Let me begin this off by saying that I do not watch “The View,” and I’ve completely no downside with Whoopi Goldberg. Typically talking, I’m a fan of her movie work. I noticed each “Sister Act” motion pictures in theaters as a child. I liked “Star Trek: The Subsequent Era.” “Ghost” is a traditional. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is senseless however could be very enjoyable.
Even when she’s unhealthy, she’s good. Take 1995’s “Theodore Rex,” which is likely to be among the finest unhealthy motion pictures of all time.
In case you missed that one, the plot goes like this: In an alternate futuristic society the place people and dinosaurs co-exist, a troublesome police detective named Katie Coltrane (Whoopi Goldberg) is paired with a Tyrannosaurus named Theodore Rex to search out the killer of dinosaurs and different prehistoric animals main them to a ruthless billionaire bent on killing off mankind by creating a brand new ice age. It is a steaming pile of crap… in one of the simplest ways potential. The “How Did This Get Made” podcast episode about “Theodore Rex” is an all-time traditional. Here is the trailer:
Enjoyable truth: Whoopi initially agreed to do “Theodore Rex” in 1992, then tried to again out. The studio sued her for $20 million to power her into the function. She relented and wound up incomes $7 million to star reverse a dinosaur in one of many strangest big-budget flops in historical past.
Oh, and let’s not neglect she’s a member of the ultra-exclusive EGOT membership, with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
I’m additionally conscious, by way of Twitter primarily, that Whoopi has apparently stated some controversial issues on “The View.” I do not watch, so I can not affirm or deny.
I say all that to be clear that this text just isn’t a takedown or a private assault. However I do wish to speak about one thing that pops up on occasion.
On a number of events over time, Whoopi has stated one thing like she’s not wealthy and that she’s only a common working one that has to maintain her job to pay her payments. Simply this week, Whoopi claimed she will be able to’t afford to retire from “The View” as a result of she’s “gotta maintain paying these payments child.”
These statements at all times confuse me and in the end result in some conservative outlet linking to CNW in an try to make Whoopi appear like a idiot or a liar. Once more, I am not doing that with this text. However it’s a little complicated. How can somebody who has nearly actually earned over $100 million internet hosting “The View” over time not be wealthy — and declare she’s pressured to maintain working?
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Wage from “The View”
Whoopi Goldberg has been a fixture on “The View” since 2007, and her paycheck displays that longevity. In 2016, Variety reported that Whoopi had signed an extension to stay a number of “The View.” In line with Selection, she was earning $6 million per 12 months on the time of the extension and would proceed to earn the identical quantity going ahead. That implies her wage had reached that stage a minimum of a number of years earlier, so an inexpensive estimate is that she started making $6 million yearly by 2013.
If we assume she earned about $4 million per 12 months throughout her first six seasons from 2007 by means of 2012, that provides as much as roughly $24 million. After which if we assume that from 2013 by means of the tip of the 2025 season, she made $6 million, she would have grossed about $78 million. Mixed, that is an estimated $102 million in whole earnings from “The View” alone.
And bear in mind, that determine is conservative. It would not account for the opportunity of raises in newer years, nor does it embrace her movie roles, books, or producing initiatives. Even in the event you sliced the quantity in half, it could nonetheless symbolize a fortune by any affordable measure. Would not it?
Taxes and Take-House
In fact, Whoopi would not really pocket the total $102 million. Like every excessive earner, an enormous portion goes straight to the IRS and the state. If she’s dwelling in New Jersey and dealing in New York, she’s dealing with one of many highest tax burdens within the nation. Between federal taxes, state taxes, and Medicare surcharges, her efficient price would probably fall someplace round 45 p.c.
Meaning her $6 million annual wage interprets to roughly $3.3 million after taxes, or about $275,000 per thirty days. Over the course of her run on “The View,” her $102 million in gross pay probably nets out nearer to $55–60 million in precise take-home pay.
Even after you think about further deductions like brokers, managers, and union dues, the numbers are nonetheless huge. The typical American would contemplate $275,000 a life-changing yearly wage, and Goldberg earns it each month after taxes.
Bills and Life-style
So the place might all that cash be going? Whoopi’s major residence is a big property within the gated Llewellyn Park neighborhood of West Orange, New Jersey. She purchased the property in 2009 for about $2.8 million. Even when she solely put 20% down, her mortgage at 2009 rates of interest would have been within the ballpark of $12,000 a month, with one other $4,500–5,000 in property taxes. All in, her month-to-month housing price was probably round $16,000–20,000. That’s hardly insignificant, however when in comparison with her estimated $275,000 in after-tax month-to-month earnings, the home barely makes a dent.
The true monetary drain most likely comes from the delicate prices of being a celeb of Whoopi’s stature. Employees salaries for assistants, housekeepers, drivers, and private safety can simply run into lots of of hundreds per 12 months. She has additionally been open about supporting her daughter, grandchildren, and prolonged household — “mouths to feed,” as she places it — which might add considerably to her month-to-month outflow.
Consider skilled commissions, the place managers and brokers can take 10–20% off the highest, and her $3.3 million annual take-home begins to really feel extra like $2.5–2.7 million in spendable money. Nonetheless an unlimited sum, however not almost as comfortable because the headline wage would possibly counsel.
Given the mathematics, it is arduous to sq. Whoopi Goldberg’s public statements together with her monetary actuality. By any customary, somebody who has grossed greater than $100 million from a single tv job — and nonetheless earns an estimated $6 million per 12 months — is rich. Even after taxes, skilled charges, employees, and household obligations, she is taking house hundreds of thousands yearly.
On the finish of the day, Whoopi Goldberg has been incomes superstar-level cash for almost twenty years. By any affordable definition, she’s wealthy. However cash is humorous — how “wealthy” feels is dependent upon perspective, obligations, and way of life. To Whoopi, with household to help, employees to make use of, and the infinite prices of being a public determine, it might not really feel just like the fortune it seems like on paper.
What’s simple is that she’s constructed a legendary profession, collected each main award an entertainer can win, and secured her place as one of the vital recognizable personalities in Hollywood historical past. If she chooses to maintain engaged on “The View,” it might be much less about survival and extra about staying energetic, related, and engaged. And actually, that is not a foul cause to maintain displaying up. Now, in the event you’ll excuse me, I’ll deal with myself to a re-watch of “Theodore Rex.” And so do you have to as a result of, in researching this text, I discovered that somebody uploaded the FULL MOVIE to YouTube. Take pleasure in!
