An American comedian, television star, producer, and author, Bill Cosby has an estimated net worth of $400 million as of December, 2023.
His full name is William Henry Cosby Jr., and he was born in Philadelphia on July 12, 1937.
Bill Cosby dropped out of high school to join the United States Navy, then dropped out of college to pursue his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian.
He was once the highest-paid television actor, but later he became one of America’s most notorious sex offenders.
Likewise, The Cosby Show, which he created and starred in, is his most well-known work.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | William Henry Cosby Jr. |
| Net Worth | $400 Million |
| Birth Date | 12 July 1937 |
| Known as | Bill Cosby, The Cos |
| Age | 86 Years Old |
| Place of Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Father’s Name | William Henry Cosby Senior |
| Mother’s Name | Anna Pearl Cosby |
| Siblings | Russell Cosby, James Cosby, Robert Cosby |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 84 kg (185 pounds), 185 lbs |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Hair Color | Grey |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Shoe Size | 11(US) |
| Profession | Actor, Comedian, Author, Screenwriter, Television producer, Film Producer, Educator, Activist, Musician, Voice Actor |
| Genre | Satire, Observational Comedy, Deadpan, Surreal Humor |
| Labels | Warner Bros, Dusty Groove, Uni Records, Sussex Records Columbia Records |
| Medium | Television, Movie, Stand-Up Comedy |
| Endorsements | Jell-O, Coca-Cola, Del Monte Corn, Kodak Film, TV Land, School to Work, UMass-Boston, City of Philadelphia, Texas Instruments |
| Education | Attended Temple University, 1961-1962; the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, M.A, 1972; the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Ed.D, 1977 |
| Active Years | 1961-2018, 2021- present |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Camille O. Cosby (m. 1964) |
| Marriage Date | January 25, 1964 |
| Children’s Name | Evin Cosby 1976, Ensa Cosby 1973-2018, Ennis Cosby 1969-1997, Erinn Cosby 1966, Erika Cosby 1965 |
| Grand Children | 3 |
| Military Services | US Navy, 1956-1960 |
| Last Update | December, 2023 |
Net worth and Income
Bill Cosby has a $400 million net worth as a comedian, television performer, and producer.
Bill has also made tens of millions of dollars from endorsements, film appearances, live comedy gigs, and other (less successful) television projects.
He did over 100 gigs on his tour in 2014 which grossed over $11 million.
According to CNN, he appealed an arbitration ruling in 2019 that ordered him to pay nearly $7 million to a law firm that represented him in 2015 and 2016.
Cosby tried to fight the mandate, but he still owes money as of 2020.
Also, Constand sued Cosby in a civil complaint. They reach an out-of-court settlement of $3.38 million in November 2006, and the case was dismissed.
Cosby is contesting an arbitration ruling ordering him to pay $6.7 million in legal fees, of which $4.3 million had already been paid, $2 million by Cosby, and $2.3 million by his insurer, AIG.
There is still $2.4 million to be paid. As a result of the arbitration, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan’s overall bill was reduced from more than $9 million to $7 million.
| Year | Net Worth |
| 1968 | $ 650,000 |
| 1969 | $ 650,000 |
| 1981 | $ 16,000,000 |
| 1982 | $ 11,000,000 |
| 1985 | $ 1,100,000 |
| 1986 | $ 5,850,000 |
| 1987 | $ 90,200,000 |
| 1988 | $ 508,600,000 |
| 1990 | $ 25,420,000 |
| 1992 | $300,000,000 |
| 1993 | $ 8,000,000 |
| 1996 | $ 154,620,000 |
| 2001 | $ 2,600,000 |
| 2004 | $ 48,916,000 |
| 2005 | $ 5,800,000 |
| 2007 | $ 100,000 |
| 2013 | $ 333,000,000 |
| 2014 | $ 7,000,000 |
| 2015 | $ 1,716,000 |
| 2018 | $ 1,540,200,000 |
| 2020 | $400,000,000 |
Income
Likewise, In 1968, Cosby turned down a five-year contract worth $3.5 million (equivalent to $25 million now) to start his own production firm.
Not only that, Bill became one of the wealthiest persons in the entertainment world, resulting from the long-running success of The Cosby Show. The show aired from 1984 to 1992.
He was paid $4 million per episode at the height of the show (equivalent to $8 million now).
The show has made nearly $1.5 billion in syndication in only the previous two decades.
Bill has made at least $300 million through syndication arrangements alone as the owner of 20% of the show.
Furthermore, Cosby’s real estate holdings are valued at more than $100 million. He subsequently utilized his profits to expand his incredibly rich real estate and art collection, worth an estimated $250 million or more.
Being an enthusiastic art collector, he has amassed over 300 works of African American art. It is estimated to be worth more than $150 million.
Despite the fact that he earned $40,000 per episode in the beginning days of the show, Bill Cosby was the highest-paid actor in television history during the last years of The Cosby Show.
The Cosby Show has been listed as the most profitable television show in history at one point.
