Amy Poehler Net Worth

What Is Amy Poehler's Net Worth and Salary?

Amy Poehler is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, director, and voice actress who has a net worth of $30 million.

Amy Poehler first rose to national prominence on "Saturday Night Live," where her characters, impressions, and run as a "Weekend Update" anchor established her as one of the defining cast members of the 2000s. She later reached an even wider audience as relentlessly optimistic public servant Leslie Knope on NBC's "Parks and Recreation," a performance that earned her a Golden Globe Award and six consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Beyond acting, Poehler has built an extensive producing career through Paper Kite Productions, backing acclaimed shows including "Broad City," "Russian Doll," and "Making It." Her film work includes "Mean Girls," "Baby Mama," "Blades of Glory," and "Sisters," while her performance as Joy in Pixar's "Inside Out" franchise has become one of her most commercially successful roles. She has also directed the films "Wine Country" and "Moxie," directed the Emmy-winning documentary "Lucy and Desi," published the bestselling memoir "Yes Please," and launched the award-winning podcast "Good Hang with Amy Poehler."

Early Life

Amy Meredith Poehler was born on September 16, 1971, in Newton, Massachusetts. Her parents, Eileen and William Poehler, were both teachers. She grew up in the Boston suburb of Burlington with her younger brother, Greg Poehler, who later became an actor, writer, and producer.

Poehler became interested in acting after playing Dorothy in a school production of "The Wizard of Oz" when she was 10. At Burlington High School, she participated in drama and student government while also playing soccer and softball. After graduating in 1989, she attended Boston College, where she joined the improv comedy troupe My Mother's Fleabag. She graduated in 1993 with a degree in media and communications.

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Upright Citizens Brigade

After college, Poehler moved to Chicago and immersed herself in the city's influential improv scene. She studied at ImprovOlympic and performed with Second City's touring company, where she developed her skills alongside a generation of comedians that included future longtime collaborator Tina Fey.

Poehler became one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade alongside Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh. The group relocated to New York City in 1996, performed in small theaters around the city, and landed the Comedy Central sketch series "Upright Citizens Brigade" in 1998. The show ran for three seasons.

UCB ultimately became much more influential than its television series. Its theaters and training programs developed into major institutions in American improv comedy and helped train generations of actors, comedians, and writers. During this period, Poehler also became a frequent sketch performer on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

Saturday Night Live

Poehler joined "Saturday Night Live" in 2001 as a featured player and was promoted to the main cast during her first season, an unusually rapid rise. Her boundless energy and commitment to eccentric characters quickly made her one of the show's standout performers.

Among her recurring characters were hyperactive schoolgirl Kaitlyn and one-legged reality-show contestant Amber. Poehler also became known for impersonations of celebrities and public figures including Kelly Ripa, Sharon Osbourne, Avril Lavigne, and Hillary Clinton.

In 2004, Poehler joined Tina Fey behind the "Weekend Update" desk, making them the first all-female anchor duo in the segment's history. After Fey departed the show, Poehler continued anchoring alongside Seth Meyers. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Poehler's Hillary Clinton appeared opposite Fey's Sarah Palin in a series of sketches that became among the most widely viewed "SNL" moments of the era.

Poehler left the regular cast in December 2008 but has returned repeatedly as a guest and host. She and Fey jointly won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series following their 2015 hosting appearance.

Poehler returned for "SNL50: The Anniversary Special" in February 2025. In October 2025, she hosted an episode airing exactly 50 years after the original "Saturday Night Live" premiere, with Fey and several other former cast members joining her during the broadcast.

Parks and Recreation

Just months after leaving "SNL," Poehler began starring as Leslie Knope on NBC's "Parks and Recreation." Although the series received a mixed response during its first season, it was reworked into one of the most critically acclaimed network comedies of its era.

Poehler's relentlessly enthusiastic Leslie Knope became the show's emotional center. The ensemble also included Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate, Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, and Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford.

"Parks and Recreation" ran for seven seasons and 125 episodes before ending in 2015. Poehler received six consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series from 2010 through 2015 and won the 2014 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy. She also became a producer on the show and received additional Emmy nominations for producing and writing.

Film Career and "Inside Out"

While establishing herself as a television star, Poehler built a substantial film career. She memorably played Regina George's aggressively youthful mother in 2004's "Mean Girls" and went on to appear in movies including "Blades of Glory," "Baby Mama," "They Came Together," "Sisters," and "The House."

