How Keshia Knight Pulliam Achieved a Net Worth of $12 Million
Keisha Knight Pulliam is an American actress who is best known for her role as Rudy Huxtable in the Cosby Show. Her acting career has spanned more than three decades and she has accumulated a net worth of $12 million in this time, virtually all through acting and TV appearances. A more detailed look at how she has earned this fortune can be found below.
Early Career
Her first job came at the age of just nine months old, when she appeared in a baby product advertisement for Johnson & Johnson. She continued appearing in other advertisements through the early years of her life. She had a part in Sesame Street which was her first experience of TV work. The money that she would have been paid for this work would have gone to her parents until she was old enough to access it herself. The money that she earned through her advertising work would have provided a solid base to grow her net worth on.
The Cosby Show
She played Rudy Huxtable in The Cosby Show for 177 episodes. She was just five years old when she was offered this part. Despite her young age, she was incredibly successful in the role. Her biography on TV Guide states that in 1986 she became the youngest female actress to be nominated for an Emmy. She virtually grew up on the show and this helped to turn her into a household name. As the popularity of the show grew, it is likely that her earnings increased. The show ran for 8 seasons and she appeared in 177 episodes. The character of Rudy was initially intended to be a boy, and Bill Cosby had Jaleel White in mind for the role. Auditions were eventually opened up for girls as well, and it was here that Pulliam really impressed. She managed to change Cosby’s mind completely about casting the part as a boy, although he did still insist on keeping the name Rudy. The Cosby Show is considered to be one of the most successful TV shows in US history. To be part of this show as a child, really paved the way for Pulliam to enjoy a successful acting career as an adult. She also appeared in three episodes of the spin-off show, A Different World. These three episodes wouldn’t have made a huge difference to her net worth, but they did help to keep her in the spotlight.
Movie Career
Her first movie role also came at a young age. It was becoming obvious at this point that she was a very talented child actress. She starred in The Last Dragon in 1985, when she was already part of The Cosby Show She also starred in TV movies over the next few years including Back To Next Saturday which was a spin off from The Cosby Show. After this, she took a break of almost 20 years before her next film Motives was released in 2004. Over the course of her career, she has been involved in TV work more than movies. However, the fees that she has earned from these movies will have added to her net worth. She is likely to have earned more from the movies that have been shown in cinemas compared to the ones that were aired on TV.
Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne
She had a guest role in the first season of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. She became part of the main cast from the third season onwards. She told Grio that one of the reasons she is so proud to be part of the show is that she enjoys bringing some joy into peoples lives. She also recognizes how lucky she is to have had two long-term roles throughout her career. Her role in House of Payne was only a guest role to begin with. Her character, Miranda, was popular with audiences and it was felt that the relationship with Calvin could also be explored further. She was made a regular cast member from season three onwards. The show took a break of eight years after season 8 ended in 2012. It returned in 2020 and since then seasons 9 to 11 have been aired. It is likely she will reprise her role as Miranda if the show is renewed for a 12th season.
Reality TV
She has made appearances on a number of different reality TV shows. This could have had a fairly big impact on her overall net worth. It is likely that she would have been paid an appearance fee for taking part in these shows. One of the shows that she appeared in was Celebrity Big Brother. She told E-Online that while she was in the house, she realised that there were more important things in life than winning the prize money. When she was up for eviction, she asked the other housemates to vote her out so she could return home to her daughter. When celebrities take part in reality TV shows, it often increases their public profile for a short time. This means that they command higher fees for interviews and TV appearances. Pulliam has been able to take advantage of the exposure she has from taking part in these reality shows to add to her overall net worth. The fact that she has appeared in several of these types of shows, suggests that it is something she enjoys. If she appears in more reality TV shows in the future, then it may help to increase her net worth further.