Suzanne Somers’ net worth arose from her pursuit of her passions, and despite her wealth, she was modest about her earnings.
Somers was one of the first highly famous actresses to demand equal pay for male stars on set, and she was an outcast from Hollywood for years before making a comeback—but it wasn’t acting that made her wealthy. It was the dreaded ThighMaster.
“Anybody can do it,” Somers said in 2022 on Hollywood Raw. “People are always calling me and wanting to know ‘How do I do this?’ You can’t decide to make money. You have to have a passion for whatever you’re selling. It has to be a fit. I can’t sell baseball bats. But I wanted to keep my legs looking great for those Manolo Blahnik shoes. So there was a weird, kind of strange, passion there.”
Find out Suzanne Somers’ net worth in 2023 and how she made it.
How Did Suzanne Somers Become So Famous?
Suzanne Somers was born in California and reared there as a cheerleader. Her earliest TV appearances were on discussion shows to promote her debut poetry book, and she began her career as a poet and writer.
She began her career in little parts and guest roles in the 1960s and 1970s, but it was her starring role as Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company that catapulted her to stardom. She was sacked from the show in 1981 for reasons that will be discussed later!
Somers sued Playboy magazine in 1980 for publishing nude test photos of her from 1971, claiming she refused to pose nude for her actual Playboy pictorials and that she’d only posed for the magazine at all to raise money for her son, who’d been injured in an accident.
Somers expressed concern that her 14-year-old son would be mortified by his mother’s nakedness. She reached an agreement with Playboy for $50,000, which she contributed to charities such as Easter Seals.
Despite her lawsuit, Somers decided to appear for Playboy again in 1984, apparently after consulting with her family, in an effort to relaunch her acting career following Three’s Company.
“I had to have 100% control [over the photos],” Somers told UPI at the time. “Any magazine would choose the most revealing rather than the best pictures. I made sure there were no gynecological shots. It killed the magazine to give me final approval of all photos because they were afraid it would set a precedent. But they were gents and lived up to the bargain. They redeemed themselves in my eyes.”
Somers went on to feature in the sitcoms She’s the Sheriff and Step By Step after leaving Playboy. She also hosted The Suzanne Show on Lifetime and competed in Dancing with the Stars in 2015.
What is Suzanne Somers’ Net Worth in 2023?
Suzanne Somers’ net worth was estimated to be $100 million at the time of her death in October 2023. Somers made the most of her money from ThighMaster sales and her acting career. She is also a published author and ardent supporter of hormone therapy, despite the fact that most specialists claim her beliefs lack scientific foundation and may be hazardous.
How Much Did Suzanne Somers Make Per Episode?
When Somers agreed to join Three’s Company, she committed to a weekly salary of $3,500, which seemed like a lot of money to her at the time (and it was in 1970s dollars).
Somers ventured to ask for pay parity with co-star John Ritter when the program became a sensation, which would have increased her Season 4 compensation from $30,000 to $150,000 per episode. Instead of delivering it to her, producers offered her a $5,000 raise. Somers was dismissed when she turned down the offer.
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How Much Did Suzanne Somers Earn From ThighMaster?
Her wallet expanded as her thighs shrank. Somers said in a 2022 interview with the podcast Hollywood Raw that she made roughly $300 million off the ThighMaster and that at the time, she made even more each sale of the workout gear because she owned the ThighMaster and its rights “outright.” (She also acknowledged being a huge spender, which is probably why her net worth is just around a third of that!)
“We had partners—50/50—and they got drunk on money when it all started selling. They overspent to the point where they could no longer afford to be in their side of the business so we bought them out,” she explained. “We have 100%.”
Why Did Suzanne Somers Sell Her Palm Springs Home?
Somers and her husband Alan Hamel sold their Palm Springs home in 2021 in favor of one that was “greener” and contained fewer pollutants. Their Palm Springs mansion included five distinct villas and over 100 staircases.
How Much Did Suzanne Somers Earn on Three’s Company?
Somers’ top Three Company income was $30,000 per episode, which was 80% less than co-star Ritter’s.
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