What Is Donald Glover's Net Worth?
Donald Glover is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, director, musician, and DJ who has a net worth of $40 million. As a musician, Donald Glover performs music under the stage name Childish Gambino and as a DJ under the name mcDJ. From 2009 to 2014, he starred in 89 episodes of "Community." In 2016, he created, produced, wrote, and starred in the series "Atlanta," which ran through 2022.
Early Life
Donald McKinley Glover Jr. was born on September 25, 1983, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. His father, Donald Sr., was a postal worker stationed at the base, and his mother, Beverly, previously worked as a daycare provider. Donald was raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia, along with his two siblings. His parents also served as foster parents for 14 years.
Glover attended Lakeside High School and DeKalb School of the Arts before continuing his education at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He graduated from college in 2006 with a degree in Dramatic Writing.
Acting and Writing Career
Glover's writing samples, which included a spec script he had written for "The Simpsons," caught the attention of producer David Miner in 2006. Miner and Tina Fey were impressed by his writing and hired him as a writer for the NBC sitcom "30 Rock." During his time writing for "30 Rock" between 2006 to 2009, he made occasional cameo appearances on the show. In 2008, the "30 Rock" writing team earned the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Series for the show's third season.
After a failed audition to play President Obama on "Saturday Night Live," Glover landed the role of former high school jock Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom "Community." He starred in seasons 1 – 4 of the series and was a partial member of the 5th season, appearing in only five episodes. In 2013, Glover signed a deal with FX to create a music-themed show titled "Atlanta." Donald starred in, wrote, occasionally directed, and worked as an executive producer on the show. The show premiered in March 2015 to critical acclaim and went on to air 41 episodes over four seasons. It won two Golden Globe Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards. In particular, it is worthwhile to note that the Emmy that Donald won for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series was the first ever to be awarded to an African-American in the award's history. In 2015, Glover also appeared in three films, "The Lazarus Effect," "Magic Mike XXL" and "The Martian."
In 2018, Donald portrayed a young Lando Calrissian in "Solo: A Star Wars Story." That same year, he proposed a project to New Regency that he wanted to work on. Despite not even having a script, they accepted his proposal, and Amazon Studios agreed to distribute the resulting film. The project resulted in the film "Guava Island" (2019), which was written by Glover's brother Stephen, starred Donald, and was directed by longtime collaborator Hiro Murai. In 2019, he was also featured as the voice for adult Simba in the remake of "The Lion King."
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Music Career
While working as a writer on "30 Rock," Glover released the independent mixtape "Sick Boi" in June 2008 under the stage name Childish Gambino. His second mixtape, "Poindexter," was released in September 2009, followed by "I Am Just a Rapper," "I Am Just A Rapper 2," and "Culdesac" in 2010. His first extended play, "EP," was released in March 2011 as a free digital download. In April of that year, he embarked on his nationwide "IAMDONALD" tour, which consisted of rap, comedy, and video performance segments.
As he worked on his debut album, Glover approached the "Community" score composer, Ludwig Göransson, to assist him with production. Prior to the album's release, Donald signed a record deal with Glassnote Records. He also went on "The Sign-Up Tour" during this time. His debut studio album, "Camp," was released in November 2011 and debuted at #11 on the "Billboard" 200. The singles "Bonfire" and "Heartbeat" peaked at #18 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Single chart and #54 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song chart, respectively.
Glover's second studio album, "Because the Internet," was released in December 2013 and debuted at #7 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. To support the album's release, Donald also released a 72-page screenplay and a short film he wrote and starred in, "Clapping for the Wrong Reasons," which was directed by Hiro Murai. "Because the Internet" was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, and the single "3005" was nominated for Best Rap Performance. "Awaken, My Love!" was Glover's third album, released in December 2016. It was also positively received by critics and nominated for two categories at the 2018 Grammy Awards. "Redbone," one of the singles off the album, also received multiple Grammy nominations and won Best Traditional R&B Performance.
After signing with RCA Records in January 2018, Glover released the single "This is America" in May. The song is famous for its lyrics that address topics like gun violence and racial tensions in the United States, and Donald released a very controversial music video directed by Hiro Murai. The song won Song of the Year, Best Music Video, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Record of the Year at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Glover's fourth album, "3.15.20.," was released in March 2020.
Endorsements and Earnings
Glover has supported several brands throughout his career. He was featured in the 2010 holiday advertising campaign for Gap. In partnership with Adidas, Donald reimagined three pairs of classic Adidas sneakers and released them in April 2019 as the Donald Glover Presents line.
Between September 2018 and September 2019, Glover earned more than $30 million from his various entertainment endeavors. That was enough to make him one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world at the time.
Personal Life
Donald Glover is notoriously private about his personal life. He shares three sons, born in 2016, 2018, and 2020, with his wife, Michelle White, who he married in January 2024.
