The richest stars of Seinfeld ranked by net worth

Back in the late 1980s, a sitcom premiered on NBC that would change the face of television and comedy forever. Seinfeld might have been known as "the show about nothing," but its impact negates that popular description. For a series to strike such a chord with millions of fans around the world, it wasn't about nothing. In fact, it was about something very special.

Of course, what made Seinfeld so special was its cast members. Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, and Jason Alexander were the four main cast members for the entire nine-season run of the highly rated, Emmy-winning comedy series. Their collective chemistry and individual talents had (and still have) fans hooked on the misadventures of Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George.

It's no secret that because of the show's initial success, continued success in syndication, and further success on streaming, the core cast members have earned impressive salaries that continue to add up. Seinfeld has contributed to their net worths and still does, but which of the four stars has the highest estimated net worth? Let's rank each of them from highest to lowest.

Jerry Seinfeld

Estimated Net Worth: $925 million

As of February 2024, Jerry Seinfeld has an estimated net worth of about $925 million, making him very nearly a billionaire. His acquired wealth has mostly been earned from the sitcom and its various syndication deals, as well as his various specials and deals with Netflix. He and Larry David reportedly have ownership stakes of 15% in the series, and when Seinfeld went into syndication, both hilarious talents took home a staggering $255 million payday.

On top of his stand-up touring income (and Netflix special that paid him $20 million!), Seinfeld continues to earn money for his eponymous sitcom, with lucrative streaming deals with Hulu and Netflix allowing him a slice of those multi-million dollar pies. Not to mention, by the end of the show's run, he was making $1 million per episode, up from his beginning salary of $20K per episode. The actor and comedian also owns a number of luxury cars and homes that contribute to his overall net worth.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Estimated Net Worth: $250 million

A legend of the small screen with her record-setting eight Emmy Award acting wins (11 wins total if you include three wins as a producer), Julia Louis-Dreyfus has an estimated net worth of $250 million as of February 2024. While she was born into wealth, as her father was the French billionaire Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, she made a name for herself as a comedic actress through her work on Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld. She defied the so-called "Seinfeld curse" to lead two more successful sitcoms.

Louis-Dreyfus has earned her net worth through her various work in film and television, mainly in the post-Seinfeld shows The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep. By the end of her nine-season run as Elaine in Seinfeld, she was reportedly making about $600K per episode. Unlike Seinfeld and David, Louis-Dreyfus doesn't get as big of a payday for the sitcom beyond residuals.

According to sources, the actress' base salary for acting in Veep was about $18.5 million will all seasons combined. Louis-Dreyfus also joined the MCU as Valentina in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Some have predicted that the actress could become a billionaire when she receives an inheritance following her father's death in 2026.

Jason Alexander

Estimated Net Worth: $50 million

For his work as an actor, Jason Alexander has earned an estimate net worth of about $50 million. An Emmy Award-nominated and Tony Award-winning actor, much of his earnings have come from his work as George on Seinfeld, with his salary reaching $600K per episode by the final season. According to CelebrityNetWorth, Alexander and his costars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards were renegotiating their contracts in the final season, hoping for backend ownership points.

While the three actors received a pay bump for season 9, they were ultimately denied any cut of the backend profits, which has helped accumulate Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David a decent chunk of the show's estimated $4 billion syndication and streaming deals. Being so, Alexander and his two other costars earn royalties for when the sitcom airs in syndication, but those amounts aren't in the millions as some might imagine (though they are still decent annual paychecks).

Michael Richards

Estimated Net Worth: $30 million

Compared to his three Seinfeld costars, Michael Richards holds the lowest net worth, with an estimated $30 million from his work in film and television. By season 9, Richards was making $600K an episode as Kramer, though as previously mentioned, no one besides Seinfeld and David nabbed a lucrative backend deal to earn millions on the show in 2024.

After the sitcom ended, Richards didn't pursue consistent onscreen work like Louis-Dreyfus and Alexander. He premiered the sitcom The Michael Richards Show in 2000, but NBC ended up canceling it after seven episodes aired. He's since appeared in three episodes each of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee as well as the short-lived sitcom Kirstie.

All nine seasons of Seinfeld are currently available to stream on Netflix!