Here's How Much Wil Wheaton Is Worth
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
These days, Wil Wheaton is well known for his embrace of the nerd community and his love of all things geeky. He doesn't act as much as he did in his youth, but he's managed to remain in the public eye of a niche market for some time, ensuring he's always busy and well-paid. Despite his recent penchant for staying away from acting roles, Wheaton has had a successful acting career dating back to the early 1980s.
Like many child stars, he didn't have what you might consider a normal upbringing, which had a lot to do with his career. He made it through to become the kind of person who works constantly and has a massive fanbase supporting him. He's a writer, speaker, podcaster, actor, and much more. As you might expect from someone working in entertainment for decades, Wheaton has managed to put some money away for a rainy day.
That said, he doesn't have as much money as his fans may believe. Despite working for decades in the entertainment industry, he's not incredibly wealthy. Celebrity Net Worth estimates his bank accounts hold about $1 million. The Richest and other net worth estimates for Wheaton come in at half that amount, begging the question: what happened to all of Wil Wheaton's finances over the years? After all, he was a major player on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a frequent guest on "The Big Bang Theory," and more, so his net worth is interesting, to say the least.
He began acting at an early age
Some children dream of becoming an actor, but Wil Wheaton was not one of them. His mother, Debbie Nordean, was an actor with limited success, and his father worked in medicine. Wheaton opened up about his upbringing when he was an adult, explaining that his father emotionally abused him and his mother enabled that abuse. They forced him to become an actor, which was problematic for Wheaton, who suffers from several anxiety disorders.
Wheaton has opened up about his parents' influence on his acting career, explaining to Metro.co.uk that appearing on camera is triggering and traumatic to him. "I'm not especially interested in being an on-camera actor; that was never my choice. When I was a kid, my parents forced me to become an actor; it was never something I wanted to do. Throughout my entire childhood, I begged my mother to stop forcing me to go on auditions, to just let me be a kid, and she never heard me."
Ultimately, his mom's obsession with becoming a "momager" to a successful child actor destroyed their relationship. As an adult, Wheaton has opened up about the abuse he experienced. While the work was thrust upon him, making a normal upbringing impossible, he's proud of his work as a child actor. He used the abuse and hurt he experienced at the hands of his parents to develop his characters — that's especially true of Gordie LaChance from "Stand By Me."
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
His early movie roles helped elevate his standing
Wil Wheaton is probably best known for "TNG," but he was already a veteran feature film actor a few years before that happened. He began acting in 1981 via "A Long Way Home," and he kept at it consistently throughout his childhood. His biggest movie, which made him a breakout star, is "Stand By Me," which features Wheaton as the main character, Gordie LaChance.
Gordie was brought to life by Wheaton through the pain of his upbringing. In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, he explained that the abuse "Put [him] in exactly the right place to play Gordie," adding, "Because Gordie's experience very much reflected my experience. We're both invisible in our homes. We both have a brother who is the golden child. We're both the scapegoat in the family. So when I watch 'Stand by Me' now, I cannot ignore the unbelievable sadness in my eyes. And I cannot ignore the reality that it was that sadness, that isolation that I think gave me what Gordie needed to come to life."
"Stand By Me" was incredibly successful, elevating Wheaton's standing as an actor. He'd previously acted in feature films, including a small role in "The Last Starfighter." After the success of "Stand By Me," Wheaton landed roles in "The Curse," "She's Having a Baby," and several television series. Of course, it was ultimately "TNG" that elevated Wheaton to "Star Trek" superstardom. It's difficult to determine Wheaton's salary during this period, as this information isn't public.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
Wil Wheaton became Wesley Crusher
Wil Wheaton was cast to play Wesley Crusher on "TNG," bringing him to the attention of "Star Trek" fans worldwide. In a pre-air interview, Wheaton admitted to being a fan of the franchise, and he remained on the series for most of its run. Wesley has long been a divisive character; some people love him, while others loathe him. This contributed to Wheaton's experience playing him, and it was only after leaving the series that he began to appreciate the character.
