Carol Leifer Net Worth

What is Carol Leifer's Net Worth?

Carol Leifer is an American comedian, writer, actress, and producer who has a net worth of $3 million. Carol Leifer has written for many television programs, and earned Emmy Award nominations for her writing work on "Seinfeld," "The Larry Sanders Show," and two Academy Awards telecasts. Among her many other credits, she hosted the A&E show "Caroline's Comedy Hour," created and starred on the sitcom "Alright Already," and released several stand-up comedy specials.

Early Life and Education

Carol Leifer was born in either 1956 or 1957 in East Williston, New York. She is of Jewish ancestry. Growing up, Leifer was strongly shaped by the influence of her father, whom she would later credit as the reason she became a comedian. For her higher education, she attended Harpur College before transferring to Queens College.

Stand-up Comedy

Leifer began doing stand-up comedy in 1977. She became known for her observational, inner-monologue-driven style, touching on such autobiographical elements as her Jewish heritage, coming out, and various relationships. Leifer has performed her stand-up on various television programs over the decades, with over 20 appearances alone on "Late Night with David Letterman." She has also released many stand-up specials, including "Carol Leifer Comedy Cruise," "Carol Leifer: Really Big Shoo!," "London Underground," and "More Funny Women of a Certain Age." On the television station A&E, she hosted "Caroline's Comedy Hour," which lasted four seasons.

Television Writing and Acting

Leifer's first major writing gig was for the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live," which she joined in 1985. However, amid tensions with executive producer Lorne Michaels, she left after one season. Leifer became more prolific on television in the 1990s. In 1992, she both wrote and starred in the Showtime television mockumentary film "Carol Leifer: Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue." Between 1993 and 1996, Leifer wrote six episodes of the NBC sitcom "Seinfeld," and was also a story editor for several episodes. She earned an Emmy Award nomination for her work. Leifer was a writer on the 48th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1996, and in 1997 she wrote episodes of "The Larry Sanders Show," "The Naked Truth," and "Almost Perfect." Leifer was Emmy-nominated for her work on "The Larry Sanders Show." Also in 1997, she created the WB sitcom "Alright Already," in which she starred as the owner of an optometry shop in Miami. Leifer wrote several episodes of the series, which ran for a single season.

In the 21st century, Leifer has written for numerous awards show broadcasts, including the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, and the Tony Awards. For her work on the 82nd and 84th Academy Awards, she received Emmy nominations. In other credits, Leifer co-created and wrote for the short-lived CBS sitcom "The Ellen Show," and wrote or co-wrote episodes of such shows as "Rules of Engagement," "Modern Family," "Devious Maids," the rebooted "Mad TV," "Better Late Than Never," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "B Positive." For "Modern Family," she won a WGA Award. Elsewhere, Leifer collaborated with Carol Burnett to co-write "The Carol Burnett 50th Anniversary Special" for CBS in 2017, and in 2018 she wrote all 12 episodes of the Netflix series "A Little Help with Carol Burnett."

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Other Appearances

Among her other media appearances, Leifer competed in the third season of the reality game show "The Celebrity Apprentice" in 2010. Competing to raise money for North Shore Animal League, she was the first contestant to be eliminated.

Books

Leifer published her first book, the humorous essay collection "When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win," in 2009. She published her second book, the memoir and entertainment industry guidebook "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying," in 2014.

Personal Life

Leifer's first marriage was to fellow comedian, writer, and actor Ritch Shydner, whom she wed in 1981. They divorced in 1987. Leifer later briefly dated Jerry Seinfeld before working with him on his sitcom. She eventually came out as lesbian, and in 1996 began a relationship with real estate executive Lori Wolf. The two moved in together in 2005 and got engaged. They married in Los Angeles in 2015. Leifer and Wolf have an adopted son named Bruno who was born in Guatemala. Since meeting her wife, Leifer has become an animal rights activist and vegan.

Real Estate

In 2005, Carol and Lori paid $500 thousand for a home in Los Angeles. They sold this home in April 2018 for a shade under $3 million. In 2019, Carol and Lori paid $1.67 million for a home in Sherman Oaks, California.

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