How Bo Burnham Achieved a Net Worth of $4 Million
Growing up in a middle-class family in Massachusetts must have been the perfect place for Robert Pickering Burnham, better known as Bo Burnham, to develop his entertainment skills.
His parents say that the future internet sensation was always doing whatever he could to be the center of attention from a young age. This early practice continued throughout his formative years, launching a career that earned him an impressive net worth.
Socially Fun While Still Young
The best way to understand how a person came to acquire their net worth is to follow their path to and throughout their success. For Bo Burnham, he embraced his passion for entertainment throughout his life in his high school’s theater program, which led to his acceptance into the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Yet the future star decided to focus on his budding career on YouTube.
Taking a Swing and Hitting the Ball Out of the Park
Millions of people dream of becoming the next big YouTube star, yet only a handful make it. Even fewer get famous without even trying. That’s precisely what Bo did.
Bo wanted to share some of his songs with his brother, who was away at college then. A friend suggested the future comedy star upload his songs to the relatively new video platform so his brother could enjoy them. One thing led to another, and Burnham’s material made its way around the internet after going viral.
As Bo’s number of shares and views climbed, he continued to upload his original content. This led to his next big break in the entertainment industry.
Comedy Central Loved Bo’s Comedy Bites
Comedy Central was one of the first established entertainment establishments to recognize that, although he was a YouTube star, Bo had the potential to thrive on their channel. He recorded The World Stands Up in 2008 when he was only 17 as a stand-up special. This made Burnham the youngest entertainer to do this with the network.
Comedy Central Records then signed into a four-album record deal with Burnham. These included:
- Bo fo Sho
- Bo Burnham
- Words Words Words
- what
Whether he was recording his YouTube content at home in his bedroom, filming a stand-up routine, or recording records, the traction this performer got right from the start is impressive. That talent and recognition will make anyone wonder about a person’s net worth.
Actor, Producer, and More
Bo Burnham works hard to keep his work fresh and entertaining. This has resulted in the performer being able to play multiple roles in moving his career in the direction he wants, and it’s paying off.
As a comedy act, you can see Bo in specials like:
- Comedy Central Presents in 2009
- Bo Burnham: Words, Words, Words
- Bo Burnham: what.
- Bo Burnham: Make Happy
Of course, you can always head to YouTube and watch tons of the creator’s original works. He has 3.4 million subscribers, even though he hasn’t posted a new video in some time.
Many of Bo’s videos have several million views. If you know anything about monetization, you know there’s some good money to make with those numbers. So it makes sense that this revenue will impact Burnham’s overall net worth.
Bo Burnham – The Actor
Many comedians take the dive into trying their hand at acting, but not everyone can do it more than once or twice. Bo Burnham is an exception.
His acting credits include:
- Yo Teach…! in 2009
- American Virgin as Rudy in 2009
- Hall Pass as Bartender in 2011
- Adventures in the Sin Bin as Tony in 2012
- Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous as Zach Stone in 2013
- Parks and Recreation as Chip McCapp in 2014
- Kroll Show as DDis in 2015
- Key and Peele as Lyle in 2015
- We Bare Bears as the voice of Andy Bangs in 2016
- The Big Sick as CJ in 2017
- Rough Night as Tobey in 2017
- Comrade Detective as the voice of Sergiu in 2017
- Promising Young Woman as Ryan in 2020
As Bo’s acting career grows, so does the name recognition for the shows he’s been in. He’s also completing at least one acting project almost every year. This is a pretty impressive filmography for someone who accidentally became famous on YouTube!
Producing Comedy During the Pandemic
While Burnham worked on his acting career, he didn’t stop writing comedy. In 2021, Netflix released Inside. Screenrant reports that the special is unique because the entertainer was produced exclusively by Bo during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.
Bo has had his hand in the production game for a while, but Inside was his first solo go at it. As he’s proven throughout his career, his net worth has got to keep climbing as he can add all kinds of valuable credits to his name.
No Spotlight Needed for This Director
There’s a lot of money to earn in front of the camera. But some creatives are happy to be the driving force of production behind the camera as a director.
Bo has several titles that he’s directed, including:
- Bo Burnham: what.
- Bo Burnham: Make Happy
- 8 TV Special in 2017
- Eighth Grate in 2018
- Tamborine TV Special in 2018
- Inside TV Special in 2021
- Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel TV Special in 2022
- Kate Beriant: Cinnamon in the Wind TV Special in 2022
Bo has proven versatile and talented in almost anything he does. According to The Numbers, Burnham has a reported $14,348,020 at the box office just from his technical roles. In addition, he’s got $209,740,675 reported at the box office from his acting roles.
Bo Burnham Can Act, but Can He Write?
Since Burnham pens his comedy acts, it makes sense that he might be able to write poetry. The book, Egghead: Or, You Can’t Survive on Ideas Alone by Bo Burnham might seem like a marketing gimmick or joke book. But it’s not.
Released on October 1, 2013, the book shows five out of five stars with more than 2,500 reviews on Amazon.com. The description on Amazon reads: ”Bo brings his brand of brainy, emotional comedy to the page in the form of off-kilter poems, thoughts, and more.”
Clearly, this book is intended to be both thoughtful and entertaining. With the positive feedback from readers and reviewers alike, this book has to have padded the poet’s overall net worth.
What About Winning Awards?
Anyone who’s won an award in the entertainment industry can tell you that it often means you’re taken pretty seriously. Bo started as a YouTuber and has come as far as to win some pretty big awards today.
Awards that Bo Burnham has won include:
- Winner of the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing and Directing for a Variety Special
- Winner of the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Music Direction
- Winner of the 2022 American Cinema Editors, USA Best Edited Variety Talk/Sketch Show or Special
- Winner of the 2022 Austin Film Critics Association for the Best First Film and Best Original Screenplay
- Winner of the 2022 Grammy Award for the Best Song Written for Visual Media
- Winner of the 2019 Director’s Guild of America, USA, for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a First-time Feature Film
- Winner of the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Screenplay
This is a very short selection of the actual nominations and awards won by Burnham over the years. To look at his long-recognized body of work honored by nominations and wins, you can check out a complete list on IMDB.com.
Bo Burnham Net Worth
With all of the entertainer’s accomplishments and industry recognition, it should come as no surprise that Bo Burnham’s net worth comes in at an estimated $4 million. Considering that this talent powerhouse can write, direct, sing, act, produce, and more, it wouldn’t be surprising if his net worth continues to soar in the coming years.
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