FEATUREDCELEBRITIESUNCATEGORIZED Chris Tucker's Fortune

He then negotiated a two-movie deal with New Line Cinema for $40 million, of which $25 million was his salary for Rush Hour 3. Tucker also received 20% of Rush Hour 3’s gross earnings. Overall, Chris earned at least $50 million just from his work in the Rush Hour franchise, about $65 million after adjusting for inflation.

Why is his net worth so “low” right now? Unfortunately, Chris has experienced some fluctuations in financial speed over the years. After a series of financial failures, Tucker drowned in IRS debt in 2011. IRS and California tax returns later showed that Chris provided the IRS with $11 million in taxes for 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. By 2014, the debt had grown to $14 million.

Real Estate: Around this time, he was facing foreclosure on his 8,000-square-foot Florida estate. He bought the house in 2007 for $6 million. Unfortunately, he listed the 1-acre lakefront property for sale for $2 million in 2010 and eventually accepted for $1.7 million in March 2012, a loss of $4.3 million.

At the time of the 2011 filing, Chris publicly stated that he didn’t have enough income to pay his bills.

In 2013, he sold a 6,399 square foot home in Tarzana, California for $2.1 million. He bought this house in November 1996 for $1.1 million. In 2001, he paid $2.4 million for the house next door. In 2009, he sold this home for $3 million.

He reportedly still owns an ex-girlfriend’s home in LA and a home in Georgia.

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Birthplace: Chris Tucker was born on August 31, 1971 in Atlanta Georgia. He is the youngest son of Mary Louise and Norris Tucker, who owned a janitorial service. Tucker grew up in Decatur, Georgia. He was one of six children who grew up using comedy to garner attention from a young age. He was particularly drawn to the humor of Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, and after graduating from Columbia High School decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue an actor and comedy career.

Personal Life: Although Tucker first tested his comedy in Atlanta’s comedy clubs, it wasn’t until he starred in the Def Comedy Jam that he rose to fame. He made his official screen debut in 1994’s House Party 3. His acting career began in the mid-’90s with a series of increasingly well-known roles, most notably as Ice Cube’s comedic sidekick in the film Friday. While the film was a modest success at first, it has since grown into a cult classic and has spawned two sequels, although Tucker does not star.

While Tucker continued to act in smaller films in the years that followed, he gained wide attention in 1997 for his role in the French sci-fi film The Fifth Element. The film was a box office hit, although not universally acclaimed by many critics. Still, Tucker received generally positive reviews for his role, and the film garnered him more attention. That year Tucker also had a role in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, but it wasn’t until the following year that Tucker’s star really rose.

In 1998, Tucker co-starred as Detective James Carter in Brett Ratner’s hit Rush Hour. Many critics praised both Chan and Tucker’s performances as the unlikely police duo. The action comedy film opened at the top of the box office with first weekend gross of $33 million. The film would go on to gross over $244 million worldwide.

Tucker’s career took off in the stratosphere following the massive success of the first rush hour film. Soon after, Tucker asked for and received $20 million to appear in the 2001 sequel, Rush Hour 2. Maintaining the classic Chan/Tucker sidekick comedy formula that had previously worked so well, the film opened at the top of the box office, grossing over $67 million in its first weekend. After that, it would gross over $347 million worldwide.

The next few years were quiet for Tucker as he did not accept new film roles. He resurfaced in 2007 for the next film in the franchise and negotiated a two-movie deal with New Line Cinema for $40 million, of which $25 million was his salary for Rush Hour 3. Tucker also received 20% of Rush Hour 3’s gross earnings, which along with his salary made him the actor at the time. However, the film was not as successful as its predecessors, received mixed reviews and grossed significantly less than Rush Hour 2.

After another hiatus from film, Tucker began to return to stand-up comedy with a 2011 tour. He then received positive reviews for his performance in the 2012 Academy Award-winning film Silver Linings Playbook. A Netflix stand-up special followed in 2015, as did a role in the film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk in 2016. Chris is still considered a viable Hollywood actor and is rumored to be in talks with the production company to arrange another “Friday” movie.

Tucker has also hosted numerous programs including the 2013 BET Awards and the 2020 Urban One Honors, an event celebrating entertainment icons such as Jamie Foxx, Missy Elliot and Chance the Rapper.

Tucker has a long history of charitable giving. He has appeared in a number of NBA Allstar Celebrity basketball games along with celebrities such as Terrell Owens, Mark Cuban and Master P. Tucker also founded the Chris Tucker Foundation, a charity dedicated to promoting youth health and education. The Chris Tucker Celebrity Golf Tournament was created to raise awareness for his cause, with all proceeds going to benefit the foundation’s charitable work.

Chris Tucker has a son with his former wife Azja Pryor. He remains good friends with former co-star Jackie Chan and was also a close friend of Michael Jackson before the singer’s death. Tucker appeared in the music video for Jackson’s song “You Rock My World” in 2001 and was also present at his memorial service in 2009. Chris actively endorsed Barack Obama for President in 2008. Tucker splits his time between Bel Air, Atlanta and Las Vegas.

Tucker has also stated that he is a born-again Christian. This has led to his abandoning the use of profane language in his comedy routines. It’s also said to be a key reason he turned down offers to reprise his iconic role of Smokey in the two sequels to the “Friday” franchise.