Unfortunately, it's unknown how much Wheaton earned per episode of "TNG," as that information isn't public. By the end of the series (when Wesley Crusher was absent), each episode cost about $1 million to produce. It's unlikely the actors made an incredibly large amount of money, especially when compared to today's compensation. Still, Wheaton likely pocketed somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000 per episode based on current information available on Backstage.
Wheaton appeared in 68 episodes, so he may have made anywhere between $68,000 and $340,000. While that's a rough estimate, anywhere within that range seems likely given what child actors make these days. That said, Otakucart estimates he earned $500,000 playing Wesley. After leaving the series, Wheaton worked in various films and television shows, but he never played as prominent a character as he did in his youth. He's spent far more time playing himself than he has various characters, though he's regained popularity by doing just that.
He continued acting after leaving Star Trek
Wil Wheaton chose to leave "TNG" so he could return to film acting. He ultimately did just that, but the series kept him from joining the cast of the films he wanted to work in. Wheaton appeared in various movies and TV series, but nothing was as notable as "TNG" or even "Stand By Me," which he did at a very young age. Wheaton didn't take a break, but he chose his projects carefully, ultimately coming to embrace his love of geekdom.
He played Fawkes in "The Guild," gaining significant prominence among the webisode-loving gaming community. That job led to the development of his first comic book and a prominent career in online production. Wheaton had several recurring roles in "Eureka," "Dark Matter," and "Powers," but he's probably best known for two series. He helmed "The Wil Wheaton Project," and played a slightly fictionalized version of himself alongside Johnny Galecki and company on "The Big Bang Theory." That's the role that brought him back to the world's attention, and he was paid handsomely for it.
According to ScreenRant, Wheaton's salary on "The Big Bang Theory" was $20,000 per episode. He showed up in 17 episodes, so his pay for the series was $340,000. Wheaton's salary from the myriad of projects he appeared in or worked on post-"TNG" isn't available to the public, but the average pay for a guest star role on a TV series is between $4,450 and $7,260, according to Sapling.
He's a prolific podcaster, speaker, narrator, and voiceover artist
These days, Wil Wheaton doesn't act nearly as much as he did in his youth. Instead, he prefers to keep himself off-camera and behind the microphone, where he spends most of his time writing and recording. Wheaton has completely diversified his talents into an array of specialties in the entertainment industry. He's got a huge online presence, where he hosts podcasts, "The Ready Room," web series like TableTop, and a ton of narration.
Wheaton has been commissioned to narrate a plethora of audiobooks, many of which are incredibly popular sci-fi novels. He recorded the audiobooks for the incredibly popular series from Ernest Cline, "Ready Player One," and its sequel, "Ready Player Two." On top of that, he recorded Cline's novel "Armada" and Andy Weir's bestseller, "The Martian." He's also voiced his own books and several from other popular science fiction authors. Narrating audiobooks can generate a sizable income, and Wheaton has worked on dozens of them.
It's unknown how much Wheaton has made recording audiobooks over the years. Still, Business Insider reported that a beginning narrator could expect to make $100 per finished hour, while a seasoned veteran would receive $500 per hour. Given who Wheaton is, he likely rates at the top of the scale, so his work on "Ready Player One" likely earned him as much as $8,000. In addition to reading for money, Wheaton is also paid to speak, earning as much as $100,000 per speaking event, according to Speaker Booking Agency.
He's been married to Anne Wheaton since 1999
Wil Wheaton met Anne Prince at a party in 1995 that neither of them wanted to attend. Some finagling by a mutual friend put the pair together on a double date a few days later, and that was the beginning of their relationship. Anne had no idea who Wil was at the time, but it wasn't long before he dragged her to London to her first "Star Trek" convention, which kind of freaked her out. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Will explained that Anne was akin to a Muggle at Hogwarts, and being in love with what he calls a "normal person" is weird.
Regardless, the couple worked out their different lifestyles and were married in November 1999. Anne came into the marriage with two sons from a prior relationship, and by the time the kids matured, they asked Wil to adopt them, which he did. While Anne was never a self-proclaimed nerd like her husband, she's embraced his lifestyle, appearing alongside him at events and parlaying his fame to support causes she champions.
