Saturday Night Live celebrates 50 years on the air in 2025. It also means that creator Lorne Michaels has spent half a century amassing an eye-popping net worth.
SNL's anniversary celebration culminates with a three-hour primetime special on February 16. Michaels will be joined by A-list celebrities, music legends, and countless cast members he helped discover and propel to the top of the comedy world.
Along the way, Michaels has made quite the fortune for himself through SNL and his production company. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Michaels net worth is an estimated $500 million in 2025. To put that in context, that is much higher than Robert Downey Jr.'s estimated $300 million net worth.
Of course, creating and producing Saturday Night Live is responsible for a large part of Michaels' lifetime earnings. But the 80-year-old has also created a media empire that extends beyond the halls of Studio 8H.
Film and television productions have increased Michaels' net worth. He founded the production company Broadway Video in 1979 that is responsible for SNL movies like Wayne's World and MacGruber. It's also behind feature films with SNL alumni, such as Mean Girls with Tina Fey, Hot Rod with Andy Samberg, and Tommy Boy with Chris Farley and David Spade.
Michaels also has his hand in late-night TV projects outside of Saturday Night Live. He's been a producer on Late Night since Conan O'Brien took over in 1993. Michaels also produces The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Michaels left his production deal with Paramount in 2018 to sign a new agreement with NBC Unviersal. The outlet reports Michaels earns between $30-40 million per year.
Michaels has been married three times. HIs first marriage was to Rosie Shuster in 1967. The couple divorced in 1980 and Michaels married model Susan Forristal in 1981. They divorced in 1987. Michaels married to his former assistant Alice Barry in 1991.