Seth MacFarlane Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Seth MacFarlane’s net worth and salary?

With a net worth of $300 million, Seth MacFarlane, an American producer, writer, voice actor, singer, and comedian, has achieved remarkable success. It’s a dream for anyone to create even ONE hit television show for a major network along with lucrative syndication, DVD, and merchandise sales, yet MacFarlane has accomplished this feat multiple times – four, to be precise. He is the creative force behind “Family Guy,” “American Dad,” “The Cleveland Show,” and “The Orville.”

Additionally, he has written, directed, and produced several films, including “Ted” (2012), which grossed over $500 million, “Ted 2” (2015), with earnings just shy of $200 million, and “A Million Ways to Die in the West” (2014), which made $80 million, effectively doubling its budget.

In recognition of his achievements, McFarlane received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2020.

Early Life

Born in Kent, Connecticut, on October 26, 1973, Seth MacFarlane is a distant relative of Mayflower passenger William Brewster. His passion for illustration began in childhood, influenced by cartoons like Woody Woodpecker and Fred Flintstone. Remarkably, by the age of five, Seth had already resolved to pursue a career in animation. At nine, he launched his first comic, “Walter Crouton,” published weekly in The Kent Good Times Dispatch, earning $5 a week from it, marking his initial foray into paid work.

RISD

During his high school years, Seth started making short films utilizing his parents’ 8mm camera. He went on to study film, video, and animation at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he met a classmate named Patrick Henry. Patrick later introduced Seth to his brother Mike Henry, an aspiring stand-up comedian and actor, who would collaborate with MacFarlane on various projects. Mike Henry went on to voice characters such as Cleveland Brown, Herbert, Consuela, and Bruce. Together, in 2009, Mike and Seth co-created “The Cleveland Show,” which ran for four seasons with a total of 88 episodes until 2013.

Hanna-Barbera

As a senior at RISD, Seth produced a thesis film entitled “The Life of Larry.” His professor presented the film to executives at Hanna-Barbera, who were so impressed that they offered Seth a job on the spot. He contributed to several projects for Hanna-Barbera. In 1996, he developed a reimagined version of his thesis, “Larry & Steve,” featuring a charming yet dimwitted middle-aged character named Larry and his astute dog, Steve. Does that sound familiar?

Family Guy

Following the viewing of “Larry & Steve,” Fox executives encouraged Seth to present a show idea. Although Fox initially rejected his pitch, they soon changed their minds after the unexpected success of “King of the Hill” in 1997, inviting Seth back to pitch again. Ultimately, Fox agreed to fund a pilot but only allocated a minuscule budget of $50,000. For context, most animated prime-time shows typically had budgets of about $1 million per episode at that time.

Over the course of six months, Seth created what he would later describe as a rudimentarily animated film. The pilot captivated the Fox executives, and they promptly ordered a complete season. At the young age of 24, Seth achieved tremendous success.

the youngest executive producer in television history up to that time.

On January 31, 1999, “Family Guy” made its debut immediately following Fox’s airing of Super Bowl XXXIII. The first episode attracted an audience of 22 million viewers, and the initial season’s success led to a renewal for a second season. However, during the second season, the show encountered fierce competition in the 9 PM Thursday timeslot, resulting in a significant drop in ratings. While Fox officially canceled the program in May 2000 after the second season, a last-minute decision led to the approval of a third season, which premiered in November 2001. Although the show began to achieve decent ratings, it was not sufficient. Ultimately, Family Guy was canceled officially in the summer of 2002.

The series gained popularity when reruns started airing on Cartoon Network, becoming the highest-rated show on the network and boosting its overall viewership by more than 200%. In 2003, the first and second seasons were released on DVD, with an impressive sales figure of 400,000 copies in the first week alone.

Millions of copies of Seasons 1 and 2 were sold, making them the top-selling DVDs in 2003 and 2004. Today, the collection of Season 1 and 2 ranks as the second best-selling TV DVD of all time, trailing only Chappelle’s Show. As a result, Fox decided to uncancel the show, reviving it for a fourth season in May 2005.

Syndication Revenue

Throughout the subsequent 15 years, Family Guy produced over 300 new episodes across 14 additional seasons. It has been syndicated internationally in numerous countries and languages. Between 2005 and 2008 alone, the show brought in over $1 billion in revenue — comprised of $400 million from syndication agreements, $400 million in DVD sales, and $200 million in merchandise income. To date, the total revenue generated by the show has reached several billion dollars from various income streams.

Currently, the price for a single syndicated episode stands at $2 million. Additionally, a 30-second commercial during new airings is priced at $200,000. The annual ad revenue generated by the show amounts to $500 million. More than 500 merchandise items related to Family Guy have been licensed to major retailers, including Wal-Mart and Target, contributing an additional $100 million in revenue per year.

Seth MacFarlane’s Earnings

The animation industry, as exemplified by MacFarlane, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Matt Groening, proves to be incredibly lucrative.

From 2005 to 2008, Fox paid MacFarlane $2 million annually for his role as showrunner. In 2009, he secured a 5-year deal worth $100 million to continue managing his animation domain, marking the largest and most expensive contract in television history at that time. Notably, these salary figures do not encompass DVD or merchandise rights, which are estimated to yield Seth an additional $20 million each year!

In 2020, Seth and his Fuzzy Door production company were enticed away from their long-standing base at Fox with a deal from Universal worth $200 million over five years.

Other Work

Seth also created and serves as executive producer for “American Dad,” which premiered in 2005 and continues to run successfully to this day, boasting over 350 episodes.

More than 20 seasons have seen production.

Co-creating “The Cleveland” show, Seth contributed to its run from 2009 to 2013.

He has taken on roles as a writer, director, and producer for several films. His 2012 release “Ted” earned over $500 million at the box office. Meanwhile, the 2015 sequel, “Ted 2,” generated just shy of $200 million. The western film “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” released in 2014, made $80 million, effectively doubling its budget.

In 2016, he launched the live-action Fox series named “The Orville.”

Additionally, Seth has put out five musical albums and frequently performs as part of a big band.

Real Estate

Seth has called a substantial mansion in Beverly Hills his primary residence since 2008 after purchasing it for $13.5 million. In 2019, he acquired another property in Malibu, California, for $15.7 million.

Personal Life

Having remained a lifelong bachelor, Seth has been romantically associated with numerous attractive actresses. His brief romance with Eliza Dushku was followed by a relationship with Emilia Clarke from 2012 to 2013. At present, he is unmarried and has no children.