Anne has appeared alongside Wil in various series over the years, often playing herself. She's also worked as a hairstylist on "Neverland," and she published one book, a children's tale called "Piggy and the Pug." She's also active on social media, and ABTC lists her net worth at $1 million. Her net worth is likely tied to her husband, but she does contribute to the family income.
He travels to events and conventions for a fee
Wil Wheaton has long been a participant in the convention circuit, making appearances at sci-fi, "Star Trek," and comic book conventions. He's often paired alongside fellow "Star Trek" alumni, where he signs various items and poses for pictures with eager fans. Wheaton doesn't do this solely because he loves his fans — he does, but there's more to it than that. Many celebrities appear at conventions because they're paid to do so.
It's one of the ways they pad their income, so stars like Wheaton tend to go from one con to the next. Wheaton can be expected to attend at least five or six conventions in any given year. The COVID-19 pandemic messed up his schedule for a few years, but he returned to form, appearing at Star Trek: Mission Chicago 2022, Awesome Con 2022, and Steel City Con 2022 after pandemic restrictions were lifted.
According to FanCons, In 2019, he attended six conventions; the previous year, he went to seven. Wheaton's income from specific conventions isn't known, but there is data suggesting what he may take home from various sources online. A celeb of Wheaton's standing likely takes home around $5,000 to $10,000 for appearing at a con, with what The Hollywood Reporter describes as the "basic guarantee rate." Add to that around $10 to $50 for an autograph and/or photo, and Wheaton stands to take home a significant amount of money at the end of a convention.
He's charitable with his time and money
Like most celebrities with a platform, Wil Wheaton has supported numerous causes throughout his career. He often speaks out in support of various mental health organizations and charities, as he has been dealing with chronic depression and generalized anxiety disorder for most of his life. Wheaton published a story on Medium in 2018 explaining his condition and how it impacts his daily life, helping to bring attention to the entertainment industry and its impact on child actors.
Granted, there's more to it than that, but Wheaton's mental health has been a driving force in his work. While it's clear he supports causes related to depression and suicide, the amount of money he's donated isn't available to the public. In addition to supporting mental health welfare, he and his wife spend a lot of time supporting the Pasadena Humane Society through various fundraising activities. Anne spends time working with the organization with her husband, and the organization lists the couple as bringing in the most donors.
The couple launched The Foundation to Increase Awesome to improve animal and women's welfare through the support of their mental and civil rights. It's unclear how much the foundation has raised or donated since its founding. Genius Celebs notes that Wheaton helped raise thousands for animal and mental health organizations, including World Builder Fundraiser, The Greater Chicago Food Depository, and the Stands charity campaign.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
He's written a lot of books
Wil Wheaton may be known for his acting, but that's hardly his only talent. He's a prolific writer with a blog he updates regularly. On top of that, he's written a relatively large number of books over the years. His memoir, "Just a Geek," and its 20-year follow-up, "Still Just A Geek," made Wheaton a New York Times bestselling author. He posted about this on his blog a week after "Still Just A Geek" was published, which significantly elevated Wheaton's standing as a writer.
While his bestselling books are nonfiction, he's delved into fiction with several short stories and collections. "Hunter," "The Monster in my Closet," and "The Day After and Other Stories" have also sold well. While some information is available regarding Wheaton's book sales through various lists, the amount of money he makes from them is not publicly available. Given his standing and the numbers estimated by CHRON suggest, he takes in around $83,500 annually from his nonfiction book sales.
Wheaton has also worked on several comic books, including "Star Trek" #400. The book celebrated the quatercentenary issue by tying in different eras of the franchise into a single, giant-size issue. Given the potential salary for a comic book writer listed on Fiction Horizon, it's unlikely that he made a ton of cash for his comic book contributions or his other work. Still, Wheaton is a workhorse who keeps himself busy generating content. Given time, he may build on his relatively low net worth of $1 million.