You may not know it yet, but unless you've been living television free for the past 30 years, there's a good chance you are well acquainted with one of Matt Groening's creations, like, for example, The Simpsons. You know, the silly, hapless, sometimes dysfunctional, but well-meaning animated family from the fictional town of Springfield?
And yes, we mean the family with the donut-loving father and the moralistic matriarch with the striking blue hair, their wild-child son, and intellectual daughter who is already a part of Mensa. Not to mention their timeless one-year-old baby girl who barely speaks.
While The Simpsons is arguably his most famous work and where Matt Groening has made most of his net worth, he also has other notable creations, such as Life in Hell and Futurama. Matt Groening's creations and signature animation style make him one of the most significant and talked about animators, cementing him as a household name.
With a career in the animation industry that spans over three decades, he continues to make a lasting impact as a cartoonist, writer, and producer. In this blog post by the Business of Animation, learn more about renowned American animator Matt Groening, from his net worth to his legacy.
“The Simpsons” Is Based on Matt Groening’s Actual Family
GIF by Simpsons World via Giphy
Born in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, Matt Groening started drawing early in his childhood after finding animation inspiration from classics like the Peanut cartoons and the 1961 Disney film One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Despite focusing on journalism at Evergreen State College, he continued to sketch throughout university and after. One of his first works that gained traction was his self-published comic strip Life in Hell, which depicted his life with his friends as they lived in Los Angeles.
From 1977 to 2012, he published new comics weekly, with each story covering adult themes such as love, work, social alienation, and self-loathing. In no time at all, his work caught the attention of an editor from Wet Magazine, and they started printing Life in Hell in 1978. At this moment, Matt Groening's net worth started to grow.
Matt Groening's comics kept garnering attention, which resulted in him being offered a deal by executive producer James L. Brooks from The Tracey Ullman Show to make one-minute animated shorts of Life in Hell to air in between segments.
It was then that The Simpsons were born, as he created them to prevent losing rights to his Life in Hell characters. Inspired again by his own life, he developed a new cartoon family, naming each character after his parents, Homer and Margaret, and his siblings.
Matt Groening Was the First to Create Animated Shows for Adults in Mainstream Media
GIF by Family Guy via Giphy
In the early days of The Simpsons, the animation shorts were crude, and both Bart and Lisa Simpson were troublemakers, compared to the present-day, where Lisa is well-mannered and clever.
But much like today, the clips were comedic and relatable, leading to a rise in viewership of The Tracey Ullman Show. With The Simpsons being a massive hit among viewers, producers started to play with the idea of making it a standalone series.
So with the help of American writer Sam Simon, the first-ever episode of The Simpsons aired in December 1989. Since then, the show has maintained its relevance with its progressive storylines and multiple references and influences to pop culture. On numerous occasions, The Simpsons have even predicted the future!
The show is so relevant that in 2010, the magazine Entertainment Weekly conducted a survey that dubbed Homer Simpson, the patriarch of the Simpson clan, as the greatest TV and film character of the last 20 years.
The Simpsons by Matt Groening is also the first to find success in mainstream media as a cartoon made for adults. Its growing popularity made it evident that there was a seat at the table for adult animation on television, opening the doors to other beloved cartoons such as Family Guy, American Dad, and Bob's Burgers.
The Simpsons is also the bulk of what makes Matt Groening's net worth. After all that he has contributed to the animation industry, trailblazer Matt Groening continues to put his animation skills to work, creating more adult-friendly animations with his shows Futurama and Disenchantment.
Matt Groening's Net Worth
GIF by Simpsons World via Giphy
The Simpsons has been on the air for decades and is known to be the longest-running primetime animated show in television history. Plenty even estimate that The Simpsons franchise has a net worth of over 750 million dollars.
That number will only keep growing with Fox renewing The Simpsons for seasons 33 and 34, making its episode count a jaw-dropping 757.
With the legacy Matt Groening has built with The Simpsons and the adult-friendly cartoon being one of the most profitable shows to grace the screens, it is not a surprise that he has made a pretty great living from it to live more than comfortably.
While there is no exact amount on Matt Groening’s net worth, many estimate his net worth to be above 500 million dollars. And no, you aren’t reading it wrong. Matt Groening’s net worth is at the hundred million level.
Matt Groening's net worth is thanks to his dedication and hard work in the animation industry. Matt Groening is also one of the highest-paid animators and cartoonists globally, next to other animation giants like Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of yet another popular adult animation sitcom, South Park.
But not only is Matt Groening raking in the dough and making moves that will further increase his net worth. He has also brought home many awards, such as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program, the WGAW's AWC Animation Writing Award, and the British Comedy Award for Outstanding Contribution to Comedy.
Furthermore, in 2011, he was awarded the Winsor McCay Award, which stands as one of the most prestigious honors given to an individual in the animation industry to recognize their career contributions to the art of animation.
Today, "The Simpsons" is just as decorated as its creator, having won 34 Emmy Awards, 34 Annie Awards, 9 Environmental Media Awards, 7 People's Choice Awards, 13 Writers Guild of America Awards, and 2 Peabody Awards.
Simpson's Matt Groening's Net Worth, Legacy, And Impact
Having started his love of animating by drawing cartoons at an early age, it is no surprise that despite Matt Groening’s net worth of more than $500 million, there is more to come from the decorated animator.
His latest animation, Disenchantment, is the best example of that. Compared to his other works, The Simpsons, which occurs in modern times, and Futurama, which by its name happens in the future, Disenchantment is an animated fantasy series set in medieval times.
He tackles the past in his latest adult-friendly cartoon, which is already in its 4th season. He continues to be a force to be reckoned with. It is also no secret that Matt Groening's net worth and influence will continue to rise, making him an excellent role model for aspiring animators and established and freelance animators alike.
To know more about the business of animation, check out our FREE TRAINING on How Animators Can Make Over $10,000 Per Month as a Freelancer or Studio Owner and take a look at our blog on “How to Start an Animation Studio”!
