Chris Tucker Net Worth

Chris Tucker is an American actor and comedian best known for his roles in the Rush Hour movies, Money Talks, and Silver Linings Playbook. Having started his acting career in Hollywood in the early 90s, Tucker has appeared in more than 20 movies and television series.

However, it’s not just his work on the big and small screen that has contributed to his financial success. Chris Tucker’s net worth has also been impacted by his stand-up comedy, his real estate investments, and his charity, the Chris Tucker Foundation. Read on to discover Tucker’s most successful projects and biggest paychecks and follow his career from the early 90s until the present day.

Early Life

Christopher Tucker was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 31, 1971. His parents, Mary Louise and Norris Tucker, raised the family in Decatur, Georgia. Tucker is the youngest boy in a brood of six siblings.

Tucker discovered early that comedy was an effective way to get attention, especially in such a large family. He looked up to Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy as he was growing up. Their influence was part of the reason Tucker decided to move to Los Angeles after completing his high school education.

Acting Career

Even while in school, Tucker was already known for his comedy skills. He would do impressions of celebrities like Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy. These impressions were always a hit with his classmates and teachers.

After graduation, Tucker tried performing in front of an actual audience at local clubs in Atlanta. Later on, after moving to LA in 1990, Tucker began pursuing stand-up comedy in earnest.

In 1992, Tucker became a regular performer on Def Comedy Jam, a comedy series on HBO. He had his film debut in 1994 when he joined the House Party franchise. He was cast to play the role of Johnny Booze in the third movie in the series.

Friday

While not a big bump to Chris Tucker’s net worth, he had his first major break in 1995 when he was cast as Smokey in the stoner comedy film Friday. Alongside Ice Cube and Bernie Mac, Tucker gave a stellar performance that earned him multiple nominations at the MTV Movie Awards. He was reportedly paid $15,000 for the role.

The film turned out to be a commercial success, earning more than $28.2 million compared to a budget of just $3.5 million. 

Tucker was originally slated to reprise his role in the sequel Next Friday in 2000. However, he had become a born again Christian by then and because of this, he was no longer comfortable cursing or smoking weed on film.

In the same year, Tucker would appear in two other films, Panther and Dead Presidents. Neither had remarkable box office showings.

The Fifth Element

In 1997, Tucker was cast as Ruby Rhod in The Fifth Element, which would be his highest grossing movie to date. It had a very successful theater run, grossing more than $263 million in box office revenues.

The sci-fi film also starred Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman.

Money Talks

The first sizable boost to Chris Tucker’s net worth came shortly after the release of The Fifth Element. Tucker was on the big screen once again, this time in the action comedy Money Talks, where he was reportedly paid $2 million.

He co-starred with Charlie Sheen. The film wasn’t a big success, but it nearly doubled its initial budget of $25 million, making a total of $48 million globally.

However, critics were not so enamored with the film or Tucker’s performance.

Jackie Brown

Also, in 1997, Tucker starred in Jackie Brown. Compared to Money Talks, the film delivered much better results, both commercially and critically. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, the film has a formidable cast led by Pam Grier and Samuel L. Jackson.

It had a production budget of $12 million. And on opening weekend alone, it had already earned $9.3 million. It went on to make a total of $39.7 million worldwide. 

Rush Hour

Chris Tucker’s net worth would quickly and steadily rise thanks to the success of the Rush Hour films. It began with the original Rush Hour in 1998, in which he co-starred with Jackie Chan.

Tucker played the role of Detective James Carter, for which he earned multiple nominations. The two stars also won awards for Favorite On-Screen Duo.

In addition to the critical acclaim, Rush Hour also exceeded expectations when it came to box office performance. On domestic opening weekend, it already made $33 million, which was equivalent to the film’s budget. 

At the end of its theater run, Rush Hour had raked in $244.7 million globally. Tucker made $3 million for his work on the film, and that salary would drastically increase for the upcoming sequels.

Rush Hour 2

Following the huge commercial success of the first film, Tucker was naturally called back for the sequel in 2001. This time around, Tucker negotiated a higher salary of $20 million. Adjusting for inflation, it would be equivalent to roughly $33.6 million today.

