as an executive producer and stakeholder in the show’s backend equity, he has accrued over $50 million through syndication deals so far.

Early Life

On April 26, 1965, Kevin George Knipfing was born in Mineola, New York. He is widely recognized by his stage name, Kevin James. He grew up in Stony Brook, New York, alongside his brother, Gary Valentine, who is also a comedian and actor, as well as their sister Leslie. His mother, Janet, worked as an office employee, while his father, Joseph Valentine Knipfing Jr., owned an insurance agency. Kevin graduated from Ward Melville High School, where he participated in the wrestling team, and furthered his education at the State University of New York at Cortland. However, a back injury he sustained while playing for the varsity football team curtailed his athletic pursuits.

Career Beginnings

In 1989, James made his stand-up comedy debut at the East Side Comedy Club on Long Island, under the management of Richie Minervini. As his popularity soared, he began making appearances on various talk shows, including “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Dennis Miller Live,” “The Late Late Show,” “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.”

Acting Career

With his comedic timing and improvisation skills honed from stand-up, Kevin secured his first television role in 1991 on “The New Candid Camera,” where he played the part of an actor executing practical jokes on unsuspecting subjects. Between 1994 and 1996, he served as the announcer for MTV’s sports game show “SandBlast.” After relocating to Los Angeles and befriending Ray Romano, James made guest appearances in several episodes of Romano’s CBS sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond.” This led to the chance for him to create his own sitcom; thus, “The King of Queens” debuted on CBS from September…from 1998 until May 2007, Kevin portrayed Doug Heffernan, a working-class parcel delivery man residing in Queens, New York. For his performance in the eighth season of the show, James received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.

Kevin made a cameo appearance in the 2004 comedy film “50 First Dates.” He subsequently starred in his first leading role in the 2005 romantic comedy “Hitch.” Afterward, he took part in various films including “Grilled” (2006), “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry” (2007), “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” (2008), and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” (2009). Notably, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” achieved remarkable financial success, with $39 million in box office sales during its opening weekend in the U.S. and a cumulative total of $219 million from ticket sales and home video. This success led to the creation of a sequel, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” (2015). James not only acted in both films but also contributed as a writer and producer.

In the ensemble comedy “Grown Ups” (2010), Kevin appeared, which, despite receiving unfavorable reviews from critics, was a box office hit, followed by its 2013 sequel “Grown Ups 2.” Continuing his career in comedy films, James featured in “The Dilemma” (2011) alongside Vince Vaughn, starred in and produced “Zookeeper” (2011), produced “Here Comes the Boom,” and worked on “Pixels” (2015). He has also been involved in Netflix productions, including “True Memoirs of an International Assassin” (2016) and “Sandy Wexler” (2017).

Besides his film work, he has lent his voice to animated features such as “Monster House” (2006), “Barnyard” (2006), “Hotel Transylvania” (2012), “Hotel Transylvania 2” (2015), and “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” (2018). Kevin returned to the small screen in September 2016 with his sitcom “Kevin Can Wait,” which lasted for two seasons until May 2018. In 2020, he starred in the movies “Becky” and “Hubie Halloween” and portrayed Kevin Gibson in the television series “The Crew” in 2021. Additionally, he played Sean Payton in “Home Team,” released in 2022. Kevin is anticipated to star in the forthcoming action-comedy film “Guns Up.”

Other Work

During the promotional tour for “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry” in 2007, James took on the role of grand marshal for the Pepsi 400 NASCAR Cup Series race. He reprised this honor in 2010 to promote “Grown Ups,” again in 2012 for the fall Talladega race while promoting “Here Comes the Boom,” and in July 2013 at the Coke-Zero 400 during the promotion for “Grown Ups 2.”

In July 2009, the web series “Dusty Peacock” premiered on Crackle. This series was produced by James and featured his brother Gary Valentine.

James rejuvenated his YouTube channel in February 2020, sharing short videos “based on thin premises.” As of August 2023, he has grown his subscriber count to 958k, accumulating over 75 million views.

Personal Life

On June 19, 2004, James wed actress Steffiana de la Cruz in California, after they initially met on a blind date in 2001. The couple has four children together.

Real Estate

In 2012, Kevin and Steffiana acquired a property for $18.5 million.for a lavish oceanfront home in Delray Beach, Florida. The following year, they invested $4.25 million in the vacant lot next door, aiming to develop an impressively extravagant compound. Just steps from the beach, the primary mansion boasts eight bedrooms and ten and a half bathrooms, spanning across 1.85 acres. The compound features an expansive courtyard, impressive floor-to-ceiling windows, a beautiful stone verandah, multiple fireplaces, a pool room, a backyard pool, and a large garage. In 2016, they attempted to sell the nearly 3-acre property for $29 million but did not find a buyer. Ultimately, Kevin succeeded in selling the property in 2016 to an LLC for an undisclosed amount that is widely recognized to be $27 million.

The annual property taxes on the compound were approximately $500,000 during Kevin’s ownership. Here is a video tour of Kevin James’ former Florida mansion:

Previously, Kevin owned several residences in Los Angeles, with the most notable sale occurring in 2013 for $5.5 million.

In February 2020, Kevin and Steffiana acquired a new mansion in Delray Beach for $14 million. This 18,906-square-foot property overlooks the Atlantic Ocean in the highly sought-after area of Delray Beach, just north of stylish Boca Raton. The estate is surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds. There is a five-car garage connected to the main residence. The home is equipped with an elevator, high-end finishes, a recreational area, and a wine cellar. The patio offers an outdoor kitchen complete with a built-in grill, as well as a pool located only a few steps from the ocean. Additionally, there is a guest house featuring one bedroom and one bathroom. In 2022, he listed this property for nearly $20 million but ultimately accepted $12.67 million in May 2023.