Here's How Much Ceaser Emanuel Is Really Worth
Ceaser Emanuel, star of the hit reality series Black Ink Crew, has certainly endured his fair share of hiccups in the entertainment biz. He's been sued by the show's very own Alex Robinson, endured a dramatic split from Dutchess Lattimore (pictured), and dealt with cast member Sky Days being barred from production after a terrible turn of events involving her son. In other words, life has been an uphill battle for this tattoo mogul as of late, but Ceaser seems to have enough bank to hold him down when the going gets tough. And for good reason — he's more than just a pretty face on our television sets.
Emanuel reportedly earned an associate's degree in visual communication from Katharine Gibbs College in New York. "After his brother Joaquin died at a tattoo shop in Brooklyn, Ceaser decided to open up a shop in his brother's memory and named it Joaquin's Ink," per Rolling Out. "As his talents attracted a significant following, he moved from Brooklyn to a shop in Harlem," eventually launching what became known as Black Ink. That shop became the driving force behind VH1's hit show, Black Ink Crew.
The road to fame and fortune has been a rocky one, but Emanuel has proven resilient thus far. Let's take a closer look at how much cheddar he really has lining his pockets.
Ceaser Emanuel's raw talent paid off
Black Ink Crew isn't Ceaser Emanuel's only foray into reality TV. He's appeared on VH1's Big Morning Buzz and in the Love & Hip Hop franchise, but his tattoo shop definitely opened doors for the artist in the entertainment industry.
Executive producer Dan Cesareo said he knew there was something different about Emanuel and his team. "This shop and everyone in it epitomized the epicenter of hip and being ahead of the curve in fashion, art, music, style," Cesareo told TV Over Mind. "They were the tastemakers and influencers before those words even existed."
And now they're making it rain. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Emanuel is worth an estimated $2.5 million, meaning he's certainly inked some good deals in recent years. "The fact that I'm a real businessman and not just an artist is what I believe separates me from others in my field," Ceaser told Rolling Out. "I have seen a lot of artists come and go, but I feel like I'm on a great path crossing urban into commercial. We've brought value to an industry that thought we weren't valuable at all."
Mo' money, mo' problems
Even though Ceaser Emanuel has quite a bit of money to his name, he's certainly realized that money can't (and usually doesn't) solve all of your problems. Over the years, Emanuel's fame has come with a hefty price tag in the form of lawsuits and lawyer fees – both things Emanuel must be familiar with by now considering that the reality star has had his fair share of legal troubles.
One legal battle ensued when Emanuel's co-worker and fellow Black Ink Crew star, Alex Robinson, pressed battery charges after Emanuel and another cast member, Teddy Ruks, jumped him on camera. The incident, which left Robinson injured, could cost Emanuel up to $1 million, according to TMZ.
Another lawsuit came to fruition in 2018 when Emanuel was accused of rigging his shop's televisions to play a pirated version of a Pay-Per-View boxing match, per TMZ. At the time, the outlet reported that the company that was in charge of licensing the fight was suing Emanuel "for more than $100,000 in damages."
In addition to the lawsuit pertaining to the boxing match, in 2018, the tattoo artist also had to deal with a customer of the shop who was suing Emanuel for $500,000 after he gave the "client a tattoo that allegedly ended up getting infected," per VH1. The same year, a landlord sued Emanuel, along with cast member Sky Days, after she allegedly broke her lease when she let him crash at her rental and use it as a sex pad of sorts, according to TMZ.
Ceaser Emanuel's child support payments
While Ceaser Emanuel brings in a lot of money, a portion of his income goes toward child support — or, at least, it's supposed to. According to TMZ, the Black Ink Crew star was arrested "on a warrant for failure to pay child support" while he was in the middle of tattooing a customer. To add insult to injury, the cameras were rolling, filming content for the reality show.
Shortly after his arrest, Bossip reported that the star had fallen behind on paying child support to his baby mama, Crystal, for their teenage daughter, Cheyenne. He reportedly owed a whopping $15,151 in back child support in November 2015 (the month of his arrest), and ended up paying $2,500 in bail to be released.
Why the trouble paying up? We're not so sure. Considering the fact that he makes a decent amount of money thanks to his shop and the success of his show, Emanuel should have enough to support his daughter.
Regardless of his financial woes here and there, Emanuel is worth a pretty penny and it seems his fortune will only continue to grow.