How Leslie Jones Achieved a Net Worth of $7 Million
Leslie Jones is an American comedian of some note. Generally speaking, interested individuals will recognize her because of her time on Saturday Night Live from 2014 to 2019. However, it is important to note that Jones’s career neither started with the show nor ended with the show, as shown by the fact that she continues to be involved in a wide range of projects with her comedy.
What Is Leslie Jones’s Current Net Worth?
It is very common for people to express an interest in the financial status of celebrities. As a result, it should come as no surprise to learn that there are estimates for Jones’s current net worth. One excellent example would be Celebrity Net Worth, which has produced an estimate of $7 million. Of course, interested individuals shouldn’t assume that said figure is 100 percent accurate. However, it should nonetheless provide them with a general idea of Jones’s current net worth.
How Did Leslie Jones Reach Her Current Net Worth?
Background-wise, Jones was born in Memphis, TN. However, she didn’t grow up in said city. This is because Jones’s father was in the U.S. Army, meaning that her family relocated on a regular basis. Eventually, Jones’s father took up a job as an electronics engineer for KJLH in the Los Angeles area, with the result that Jones went to a Lynwood, CA high school. It was in those times that Jones started playing basketball. Simply put, she was six feet tall, which was why her father suggested that she take up the sport. As it turned out, Jones proved to be quite good at it, so much so that she managed to earn a basketball scholar with Chapman University. In fact, her relationship with the sport was so strong that she actually changed schools from Chapman University to Colorado State University when her coach made the move.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jones considered playing basketball overseas on a professional basis. However, she was never 100 percent sure about what she wanted to do upon graduation. This can be seen in how she changed her major on multiple occasions. In the end, Jones settled on a communications major, though it is interesting to note that she already had experience working as a disc jockey with a student radio station at the time.
In any case, Jones didn’t set out to become a comedian. Instead, she was one of those individuals who was introduced to it through coincidence. For those who are curious, Jones got signed up for a school contest to see who was the funniest individual on campus. She didn’t just do well; she winded up winning the whole thing. Thanks to that, Jones took the drastic step of leaving school in preference for pursuing a career as a comedian in Los Angeles. There, she worked at UPS as well as Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles to pay the bills while she performed at various comedy clubs. Something that eventually enabled Jones to make some valuable connections.
Having said that, her experience as a comedian wasn’t exactly smooth from start to finish. For instance, Jones spent two years honing her skills as a comedian in New York City. After which, she returned to Los Angeles where she received poor reviews for her performances. This was followed by Jones going on tour with Jamie Foxx, with the result that she was booed by his audience. Thanks to this, she actually lost heart from a time, as shown by the fact that she stopped performing for three years. Still, Jones was eventually able to get over things. Furthermore, she stopped performing at “black clubs” because of the concern that she would always be limited to African-American circles, which was a huge step to take to say the least.
In 2013, Jones auditioned when Saturday Night Live held a casting call for at least one African-American woman. Sasheer Zamata was the one who winded up with the position of featured player. However, Jones managed to secure a spot as a writer, which was followed by her securing a spot as a featured player in 2014. Said promotion was notable for a couple of reasons. One, she became the oldest person to become a cast member at the age of 47. Two, her becoming a cast member meant that it was the first time that Saturday Night Live had more than one African-American woman in its cast. Jones went on to appear in the 41st, 42nd, 43rd, and 44th seasons, which did a great deal to raise her profile. For an example of this, she received a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2017 and 2018, though she wasn’t awarded the prize on either occasion. Jones is no longer involved with Saturday Night Live. However, that hasn’t stopped her from becoming involved in various projects. For example, she had a role as the mother of Lavelle Junson in Coming 2 America, which was a 2021 follow-up to 1988’s Coming to America. Similarly, Jones has done a fair amount of hosting work. This started out with her hosting the BET Awards in 2017. After which, Jones has gone on to host a game show as well as the MTV Movie & TV Awards in 2021.
Further Considerations
Based on this, it seems safe to say that Jones made her current fortune through her career as a comedian. Some of this would have come from her performances as a comedian. However, the rest would have come from her roles in movies, TV shows, and various other filmed projects. Jones’s time on Saturday Night Live has come to a close. However, it seems very reasonable to expect her net worth to continue to increase in the times to come for a couple of reasons. One, Jones remains very much active in the world of entertainment, which means a continuing succession of roles with a continuing stream of revenues. Two, she is still in her early 50s, meaning that she could continue on for quite some time to come. As such, it will be interesting to see how Jones’s net worth changes in the years that follow.