Rush Hour 2 was another box office success, earning $347.3 million globally. It also had a significantly higher budget of $90 million. More importantly, Tucker received a slew of nominations for his work on this second film, including wins at the Kids Choice Awards and Teen Choice Awards.

Rush Hour 3

In 2007, Chris Tucker’s net worth would get the biggest bump yet. Returning to star in the third installation of the Rush Hour franchise, Tucker received a $25 million salary. 

In addition to his salary, Tucker also earned 20 percent of the gross earnings of Rush Hour 3. Considering that the film made well over $258 million at the box office, Tucker’s take-home was indeed a pretty hefty amount.

Silver Linings Playbook

In 2012, Tucker would star in the critically acclaimed Silver Linings Playbook. The comedy-drama stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, along with Robert de Niro and Jacki Weaver in supporting roles.

The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including the four major acting awards, as well as Best Picture and Best Director.

Additionally, the movie was well-received by movie fans. At the end of its theater release, it had drawn in more than $236.4 million in gross earnings, over a budget of $21 million.

Recent Work

Tucker’s last film role before taking a hiatus from acting was in the Ang Lee film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk in 2016. Tucker played the role of Albert and joins a strong cast that includes Vin Diesel, Steve Martin and Kristen Stewart.

After spending a few years rectifying issues with the IRS, Chris Tucker is now back in the entertainment grind. He is currently in post-production on Air Jordan, a movie about the Nike brand.

Other Ventures

In addition to his film and television acting credits, Chris Tucker’s net worth has also been impacted by his appearance in numerous music videos for popular artists from the 1990s to the mid-2000s.

The list includes the videos for You Rock My World by Michael Jackson and Shake It Off by Mariah Carey.

Real Estate

In 2007, Chris Tucker bought a large Florida mansion for about $6 million. The lavish home features 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. Unfortunately, after his troubles with the IRS, Tucker had no choice but to sell his real estate investments.

He ended up selling the Florida home at a much-reduced price of $2 million rather than face foreclosure.

In October 2011, he sold his other Florida property, also at a loss for a little over $1 million.

In 2012, he found a buyer who paid him $1.7 million for the property. The following year, he sold his Tarzana, California home for $2.1 million. He had acquired it in 1996 for $1.1 million.

Tucker also had a home in Tarzana, which he purchased ub 1996 for $1.1 million. In 2013, he sold the property for $2.1 million.

Personal Life

Chris Tucker married health coach and casting director Azja Pryor in 1997. A year later, they had a son whom they named Destin Christopher. Shortly after, the couple separated without publicly citing the reason.

As mentioned a few times through this article, Tucker has had numerous financial troubles, mostly revolving around unpaid taxes. According to IRS records, Tucker did not pay his taxes for numerous years, and thus owed $11 million to the IRS.

The financial setback had really taken a toll on Chris Tucker’s net worth. Despite the massive salaries that he had been getting for acting, especially in the high-paying Rush Hour films, Tucker still had to face foreclosure. Eventually, he was able to settle all his unpaid dues by the end of 2014.

But Tucker’s tax troubles were not over yet. In 2021, the IRS sued Tucker for back taxes in the amount of $9.6 million. Tucker is demanding that the suit be thrown out of court, citing that they waited too long to come after him.

Chris Tucker’s Net Worth Today

As of 2022, Chris Tucker’s net worth is estimated at $5 million. While his acting career is largely responsible for his net worth, his stand-up comedy, his real estate investments, and his charity, the Chris Tucker Foundation, also impact that number.

Fans of Tucker can look forward to seeing him next in Ben Affleck‘s upcoming Air Jordan. Affleck is directing the movie and also write it along with Matt Damon and Alex Convery. Both Damon and Affleck will also star in the film alongside Tucker along with Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, and Marlon Wayans. 

There’s also a rumor that Rush Hour 4 is in the early stages of development. Both the studios and the cast want to make a forth film, but there has been no update on IMDB Pro as to its status.