Poehler has collaborated frequently with Tina Fey, including co-starring roles in "Baby Mama" and "Sisters" and multiple stints hosting the Golden Globe Awards. She also starred alongside several former "Saturday Night Live" colleagues, including Maya Rudolph, in the 2019 ensemble comedy "Wine Country."

Some of Poehler's biggest commercial success has come from voice acting. She voiced characters in "Shrek the Third," "Horton Hears a Who!," "Monsters vs. Aliens," and "Free Birds," but her signature animated role is Joy in Pixar's "Inside Out."

The original "Inside Out" was released in 2015 and grossed more than $850 million worldwide. Poehler returned as Joy in 2024's "Inside Out 2," which generated nearly $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office and became the highest-grossing film released that year.

Salary and Career Earnings

At the height of "Parks and Recreation," Poehler earned $200,000 per episode. For a 22-episode season, that rate would equate to $4.4 million in base salary before accounting for her additional compensation as a producer, residuals, or other contractual payments.

Her return to "Inside Out" also produced one of the biggest known paydays of her career. According to entertainment industry publication Puck, Poehler received $5 million plus additional fees and bonuses to reprise the role of Joy in "Inside Out 2."

Those salaries represent only part of Poehler's earnings. Her career has included income from acting, writing, producing, directing, book publishing, awards-show hosting, voice acting, television production, and podcasting. Her ownership of Paper Kite Productions has also allowed her to participate financially in projects in which she never appears on camera.

Paper Kite Productions and Directing

Poehler expanded significantly behind the camera through Paper Kite Productions. The company has given her a platform to develop her own work while supporting other comedians, writers, performers, and filmmakers.

Paper Kite executive-produced Comedy Central's "Broad City," Hulu's "Difficult People," and Netflix's "Russian Doll," which was co-created by Poehler, Leslye Headland, and Natasha Lyonne. Poehler also executive-produced and co-hosted NBC's crafting competition "Making It" with Nick Offerman. Other Paper Kite productions have included "Duncanville," "Baking It," "Harlem," and "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning."

Poehler made her feature directorial debut with the 2019 Netflix comedy "Wine Country." She followed it with the 2021 Netflix film "Moxie," which she also produced and appeared in.

In 2022, Poehler directed "Lucy and Desi," a documentary examining the personal and professional partnership of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The film won two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Poehler is also an author. Her 2014 memoir "Yes Please" combined stories from her personal life with reflections on comedy, relationships, parenting, "Saturday Night Live," and the entertainment business.

"Good Hang with Amy Poehler"

In March 2025, Poehler moved into podcasting with "Good Hang with Amy Poehler," a video and audio interview series produced by Paper Kite Productions and The Ringer. The format pairs Poehler with actors, musicians, comedians, and other entertainers for loose, conversational interviews that frequently draw on her decades of relationships in the comedy and entertainment worlds.

The podcast quickly became a major success and regularly featured some of the industry's biggest names. In January 2026, "Good Hang with Amy Poehler" won the first-ever Golden Globe Award for Best Podcast, giving Poehler her second career Golden Globe. By later that year, the show had released more than 70 episodes and remained an active part of her career.

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Personal Life

Poehler met actor and comedian Will Arnett in the 1990s, and the two began dating in 2000. They married in August 2003 and had two sons, Archie and Abel.

During their relationship, Poehler and Arnett worked together on several projects, including "Arrested Development," "Blades of Glory," "Horton Hears a Who!," and "The Secret World of Arrietty." They announced their separation in September 2012. Arnett filed for divorce in 2014, and their divorce was finalized in 2016.

Poehler subsequently dated comedian Nick Kroll from 2013 to 2015. She has generally kept her romantic life and her children's lives private.

Real Estate

Poehler and Arnett accumulated significant New York City real estate during their marriage. In 2004, they paid $1.73 million for a condo at 1 Morton Square in Manhattan's West Village. They sold that unit for $2.2 million in 2007.

They subsequently acquired two contiguous units in the same building, buying one in 2007 and another in 2010. The apartments measured roughly 2,446 and 1,693 square feet, for a combined total of more than 4,100 square feet. They spent roughly $8 million acquiring the two units, which were apparently combined into a single residence.

In 2017, Poehler paid Arnett $6.49 million to acquire his interest in the West Village properties following their divorce. Poehler has also maintained a home in the Los Angeles area, but she has kept details about that residence largely private.

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