It Pays To Be a Child Star! See Brooke Shields’ Net Worth In 2023
Brooke Shields went from exploited child star to empowered actress.
Brooke Shields’ net worth has been building since her days as a young model and child star. The Hollywood veteran has been finding new ways to reinvent herself for decades! As a result, the iconic beauty has had a staying power in the industry that few have enjoyed.
Shields has come out in recent years with criticisms over her treatment as a young girl working in entertainment, most recently in the new documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields. However, she has been able to keep away from the pitfalls of stardom that have befallen many child stars. We need to know: How much has Ms. Shields been able to earn over her decades of hard work?
Here is all you need to know about Brooke Shields’ net worth and career!
How did Brooke Shields become famous?
Like many of us, Brooke Shields quite possibly doesn’t remember a time before she was famous. The daughter of actress and model Teri Shields and businessman Frank Shields, she landed her first modeling job when she was just 11 months old! Shields had her child modeling career guided by famed modeling agent Eileen Ford, who later revealed she started her agency’s children’s division just for the star.
After filming a role that was cut from director Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, she made her film debut in 1978’s Pretty Baby. Shields’ role as a child prostitute and the film itself, which featured the then-12-year-old in nude scenes, caused an uproar, generating controversy around the movie that remains today.
By 1980, Shields became the youngest fashion model to appear on the cover of Vogue at 14. Later that year, she appeared in the now-infamous Calvin Klein campaign that has since become a part of the pop culture lexicon. The underage model notoriously starred in the designer brand’s TV ad featuring the suggestive slogan, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” Once again, the young Shields was at the center of a controversy involving the over-sexualization of someone so young. The ads featuring the young star helped propel the designer into superstardom and helped make the already famous teen model an icon.
Nowadays, Shields is mainly known for her acting career, having made the transition to adult actress. She received a career resurgence by headlining the sitcom Suddenly Susan in the ‘90s. In recent years, she has appeared in family-friendly movies like 2021’s A Castle for Christmas and 2022’s Holiday Harmony. In 2021, she launched her company Beginning Is Now, a wellness company and platform for women. In 2022, she launched her podcast, Now What?, which focuses on adversity and people's responses to it.
She is also the subject of the new 2023 documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, in which she participated.
Related: Brooke Shields Opens Up About Surviving Sexual Assault in New Documentary
What is Brooke Shields' net worth in 2023?
As of 2023, Brooke Shields has a net worth of $40 million, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth. She has earned this money through her decades of work in the entertainment industry, first as a child model and actress and then as an adult actress. She has appeared in film and TV, on camera and in voice roles, and worked as a TV producer. She has also been a sought-after spokesperson and has written a well-received memoir. Whoa, what a renaissance woman!
Was Brooke Shields a Calvin Klein model?
Brooke Shields was in fact a Calvin Klein model. In 1980, in addition to print ads, she appeared in the now-infamous and oft-quoted TV commercial for Calvin Klein jeans featuring the racy slogan, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” The ad helped propel Calvin Klein into a new tier of super-designers and helped cement Shields’ status as an iconic fashion model.
As an adult, Shields has recalled how labor-intensive the shoot was. “Nobody was allowed on set. Because it was [Richard] Avedon’s first foray into the commercial world, I think he was pretty nervous. Stakes were pretty high and I think there was a lot of pressure. We did multiple, multiple takes of everything.”
How old was Brooke Shields in the Calvin Klein ad?
Brooke Shields was just 15 when she appeared in the notorious Calvin Klein ad. Because of her age and the sexual undertones of the campaign, it caused an uproar when it was released.
As an adult, Shields has reflected on the backlash the ad received. “I was away when they came out, and then I started hearing that the commercials were being banned. The paparazzi would scream at me and my mother, ‘How could you!' It just struck me as so ridiculous.”
She has also revealed that at the time she was filming the controversial commercial, she didn’t understand the sexual innuendo inherent in the slogan. “I didn’t think it was about underwear or sexual in nature. I was naive," she said. "I think the assumption was that I was much more savvy than I ever really was. I was a virgin, and I was a virgin forever after that.”
However, Shields remains proud of the hugely successful, iconic campaign. “The controversy backfired. The campaign was extremely successful, and then the underwear overtook the jeans. [Calvin Klein] understood how to push the envelope. It set the tone for decades.”
