What Is Issa Rae’s Net Worth? The Insecure Creator Is In Demand

The masses learned about Issa Rae from her show Insecure, which she created, produced, and co-wrote, as well as starred in. The program was a massive hit, and it took her to new heights in terms of fame, power, critical acclaim, and, certainly, wealth. After spending years grinding, creating many series on YouTube and small platforms, Rae broke into the mainstream with her boundary-pushing show, one that not only paid her well, but that helped open countless doors, leading to what must be additional very large paychecks.

The future is incredibly bright for Rae, and as the world waits to see what she creates next, it’s as good a time as any to dive into her estimated financial success (and where it all comes from).

What Is Issa Rae’s Net Worth?

$4 MILLION

Already one of the most in-demand creators in Hollywood, Rae’s net worth is estimated to be around $4 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. That’s actually relatively low for someone as successful and busy as the producer and actor is, but her career is still on the rise. The sum will surely continue to climb in the coming months and years due to her many exciting ventures in entertainment, fashion and beauty, and business.

3 Ways Issa Rae Makes Her Millions

1. TV & Movies

Rae got her start in the entertainment industry with her YouTube show Awkward Black Girl. It didn’t take long for the series to go viral, but it wasn’t exactly a big moneymaker for her. In fact, in order to finance the second season, she had to turn to Kickstarter donations. It’s very rare for a first project to be the one that makes anybody rich, but Awkward Black Girl helped set Rae up for a lot of future success, to say nothing of money.

After attracting the attention of Hollywood with her beloved YouTube show, Rae jumped right into her next projects, producing titles like The Number, How Men Become Dogs, Little Horribles, Roomieloverfriends, and The Choir, as well as many short films. These shows aired on a variety of platforms, including YouTube, and while none of them were big-budget productions, they all helped contribute to her future success and lengthened her IMDB page significantly.

After years of standing out as a rising talent in TV and film, Rae started on what would become her true breakout project, Insecure. Rae created, produces, co-writes, and stars in the HBO series, which has been a ratings and critical success from the beginning. The program is airing its fifth and final season, and while fans will be sad to see it conclude, Rae isn’t about to disappear.

Since Insecure premiered, Rae has either produced, co-written, or co-starred in TV shows like BoJack Horseman, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and Coastal Elites as well as films like The Hate U Give, Little, Hair Love, The Photograph, and The Lovebirds. All of her work on those titles surely lined her pockets well, though how much she makes for her talents must vary widely.

Rae has many, many projects coming up, with most (if not all) of them connected to her production company, Hoorae Media. Early in 2021, Hoorae signed a five-year first-look deal with Warner Brothers worth a reported $40 million. The entertainment titan owns brands like HBO and HBO Max, which Rae is obviously familiar with. She will continue to create as she has for years, only now those cable channels and streamers will have first dibs on whatever she comes up with. That means there is definitely a lot more content from Rae coming soon.

2. Fashion

Since she began walking red carpets and appearing in magazine spreads, Rae has been known as an especially stylish woman, and her shows often feature incredible fashion as well. With her innate ties to that world, it only makes sense that she would work with some clothing brands in some deals that surely paid her tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. In 2021 alone, she has teamed up with both Converse and Madewell, furthering her status as a fashion influencer.

With Converse, Rae has designed her own signature line of sneakers. Each item features inspirational quotes and lines that relate to the creator and her work. For Madewell, Rae starred in the womenswear company’s 2021 spring campaign.

3. Entrepreneurial Activities

Since the beginning of her career, Rae has proved that she has what it takes to make it as an entrepreneur, as she created her own programs and then founded her own production company. She knows what it takes to achieve success, so it’s not surprising that she’s also turned her celebrity status and creative vision into even higher earnings in other fields.

Starting in 2019, Rae partnered with the founders of Los Angeles-based Hilltop Coffee & Kitchen to open a second, and then a third location, turning the popular cafe into a local chain. The same year, she launched Raedio, a record label connected to Atlantic Records. The company describes itself as “an audio everywhere company,” and it looks like the still-new brand also works in publishing and music supervision. On top of all of that, Rae is a co-founder and the face of Sienna Naturals, a hair care brand that creates eco-friendly products specifically for Black women.

Rae is a respected writer who often has a hand in penning the projects she produces. She took this talent to new places in 2015 when she was still on the upswing by publishing the book The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl. The collection of essays quickly became a New York Times bestseller, and she probably earned a very healthy advance for her work on the title.

With everything she’s done to this point in her career and everything she still has in the pipeline, Rae is well-positioned for even greater accomplishments — and even bigger paydays.