In 2014, he also loaned his collection for an exhibition of African art at the national museum.
However, His high-profile legal battles in recent years have undoubtedly cost him a lot of money.
Net Worth of Bill Cosby in Different Currencies
Let’s have a look into Bill Cosby’s net worth in different currencies, including the cryptocurrency BitCoin.
| Currency | Net Worth |
| Euro | € 340,234,000 |
| Pound Sterling | £ 291,260,000 |
| Australian Dollar | A$ 550,574,000 |
| Canadian Dollar | C$ 503,714,000 |
| Indian Rupee | ₹ 29,656,740,000 |
| BitCoin | ฿ 8,241 |
Read About: Nick Cannon.
Bill Cosby House, Cars and Aircraft, Yacht, Watches
House
Elkins Park Mansion, Pennsylvania
Cosby has held the Elkins Park estate and his wife, Camille, since June 1983, just over a year before “The Cosby Show” premiered on NBC in the fall of 1984.
According to real estate records, the couple paid $225,000 for the house. The house is far larger than Cosby’s last prison cell. According to property records, the 5,835-square-foot stone Colonial was built in 1,800.
There are five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a half-bath in this home. The house has three fireplaces and has been refurbished to provide modern conveniences such as central air.
A timber fence and mature trees encircle the 3-acre property.
As of the present context, The site is actually valued at approximately $775,000.
Three Santa Monica properties
According to online property records, three Santa Monica properties on Main Street are offered for a total of $26 million.
One of the properties is a two-story, 8,668-square-foot brick building on the corner of Main and Hill that is now listed for $20 million and is zoned for retail and office space.
On the ground floor, there is a Starbucks, which is the building’s principal tenant. Cosby also owns a piece of property at 3016 Main St., just up the street.
The property is currently a parking lot on the corner of Marine Street and is for sale for $5.7 million. The lot is 6,024 square feet, with room for a 4,018 square-foot structure.
Similarly, When a string of sexual harassment charges surfaced in 2015, Cosby sold the third one a 9,500-square-foot building at 3008 Main St. for $11.8 million.
Property in Pacific Palisades and Massachusetts
In Pacific Palisades, Bill Cosby has a $10 million home. The 4,500-square-foot home features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, ornamental trellises, patios, and a large garage and lawn.
In 1990, he paid $2.5 million for this opulent Tudor Revival-style home surrounded by pine trees. Next, he has a vast 21-acre property in Massachusetts that he bought in the 1970s and has slowly developed into its current shape.
It has a main structure, five other structures, two barn-like outbuildings, a swimming pool, and a tennis court.
Cars and Aircraft
Cars
Bill Cosby purchased a Shelby Cobra Super Snake CSX 3303 from Carroll Shelby, the company’s creator, in 1967.
The car was a 1965 Cobra Competition roadster that Shelby kept as a publicity vehicle before being converted with two superchargers and a Ford C-6 automatic transmission.
Only two of these automobiles were made, one of which was kept by Shelby and the other sold to Cosby.
He has a 1970s BMW 2002 Tii compact executive car with a 2.0L engine producing 130 hp.
Also on display is his Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster convertible, which has a maximum speed of 155.3 mph and 215 horsepower.
The renowned Ferrari 288 GTO supercar is next, with a 2.8 L V-8 engine producing 400 PS and a 0-100 km/h time of 4.9 seconds.
He originally sold this car for $85,000, but it could have fetched up to $3.2 million in today’s market.
Aircrafts
Cosby has a $4 million Pilatus-PC12 dubbed “Billy,” which has a 0.4 top speed and a range of 2,123 miles. It has enough room for one crew member and six passengers.
He’s also owned a Gulfstream IV with the inscription “Camille” on the tail. It can cost anywhere between $1.6 million to $24 million.
Watches
In his successful show “I Spy,” he was spotted sporting the Rolex GMT Master, which might cost anywhere from $15,000 and $40,000.
Bill Cosby Lifestyle and Vacations
Cosby enjoys eating nutritious foods. Grilled eggplant, broccoli with skinless beef, and unseasoned fowl are among his favorites.
Bill also consumes healthy green juices with collard greens, garlic, and ginger on a regular basis.
He likes to wear sweatshirts with Temple University, Hello Friend, Quinnipac, Pirates, and other logos on them.
Bill Cosby, who was sent to three to ten years in prison in 2004 for drugging and assaulting a woman, maintained a healthy lifestyle while in prison too.
During his time in prison, he had given up carbohydrates and sweets in favor of a healthier diet.
He preferred fruits and vegetables and abstained from harmful fast food. He used to exercise to stay in shape and lose weight back then.
Charity
Bill Cosby is well-known for his opinions on how many African American youths place a higher value on athletics, fashion, and “acting hard” than on education, self-respect, and self-improvement.
Likewise, he has appealed for parents to educate their children about the various facets of American culture.
Furthermore, he has also given $20 million to Spellman College, $3 million to Morehouse School of Medicine, and $1.3 million to Fisk University to promote education.
