Summary
- Rob Dyrdek's partnership with MTV has been a major source of income for him, and without the network, he likely wouldn't have achieved the same level of fame and financial success.
- Rob Dyrdek's net worth is currently estimated to be around $100 million, with a significant portion coming from his investments in real estate, art, whiskey, and startups.
- Rob Dyrdek's success on MTV began with his show "Rob and Big" and continued with "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory" and "Ridiculousness," which became incredibly popular and made him the face of the network.
Rob Dyrdek started his career as a skateboarder in the late nineties, but throughout the years, he has amassed millions with much more than his skateboard. The pro skateboarder who dropped out of high school with only a dream to skate ended up becoming one of the most recognizable skaters in the world, with hit shows on MTV like Rob and Big, Ridiculousness, and Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory.
Dyrdek’s lucrative partnership with the music network almost ended this year, taking away his primary source of income. So what would that mean for the producer with his hit show Ridiculousness getting taken off the network? Well, less money because without MTV, Dyrdek might have been popular but not as famous as his work with the network has afforded him.
What Is Rob Dyrdek’s Net Worth Right Now?
Rob Dyrdek always had a knack for business, even at an early age, and made millions early on in his career when he got a sponsorship deal with DC Shoes. After designing hundreds of shoes for the brand, Dyrdek went on to other business ventures, including reality TV and film production.
Most of Dyrdek’s fortune is tied to his investments in real estate, art, whiskey, and startups that he sells for millions after growing the brand. With all these ventures, Dyrdek is estimated to have a net worth of around $100 million.
How Rob Dyrdek Took Over MTV
Rob Dyrdek’s takeover of MTV began long ago while he was still working with DC shoes. In 2003, while doing a promotional video for the shoe brand, Dyrdek came up with a skit that included his late bodyguard and friend, Christopher Boykin protecting him from fans while street skating. Their performance was so popular it birthed the idea for his first reality tv show, Rob and Big, which aired in 2006 on MTV. At the time, he was paid $60,000 while he got $100,000 per episode for Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory.
Rob and Big was such a hit with MTV viewers that by the end of the third season in 2008, they were offering Dyrdek nearly $125,000 for another season. Sadly, a falling out between him and Boykin meant another season couldn’t happen. So, Dyrdek did what he does best and offered MTV new shows that he would produce and stars in, like Fantasy Factory in 2009 and Ridiculousness, which began in 2011.
Almost 17 years since his first show with MTV, Dyrdek has become the face of the network, with most people recognizing him from his long-running show, Ridiculousness. According to Variety, MTV airs Ridiculousness for 113 hours out of their 168-hour168-hour schedule. So how did he get the network to play his shows non-stop? When MTV tried to rebrand itself, its most popular shows were those produced and starring Dyrdek. These episodes were cheap to make and brought millions of views across America when cable television was dying.
When Dyrdek was ready to leave MTV in 2014 because he didn’t want to be ‘an old guy on tv’ after Ridiculousness season 4, the network made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. MTV not only offered Dyrdek more money to stay on they signed a multi-year deal with his production company Superjacket Productions to produce all of his MTV content. This meant Dyrdek was producing the network’s major shows raking in millions as the talent and producer.
By 2022, when Dyrdek signed a new 5-year deal with MTV, he had already become synonymous with the network. You couldn’t talk about MTV without mentioning Ridiculousness, meaning Dyrdek was not only the face of the network, but they were nothing without him and his shows.
What Rob Dyrdek Did Before MTV
Long before Rob Dyrdek partnered with MTV, he was a normal kid from Ohio who dreamed of making it big as a skateboarder. At 11, he got his first skateboard, and by age 14, he was already participating in skating competitions and winning. At 16, Dyrdek co-founded the skating company Alien Workshop alongside Neil Blender, one of his first businesses.
By the time he was 17, Dyrdek had dropped out of school and moved to California to get more opportunities as a talented skateboarder. Soon after, he signed one of the biggest deals in his career that became the foundation of who he is now. He signed a sponsorship deal with DC Shoes that lasted for decades and put him on the path of entrepreneurship.
While with DCShoes, Dyrdek came up with hundreds of shoe designs that were flying off the shelves. Especially after his show Rob and Big aired in 2005, DC Shoes became more popular, growing sales from $80 million to $500 million in only three years.
How Rob Dyrdek Earns Money Outside Of Reality TV
Even after Rob Dyrdek succeeded in the entertainment sector, he didn’t stop there and ventured into different businesses away from the limelight. He founded Dyrdek Machine, a venture financing company that helps businesses acquire investments. The MTV star also made several investments, including shares in brands like Black Feather Whiskey, Beach Whiskey, and Ultracast, which he co-founded. Dyrdek also founded a sock company, Stance Socks, that sells personalized socks with licensed photos of brands and artists.
Dyrdek also invested in Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2018. As per Complex, he and other celebrities like Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry, and Tom Brady paid $250,000 to purchase a small stake in the company. He also has a YouTube channel with over 100k subscribers, where he shares advice with his fans and young people who want to be business owners. As an entrepreneur, Dyrdek’s early work with MTV made him a global superstar and gave him the capital to grow other businesses. Without MTV, Rob would probably still be a pro skateboarder, but like other pros who have faded into obscurity, he wouldn’t be the multi-millionaire he is today.
