Tom Kenny Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Tom Kenny’s Net Worth?

Tom Kenny, an American actor, comedian, and singer, boasts a net worth of $16 million. He is primarily recognized for voicing the main character in “SpongeBob SquarePants,” along with various other parts in the series such as Gary the Snail, Patchy the Pirate, and the narrator of the show. Besides his contributions to “SpongeBob SquarePants,” Kenny has lent his voice to characters in multiple other series, including “Rocko’s Modern Life,” “Adventure Time,” “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “Johnny Bravo,” and “Talking Tom and Friends.”

Additionally, he has made significant contributions to video games, notably as the lead in the “Spyro the Dragon” series. Kenny has also ventured into live-action roles in comedy variety shows like “The Edge” and “Mr. Show.” Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including two Daytime Emmy Awards and two Annie Awards. Interestingly, his wife, Jilly Talley, voices Karen in “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Early Life

Born Thomas James Kenny on July 13th, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, he discovered a love for music in his youth and began amassing a record collection. In first grade, he crossed paths with Bobcat Goldthwait, and they have remained close friends ever since. As teenagers, they shared their debut experience at an open mic night, which ignited their stand-up comedy careers, drawing inspiration from Barry Crimmins, who headlined their first comedy show. During this time, Kenny attended a Catholic high school and subsequently enrolled in college, later pursuing stand-up comedy nationwide for eight years after graduation.

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Career

Eventually, Kenny shifted from stand-up comedy to film and television projects. His television debut occurred in 1989 with “How I Got Into College.” He later featured in the 1991 film “Shakes the Clown” and 2004’s “Comic Book: The Movie.” In the early 90s, he became a staple on the sketch comedy series “The Edge” and frequently appeared on the comedy sketch show “Mr. Show” in the mid-to-late 90s. Despite transitioning primarily to voice acting, Tom has portrayed the live-action character Patchy the Pirate in “SpongeBob SquarePants,” as well as securing live-action roles in “The Haunting Hour.”

Kenny’s initial venture into voice acting began with “Rocko’s Modern Life,” where he auditioned for multiple roles and ultimately won the part of Heffer Wolfe. Even though “Rocko’s Modern Life” was canceled, it opened up numerous further opportunities for Kenny in the voice acting realm.

He has voiced characters in various animated series targeted at children, particularly those from Nickelodeon. His credits include “The Fairly Odd Parents,” “Camp Lazlo,” “CatDog,” “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends,” “WorldGirl,” “Codename Kids Next Door,” “Rick and Morty,” “Transformers Animated,” “Dilbert,” “Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force GO!,” “Adventure Time,” and many more. Otherroles included “Clarence,” “Henry Hugglemonster,” “Ducktales,” and “Miles from Tomorrowland.”

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In superhero animated series, he is also recognized for portraying various roles. In the 2004 animated series “The Batman,” Kenny took on the character of Penguin. Additionally, he voiced Dr. Otto Octavius in “The Ultimate Spider-Man.” Beyond children’s animations, Tom has secured a variety of voice-acting roles in more adult-oriented series, such as “Sit Down, Shut Up,” “Brickleberry,” among others. Moreover, he has been quite prominent in the video game industry, first voicing Spyro in the game “Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!” Following this 1999 release, he continued to reprise his role as Spyro through all subsequent releases until “Spyro: A Hero’s Tail” in 2004. Although he eventually was replaced, Kenny persisted in voicing other characters in Spyro games and later reprised the main role in “Spyro: Reignited Trilogy.”

Of course, it was “SpongeBob SquarePants” where Kenny found significant acclaim. His involvement with this project started after “Rocko’s Modern Life” was canceled. During this time, he linked up with marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, who had also been a part of “Rocko’s Modern Life.” When Hillenburg created his concept for “SpongeBob SquarePants,” he reached out to Kenny in 1997, offering the title role. The show debuted in 1999 and went on to achieve remarkable success, both commercially and critically.

In addition to voicing SpongeBob, Kenny provides the voices for characters like Gary the Snail, the French Narrator, Patchy the Pirate, and SpongeBob’s father, Harold SquarePants. Alongside his contributions to the animated series, he has lent his voice to the title character in multiple films. For his work on the series, he was honored with an Annie Award in 2010, and he also secured Daytime Emmy Awards for his role in both 2018 and 2020.

Tom has shared that he crafted SpongeBob’s voice by balancing a tone representative of a child and that of an adult, achieving what he describes as a “child-man” reminiscent of Stan Laurel or Jerry Lewis.

Personal Life & Real Estate

Kenny’s future wife, Jill Talley, crossed his path in 1992. Talley, also a voice actor, met Tom while they were working on “The Edge.” They tied the knot in 1995. Together, Tom and Jill have collaborated on various projects, including “SpongeBob SquarePants,” where Jill voices Karen Plankton. Additionally, they both appeared in a music video for the Smashing Pumpkins. Their first child was born in 1997, and a second child followed in 2003. The family resides in Studio City, California.

In 2000, Tom and Jill acquired a 4,000-square-foot house in Studio City, California, for $500,000. Presently, this home is valued at approximately $3 million.