Ali Wong's Net Worth Proves It Pays to Be Funny
Ali Wong
Ali Wong's star is on the rise, and so is her net worth. After getting her start performing stand-up in small clubs, she rose to fame through popular Netflix comedy specials and roles on shows like American Housewife and movies like Always Be My Maybe, which she wrote alongside costar Randall Park.
Most recently, Wong was lauded for her stellar dramatic turn in her buzzy Netflix show Beef. The dark comedy, which debuted earlier this year, stars Wong and The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun as two unhinged strangers who narrowly avoid a car crash only to get tangled up in each other's lives.
"The writing by [Beef showrunner Lee Sung Jin] was so powerful, and I connected to it,” Wong told Variety. “I didn’t have to do that much work. I don’t know what it is but it’s hard for me still to identify as an actress and to even say, ‘I’m an actor or an actress.'" Perhaps now that she's scored her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Miniseries for her work on Beef, she'll have an easier time identifying accordingly.
Keep reading for more about Wong's career and how much money she's earned along the way.
Related: The 42 Best Stand-up Comedy Specials on Netflix
How did Ali Wong get her start?
Wong first tried stand-up comedy at age 23 after graduating from UCLA. She soon moved to New York City to pursue comedy full-time, performing up to nine times a night at small venues. Her first sign of success came when she was named one of Variety's "10 Comics to Watch" in 2011. By 2016, she released her debut Netflix special, "Baby Cobra," which garnered widespread acclaim and established her as a prominent comedian. She followed that up with "Hard Knock Wife" in 2018 and her first feature film, Always Be My Maybe in 2019. Wong was already a bonafide star when she released Beef to critical praise in 2023.
“I don’t put the pressure of ‘this is the whole me’ [on my work],” Wong told Variety in March 2023. “All of this—my stand-up, Beef, Always Be My Maybe, how I am with my friends, how they relay a conversation I had with them—is never going to be the whole truth. It is always going to be an abstraction of truth, and I think that’s very comforting. I can’t help what people expect. I don’t try to control what they think or take away at all. That’s not the goal. The goal is to surprise them and make them laugh and make myself laugh and have fun.”
What is Ali Wong's net worth in 2024?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Ali Wong's net worth is estimated to be around $4 million as of 2024. She has earned money through stand-up comedy, acting roles and writing.
Is Ali Wong's husband rich?
Ali Wong filed for divorce from husband Justin Hakuta in December 2023, more than a year after they initially confirmed their separation. Before their breakup, however, she joked in "Baby Cobra" about how she "trapped" Hakuta, a Fulbright scholar and Harvard Business School student. Only she didn't actually trap him, because his (very wealthy) family made her sign a prenup prior to their 2014 wedding—something Wong credits for her drive.
“I was very motivated to make my own money because I signed a document specifically outlining how much I couldn’t depend on my husband,” she wrote in her 2019 book Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets and Advice for Living Your Best Life. “My father always praised ‘the gift of fear,' and that prenup scared the s--t out of me. In the end, being forced to sign that prenup was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me and my career.”
In short, her soon-to-be-ex-husband is indeed rich, but Wong's hard-earned money is her own.
Related: Ali Wong Breaks Silence On Her 'Unconventional Divorce'
How much does Ali Wong make per show?
Wong's per-show earnings have not been publicly confirmed. Comedians' earnings can vary widely based on factors such as venue size, ticket prices and negotiations with promoters. Celebrity comedians like Wong often command higher fees for their performances, but the exact amount can be private information.
How much did Netflix pay Ali Wong?
In 2019, The Hollywood Reporter shared that Wong scored an eight-figure deal with Netflix for two future stand-up specials (one of which is 2022's Don Wong). Previously, Netflix purchased the rights to her specials Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife.
THR also reported that WarnerMedia aggressively pursued a deal with Wong that would have included a stand-up comedy special and a scripted series for the streaming platform HBO Max. Sources say WarnerMedia offered over $10 million for just the stand-up special. However, Wong ultimately chose to stick with Netflix, where she has already done a ton of business, including two previous stand-up specials and her movie Always Be My Maybe.
“Ali is electric,” said Robbie Praw, Netflix’s director of original stand-up comedy programming. “She offers a completely distinct voice in the culture, and audiences all over the world have responded to her raw, unfiltered humor. We’re so proud to make Netflix the home of her comedy specials for years to come.”
What are Ali Wong's Netflix specials?
Ali Wong has three Netflix specials:
Baby Cobra (2016)
Hard Knock Wife (2018)
Don Wong (2022)
What did Ali Wong make for Always Be My Maybe?
Wong's salary for the hit Netflix rom-com has not been confirmed. However, she served as actor, writer and producer on the film, which was viewed by 32 million households in the first month, so surely she made a pretty penny.
How much did Ali Wong get paid for Beef?
Wong's earnings for Beef have not been disclosed. As a lead actor, she would make a minimum of $32,000 per episode under standard SAG-AFTRA contracts. Given her star power, her pay was likely much higher.
