Matt LeBlanc has the sitcom Friends to thank for his successful career in Hollywood and his impressive net worth. LeBlanc is widely known for his portrayal of the goofy, lady-chasing Joey Tribbiani on the NBC sitcom, a role the actor snagged after a booze-crazed wild night out when he, allegedly had only $11 dollars left to his name. For his work on the hit TV sitcom— which ran from 1994 to 2004— LeBlanc received three Emmy nominations and became a household name. But the actor's ventures in Hollywood following the end of the show have definitely maintained—if not, added to his staggering net worth.
As of 2023, Matt LeBlanc has an impressive net worth of $85 million dollars. He's certainly come a long way from his early days when he filed his own tooth, because he couldn't afford to visit the dentist. So how has LeBlanc maintained his impressive net worth after all these years? Let's jump into it.
7 Royalties From Friends Are Very Generous To Matt LeBlanc
Back when Friends was at its peak on the air, Matt LeBlanc and his costars managed to negotiate incredible deals for themselves. The cast members reportedly banded together, and successfully negotiated their historic $1 million-per-episode pay deals, demanding they all be paid the same amount or they would leave the show. That was certainly a hefty takeaway for the costars back then, setting LeBlanc up for success early in his career.
However, even since the show was wrapped, the sitcom continues to keep LeBlanc paid. How? The re-runs of the sitcom are a yearly blessing for him. According to a past report by USA Today, each Friends actor earns an estimated $19-$20 million a year from royalties off the show. So, every time viewers binge the unforgettable episodes of the NBC sitcom, it's of lucrative gain to LeBlanc and his costars.
6 Matt LeBlanc Kept The Momentum Going After Friends With The Spin-Off, Joey
After production of Friends wrapped, Matt LeBlanc continued Joey Tribianni's journey on a new show. Fans were recovering tearfully from the end the sitcom, when the announcement of its spin-off Joey gave them hope. The new show was set to follow Joey's ventures in Hollywood as an actor, surrounded by his family members. Matt LeBlanc debuted his new show in the fall of 2004. By the summer of 2006, the show had already come to an end after two seasons and 46 episodes. Even though the show was unsuccessful, it proved that the actor still had the chops to continue a career outside the confine of Friends, setting him up for future endeavors as an actor and even earning him a People's Choice Award.
LeBlanc opened up about the struggles with the failed sitcom saying, "I would do that again; I thought that it was a good show. I just think that we were telling stories that emasculated the character. They wrote a guy who became very doubtful of himself in this new place, in Hollywood, no friends, can't meet girls - and that's not who Joey was. He was always, always, always, the consummate optimist. Always. And that's not who they wrote. That was very frustrating for me," according to the Guardian.
5 Matt LeBlanc Makes A Successful Return From Acting Hiatus In Episodes
The cancelation of Joey may have dealt a harsh blow to Matt LeBlanc as the actor took a six-year hiatus from acting afterword. But the actor made a big comeback when he starred in Episodes, which was undoubtedly the most successful run for LeBlanc since the end of Friends, running for six years from 2011-2017 and producing a total of five seasons. His performance on the sitcom, in which he played a satirical version of himself, earned him a Golden Globe Award. Perhaps it was the fact that she show was written by Friends creators David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, but it became the perfect onscreen opportunity to refuel LeBlanc's acting career and a project he said he was lucky to be a part of.
“I did have a reservation in the beginning. I wasn’t comfortable playing myself,” LeBlanc told Variety. “But they said, ‘Well, we’re not making a documentary. If there’s anything you’re uncomfortable with, we’ll change it. We’ll get through it together.’ And it was because of my history with them that I really felt comfortable. I don’t know that I would have played that part with someone that I had a new relationship with. It was because of the trust that I said OK. I felt safe in their hands.”
4 Matt LeBlanc Began Hosting Top Gear
Back in 2012, Matt LeBlanc appeared in an episode of the British show, Top Gear, where he set the fastest lap time in the “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” segment in a Kia Ceed. He beat the show’s previous record-holder, Rowan Atkinson, by 0.1 seconds.
Fast-forward to February 2016, the actor continued to diversify his talents when he become a host on Top Gear. The actor would go on to continue the venture, signing a two-year deal later that same year. LeBlanc joined journalist Chris Harris and presenter Rory Reid as one of the three frontmen for seasons 24 to 26. In 2019, it was announced that LeBlanc would make is permanent exit from the show, to spend more time with his family.
3 Matt LeBlanc Stars In Man With A Plan
2016 saw Matt LeBlanc making yet again another successful return to the small screen when he starred and was the executive producer for the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan, where he played the patriarch of the Burns household, Adam Burns. During its first season, the sitcom reportedly averaged 6.2 million viewers. LeBlanc, too, did very well while on the sitcom with reports saying he was paid $200,000 per episode on the show. The series ran for four seasons, from October 24, 2016 to June 11, 2020 before it was canceled.
Despite its cancelation, LeBlanc's performance in “Man with a Plan” earned him a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a New TV Series.
2 Matt LeBlanc Ventured Into Producing
Matt LeBlanc proved he had what it took to draw in a reliable fanbase from his onscreen work. But, as he navigated the post-Friends world, what many of his fans may not know is that LeBlanc also has been credited for his work behind-the-scenes—and more specifically, as a producer.
According to IMDb, LeBlanc has been credited as executive producer for a number of projects including the 2010 Western superhero film Jonah Hex, a film that was produced underneath LeBlanc's old production company, the 2015 television movie The Prince, as well as 69 episodes of the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan, which he also starred in. His work behind the camera proved that he was a multi-faceted force in Hollywood, further adding to his net worth.
1 Matt LeBlanc Reunites With His Cast Mates For Friends Reunion Show
Oh, what a time it was when the cast of Friends graced the small screen for a reunion special titled “Friends: The Reunion.” LeBlanc and his former cast mates originally were reportedly offered $1million for their appearance on the reunion special— an offer which they collectively rejected. It would seem that the former onscreen roommates always have each other's backs when it comes to their pockets because the initial offer was pumped up to between $3 million and $4 million for their appearance at the reunion.
While longtime fans of the show delighted in the Friends reunion, the critics were not as impressed. "It ended 17 years ago. It began 27 years ago. It's been over for almost twice as long as it lasted," wrote NPR.
Regardless of what critics believe about the reunion and the sitcom alike, what's clear is that LeBlanc and his cast mates owe their outstanding net worths to its impact.
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