Related: Brooke Shields Opens Up About Interview With Barbara Walters: 'I Was Taken Advantage Of'
How much did Brooke Shields make for her Calvin Klein ad?
There are conflicting reports as to how much Brooke Shields was paid for her controversial Calvin Klein ad. For the infamous commercial alone, it has been reported she was paid $500,000, however, sources have claimed it was closer to $800,000. The company that owned Calvin Klein jeans at the time, ironically named Puritan, is also reported to have thrown in an unusual bonus of an $80,000 horse.
How much did Brooke Shields make in The Blue Lagoon?
Brooke Shields’ salary to appear in 1980’s The Blue Lagoon has not been publicly revealed. The movie, which Shields appeared in at age 14, generated controversy, like much of Shields’ early projects as a child star. This was due to the sexual content and nudity featured in the movie, though Shields claimed a body double was used for part of her nude scenes. Even so, the actress has revealed that she and her co-star Christopher Atkins, who was 18 to her 14, were encouraged by those involved with the production to fall in love off-screen.
It has been reported that Shields earned a percentage of the profit from The Blue Lagoon, most likely in addition to an upfront salary. As she is said to have been paid $500,000 upfront to appear in Endless Love the year after (plus a percentage of the film’s profits), it is likely she earned a somewhat similar amount for The Blue Lagoon.
Shields’ mother, Teri Shields, commented to The New York Times in 1981 about her daughter’s payment for Endless Love with, “She's getting all the fringe benefits imaginable. and that was with a lot of money upfront just in case.''
How much did Brooke Shields make for Suddenly Susan?
Brooke Shields starred in the sitcom Suddenly Susan from 1996 until 2000. She was also a producer on the series. It is not known how much Shields was paid for her involvement in the series.
In 2015, Shields’ co-star Kathy Griffin revealed that she herself was paid $20,000 per episode, making her the lowest-paid cast member. She also claimed that co-star Judd Nelson earned four times her salary, putting his pay at around $80,000 an episode. We can imagine Shields was likely the highest-paid cast member as the lead and the most famous, plus she was also a series producer, so she likely made around $100,000 per episode.
Related: Brooke Shields Has 'Fun in the Sun' With Her Family in New Seaside Snaps
How much did Brooke Shields make for Lipstick Jungle?
Brooke Shields starred in the NBC series Lipstick Jungle from 2008 until 2009 for two seasons. It is not known how much Shields was paid for her role as Wendy Healy.
Shields described her character in a 2007 interview. “Wendy, she’s a studio exec. Runs a film studio and she has two kids. She’s basically the main breadwinner and that creates a nice conflict. She’s a good mom and she’s very harried all the time and very smart and very ambitious and struggling to balance. There are three women and they rely on one another and their friendship. They lean on one another. They’re funny and smart and they look fabulous.”
When asked if she related to Wendy, Shields responded, “I do, and I feel a certain kinship to her because I recognize how difficult it is, and every day is a new challenge and you don’t always succeed but that doesn’t mean you don’t try. She’s optimistic and I am too. There’s a humor to her which I have as well and I think without it we fall apart.”
Related: Brooke Shields Supported by Daughter in Rare Family Photo at Documentary Premiere
How much did Brooke Shields get paid for A Castle for Christmas?
Brooke Shields starred alongside Cary Elwes in the 2021 Netflix holiday movie A Castle for Christmas. However, it is not known how much she was paid for her part.
In 2021, Shields spoke to USA Today about what attracted her to the film. “I was just so attracted to how strong this woman was. She's a great mom, has a full career and yet she's asking herself: 'What now?' 'What's going to happen next?'"
In the same interview, she discussed her position in the entertainment industry in her 50s. "I feel stronger now and more in my own skin and sexier than it took me years to earn. Now that I feel very much in this and am embodying this, I'm told, 'It's over.' I just won't accept that. We need to change the narrative."
What is Brooke Shields’ husband worth?
Brooke Shields has been married to writer/producer Chris Henchy since 2001. Henchy is a frequent collaborator and producing partner of Will Ferrell’s, having co-founded Funny Or Die alongside the comedian and two other partners.
Henchy, a television producer, film producer, screenwriter, and sometime-actor, is reportedly worth $50 million. Technically, that makes him $10 million richer than his wife—but who’s counting?