After his son was murdered in cold blood in 1997, his family formed the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation to donate impoverished children’s education.
In addition, Bill and his wife have established the “William and Camille Foundation,” which has given out $800,000 in scholarship funds too.
Moreover, the pair has given $2 million to the St. Francis Academy in Baltimore and $1 million to Virginia’s US National Slavery Museum.
Lastly, In 2004, he performed a fundraiser concert for Amherst College, which raised $1.5 million.
Media, Investments, Endorsements & Book Publications
Media
Cosby’s debut acting role in the espionage series I Spy (1965–68) made him the first Black actor to star in a network television drama series.
To his credit, his portrayal of an African-American secret agent garnered him three Emmy Awards and helped elevate the standing of African Americans The Bill Cosby Specials (1968–71, 1975).
Also, the situation comedy The Bill Cosby Show (1969–71), the variety show The New Bill Cosby Show (1972–73), and the hit cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–84, 1989) were among Cosby’s subsequent television efforts.
The Cosby Show, which aired on NBC from 1984 through 1992 and was one of the most popular situation comedies in television history.
Similarly, In 1977, the University of Massachusetts gave Cosby a doctorate in education, and in 1984, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Investments
With his manager Roy Silver and Bruce Post Campbell, Cosby co-founded Tetragrammaton Records, a production firm based in Los Angeles.
Deep Purple, a British heavy rock band, was the company’s biggest signing.
In 1968, he turned down a five-year deal of $3.5 million (equivalent to $25 million today) to begin the business.
In 1980, he also bought shares in the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York.
Cosby starred in advertisements for Coca-“Have Cola’s a Coke and a Smile” campaign in 1979 and made a special appearance at the Great Get-Together, a large bottlers’ conference held that year.
Likewise, The campaign lasted until 1981. Since the 1990s, his work has been widely regarded.
Endorsements
In 2002, Cosby had a long association with Jell-O, which was the longest-running endorsement engagement at the time.
He also made a name for himself by appearing in Coca-Cola commercials from 1979 and 1981.
In addition, in 1982, he made $11 million through endorsement arrangements with Kodak and Texas Instruments.
Book Publications
In 1986, Cosby wrote the book Fatherhood, which was later adapted into an animated television series.
Bill has written over ten books, including “The Meanest Things To Say,” “The Best Way To Play,” “Love and Marriage,” “Grand Pa Rules: Notes on Grandfatherhood,” “Consbyology,” “The treasure hunt, (paperback),” and others.
In the publishing world, Cosby is a powerhouse. Fatherhood (1986) went on to become one of the best-selling hardcover books of all time, spending more than half of its fifty-four weeks at the top of The New York Times Best Seller List.
It has sold 1.5 million paperbacks and 2.6 million hardback editions. The initial printing of Time Flies was 1.75 million copies, making it the largest single first printing in publishing history.
Read About: MC Hammer too.
Career
In 1956, Cosby dropped out of high school without receiving a diploma and enlisted in the United States Navy.
Bill completed a high school equivalency exam while enlisted, and after his discharge in 1961, he was awarded an athletic scholarship to Temple University in Philadelphia.
He left Temple during his sophomore year to perform at the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village, New York City, where he developed a signature comedic style marked by a friendly and approachable stage persona and a calm, well-timed delivery.
As Cosby visited major American and Canadian towns in the 1960s, his performance costs skyrocketed, and he made his first appearance on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show in 1965.
Throughout the span of the show, Cosby continued stand-up comedy and released a half-dozen albums for Warner Bros. Records.
In 1967, he recorded Silver Throat; Bill Cosby Sings, his first attempt at singing.
Billboard magazine stated in June 1968 that Cosby had declined a five-year, $3.5 million contract extension offer and would leave the company in August of that year to start his own label.
3 Facts about Bill Cosby
- Several medals and distinctions have been canceled due to the sexual assault claims against Cosby, including the Kennedy Center Honor, earned in 1998 and was retracted in 2018, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which he received in 2009 and was rescinded in 2018.
- According to his accusers, Cosby has been accused of rape, drug-assisted sexual assault, indecent assault, child sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct, with the first allegations dating back to the mid-1960s.
- Little Bill, a preschool series developed by Bill Cosby as a semi-biographical portrayal of his boyhood growing up in Philadelphia, premiered on Nickelodeon in 1999. In November 2000, the popular show was restored by the network.
FAQs
Can The Cosby Show be seen anywhere?
“The Cosby Show” is no longer available on television, and Netflix and NBC have both canceled projects with the comedian. NBC, ABC, and Fox jointly own Hulu, which claims to have approximately 9 million members. It first obtained “The Cosby Show” rights in 2011.
Does Bill Cosby have a Ph.D.?
As a result of his doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1977 for a dissertation on Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Bill Cosby is frequently referred to as Dr. Cosby.
Why was Bill Cosby sentenced to prison?
In September 2018, Cosby was sentenced to three to ten years in jail after being convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his Pennsylvania mansion in 2004.
