How much is Jada Pinkett Smith worth?
| Net Worth: | $10 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actress |
| Date of Birth: | September 18, 1971 (age 51) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 4 ft 11 in (1.52 m) |
About Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Koren Pinkett Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Adrienne Banfield-Jones, a nurse, and Robsol Grant Pinkett, Jr., a contractor. Jada had only just been born when her parents divorced. Her father is of African-American descent and her mother, who is from Barbados and Jamaica, is of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. Jada was always obsessed with dancing and she majored in dance and choreography at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where one of her classmates was Tupac Shakur. She then spent a year at the North Carolina School of the Arts, however later decided to drop out, had quit dating Shakur, and relocated to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
Jada got her start by landing walk-on roles in a variety of TV series including Doogie Howser, M.D., and 21 Jump Street. She was still struggling to make ends meet but that all changed when she was cast as Lena James in A Different World, in 1991. Jada appeared in 47 episodes over the next two years. She became known as being part of the television sitcom, an image that she transformed when she appeared as Ronnie, in Menace II Society in 1993. Even having appeared in a feature length movie and on a scheduled sitcom, it still wasn’t enough for her to be able to thrive as an actress. Her small role in the film did not gain widespread recognition and it appeared like her acting career was over before it had even begun.
That all changed for her when she was cast in the role of Carla Purty opposite Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996). The film was a major success and led to roles in more mainstream films like Set It Off and Scream 2. The year after her breakthrough with The Nutty Professor, Jada married her longtime actor/musician boyfriend Will Smith.
The couple had originally met when Jada auditioned for the role of Will’s girlfriend on his TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. However, Jada was considered “too short” compared to Will Smith who was 6’2, and Nia Long was eventually cast instead. Despite the couple already being split apart, Jada caught Will’s eye and they began dating in 1995. While suddenly now being in a relationship with a superstar, Jada continued to spread her wings. She was not only passionate and talented at acting, but she was also excellent behind the camera as well. She began directing, first some of Will Smith’s music videos, and then later, the feature length film The Human Contract in which she also starred. She also began producing, she even produced 24 episodes of the TV series Hawthorne, which she starred in and earned $150,000 per episode.
Will wasn’t the only musical one, either. Jada began pursuing her singing career and founded her own band, Wicked Wisdom, in 2002. Wicked Wisdom, for which Jada is the lead singer, opened for Britney Spears’ tour in 2002. The band also landed the second stage slot at Ozzfest, in 2005.
The power couple founded the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation which works with inner-city youth in Jada’s hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. Philanthropy has been a part of Jada’s life for decades; she has worked with The Lupus Foundation, the Hollywood Education and Literacy Program (HELP) and donated $1 million dollars to the Baltimore School of the Arts in memory of her close friend Tupac Shakur.
Jada’s Total Net Worth
Pinkett Smith’s career may have slowed down as an actress, but she has been very busy as a producer. Ever since the TV series, Hawthorne, which she starred in and also produced 24 of the 30 episodes, she has been working diligently behind the scenes. She earned $150,000 per episode of Hawthorne and has earned millions more from her film acting career. She has also earned as a talk show host, however her net worth is likely in no small part related to her investments, and her marriage to Will Smith. In total, Jada Pinkett Smith has earned estimated total career income of $35 million dollars.
Of that amount, $2-3 million is expected to have been paid in business related costs. The remainder, $32.5 million, will have been taxed at a rate of around 48% as Jada Pinkett Smith has been residing in the state of California and earned through some lower tax years compared to today. After tax, it is estimated that her career earnings are at around $16.9 million dollars, having paid $15.6 million dollars in taxes.
Will and Jada have two children together: son Jaden, born in 1998 and daughter Willow, born in 2000. Jada is also step-mother to Smith’s child from an earlier marriage, son Trey. Jaden is an actor and singer as is his younger sister, Willow. The family’s 100-acre home in Malibu has served as home base for this Hollywood royal family. However, there has been some talk of a divorce between Will and Jada. If these rumors are true, under California law, a division of assets would be asked for which would result in Jada’s net worth becoming around five or six times higher than it is today.
A major reason why she is worth what she is today, is because of her investments along with Will Smith. Together the pair have bought and sold property in California, it is estimated that they own around $80-100 million dollars worth of property in the state. They have also sold property in Hawaii, including selling an oceanfront property for $20 million to the daughter of billionaire Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, Ekaterina, in 2011.
Jada Pinkett Smith personally is likely worth somewhere in the region of $10 million dollars. However, if one factors in her net worth including a division of marital assets, it could be considered over $150 million.
Summing-Up
As an actress, philanthropist, author, director, singer, mother and wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith’s career has been one of the most diverse in Hollywood. Known for her films like The Nutty Professor, Madagascar, Ali, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, this Baltimore, Maryland native discovered her passion for the stage at a young age when her grandmother enrolled her in piano and dance classes. She fell in love with performing and never looked back dropping out to pursue her career in acting. Her big break came in 1991 when she was cast in the part of a college frosh on the A Different World (1987). She made her feature film debut two years later in Menace II Society (1993).
