Many people might not be aware of Shonda Rhimes because she has remained behind the scenes in several series despite being successful. She is a well-known personality in America known for her work as an author, screenwriter, and television producer.
Accordingly, Shonda has worked for films and shows such as Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Crossroads, The Princess Diaries, Scandal, Private Practice, and more. She has worked as executive producer, head writer, and creator of the long-running and popular medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
According to 53-year-old Shonda, her mentor, Debra Martin Chase, has a major part in her success. They worked together for The Princess Diaries 2. However, she did not find herself anything except only a writer in the beginning. Since being another Toni Morrison was not possible, Shonda decided to be the first Shonda Rhimes.
Shonda does not have a medical background, but she volunteered at a hospital during her high school days. It is how she could write for Grey’s Anatomy. However, she had to struggle to make ends meet. She was an unemployed scriptwriter after her graduation. Thus, she had to work as an office administrator, counselor, and research director before getting better offers from Hollywood.
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Shonda Rhimes Net Worth
Shonda Rhimes’ net worth is $160 million as of 2023. Most credit goes to her behind-the-scenes career in films and television shows. She is not a millionaire yet more than what many people earn throughout their lives.
She used to earn $30,000 per episode for producing and writing Grey’s Anatomy. Her payment increased to $245,000 per episode till 2021. ABC made revenue of $2 billion through the series, but Shonda still had to fight for the pay, according to Forbes. She got disappointed to see that the channel did not realize how worthy her work was.
A deal with Netflix paid Shonda $100 million in 2017. The amount got increased to $150 million after the success of Bridgerton. She ended up getting between $300 and $400 million, including bonuses till 2021.
Shonda made a deal of $10 million per year with ABC and got a bonus of 10% for streaming her series on other streaming platforms and channels. According to Forbes, she earned more than $350 million before paying taxes till 2021 through her television career.
Crossroads and The Princess Diaries 2, written by Shonda in 2002 and 2004, brought over $61 million and $135 million, respectively. However, their budget was $12 million and $40 million. She had been writing for films and television series until she published her first book named ‘Year Of Yes,’ which became a best seller in The New York Times in 2015.
Shonda also earns from her lifestyle website named ‘Shondaland,’ though we do not know exactly how much she gets from it. She launched it in 2017 by joining ‘Hearst.’ The website posts articles about herself, her upcoming events, culture, health, and wellness.
Shonda started making podcasts for her publication in 2019. It includes many popular podcasts and the official ones for her TV shows, Inventing Anna and Bridgerton. However, she did not officially share details about her income from the source.
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Shonda Rhimes’ Assets
Shonda owns mansions in Beverly Hills, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and exotic cars like Porsche 911, Aston Martin, Bentley Continental, and more. She has bagged the Guild of America Awards as a director, writer, and producer, Black Reel Award, Banff Television Festival, Primetime Emmy Award, GLAAD Media Awards, NAACP Image Award, and Primetime Emmy Award.
Talking about Shonda’s mansions, she owns a 5,000 square feet Tudor-style mansion having four and a half bathrooms and four bedrooms. The mansion got built in Los Angeles in 1920, and its price was $4.6 million in 2017.
Shonda sold Hancock Park’s 8,292-square-foot mansion for $7.1 million. She bought it for $5.6 million in 2010. On the other hand, she bought another 8,398-square-foot mansion in the same city park in 2014 from Patricia Heaton. This time, she had to pay $8.8 million. In 2022, she sold it for $21 million, making it the costliest deal in the area.
Shonda bought a 40,000-square-foot manor spread over more than seven acres of land for $15.175 million in 2022 from Doug and Melissa Bernstein. The mansion has sixteen bathrooms and eleven bedrooms. She also owns a two-bedroom penthouse in Manhattan worth $11.76 million that she bought in 2018. Currently, Shonda owns a duplex bought for $1.66 million in 2007. She is unmarried and the mother of three daughters via adoption and surrogation.
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