How Much Do The Stars Of Black Ink Crew Really Make?
The stars of Black Ink Crew are certainly talented enough to make a decent living by providing stellar body art for their clients, but tattooing alone will only bring in so much money and surely not the kind of paydays that the cast of the VH1 reality TV show is now used to seeing. Thanks to their artistic skills, dynamic personalities, and drama-sparking lives, the show has kept fans entertained over multiple seasons and across spin-offs. That's why these stars can demand salaries that match their worth onscreen.
While we don't know how much former members, such as Tiffany Perez and Sassy, were making, TVstarbio does offer some insight into what a few others have supposedly been bringing in. Relative newcomer Young Bae is on the lower end of the pay scale, but still reportedly earns $1,500 per episode. Walter Miller was a recurring part of the cast before becoming a main member of the crew. He's reportedly banking $7,000 for every episode. Sky Days' salary is on par with Miller's, meaning that she's also supposedly earning $7,000 per episode, which works out to about $91,000 for a 13-episode season.
We don't have specific info on how much Ceaser Emanuel earns for his role as the main man — the mogul who's been with the show from the start, but he's probably making an impressive amount of money for each and every episode considering his net worth...
These Black Ink Crew stars are millionaires
It's obvious that landing a gig with the Black Ink Crew will not only boost your profile, but also boost your bottom line. The stars of the tattoo-themed show may not make the kind of money that others in the entertainment industry are bringing in, but they're still doing pretty darn well. In fact, at least two members of the crew are millionaires!
It shouldn't surprise you that Ceaser Emanuel, the owner of Black Ink Tattoo Studios and a key figure in the show's success, reportedly has the most money among the cast members, but you may be surprised to find out that he's sitting on a fortune of around $2.5 million. And he's not the only millionaire connected to the reality TV show. Ryan Henry of Black Ink Crew: Chicago is estimated to be worth about $1 million.
Even though Dutchess Lattimore left the show in 2017, she still has an estimated $800,000 to her name, so she could become a millionaire soon enough if she manages to snag another lucrative deal or continues to find success with her other creative pursuits.
Of course, money isn't the most important thing in life ... but it's certainly nice when your passion earns paper — and lots of it.
Ceaser Emanuel turned $20,000 into millions
The fact that Ceaser Emanuel is now worth over $2 million is even more impressive when you find out that he started building his fortune with a $20,000 investment. Ironically, when he started off, he wasn't looking to becoming the big boss. "I never really wanted to own Black Ink," Emanuel admitted to VladTV in 2017.
Telling the story of how he came to be the man in charge, Emanuel explained that he started out on his own, but wanted the opportunity to work on different kinds of tattoos. The tattoo artist knew that Black Ink was the sort of shop where he would get that experience. Eventually, the chance at a reality show came calling. However, the owner at the time put things in jeopardy by losing the rent money for the shop. "Seven days after we signed a contract to be on VH1, we're getting evicted," Emanuel said, recalling the dire situation that long-time fans may remember.
While Emanuel could have simply walked away, he ended up stepping in to save the day. The reality star spent $20,000 of his own money to pay the rent that was due and became the new owner. Emanuel solved one problem, but shortly after the show became a success, the lawsuits started rolling in.
With the money and success came lawsuits
The stars of Black Ink Crew are surely enjoying their financial success, however, running a business and being a reality TV star isn't always easy. Case in point? Ceasar Emanuel has had to deal with a handful of lawsuits since becoming the owner of Black Ink.
Back in 2017, Dutchess Lattimore sued Emanuel for what she felt she was owed from her ex-fiancée. "Congratulations on your new shop in Atlanta," she wrote in a card in regards to his business expansion (via VH1). "I am sure it would make us both a ton of money. I'm coming for half of everything that is mine." A year later, he had a $500,000 lawsuit on his hands that involved a client claiming that her tattoo had gotten infected a year after getting it. In 2019, Black Ink Crew's own Alex Robinson sued Emanuel and Teddy Ruks for $1 million because of injuries he said he suffered after a fight.
In spite of all the bumps in the road, it doesn't seem like Emanuel is letting anything stop him from moving forward. "Your success took a shot at you. What are you gonna do now?" he asked on Instagram, quoting Jay-Z. "Are you gonna kill it? You gonna become unsuccessful? [Y]ou can be successful and have enemies. Or be unsuccessful too and you can have friends." Emanuel's success has definitely brought him a few foes, but at least he's still got his loyal crew members by his side.