The Richest Grace And Frankie Star Might Surprise You
When "Grace and Frankie" debuted on Netflix in 2015, it's fair to say that no one knew exactly how the show would do. For starters, the title characters are two women who are played by Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, who were each in their late 70s when filming began. Fonda herself has commented on age when promoting her role on the show, telling Town & Country magazine, "Youth is wasted on the young. I would not want to be young for anything in the world. It is really hard to be young, and it is harder now than ever."
Happily, the show took off and has since been named the longest-running original series on the streaming platform. As Showbiz CheatSheet points out, once the show's final 16 episodes have aired, it will officially dethrone "Orange Is the New Black" for the title.
As such, it's only fitting that the stars of "Grace and Frankie" have been financially rewarded for their roles on the show. Here's a look at each star's net worth — you might be surprised by what you learn.
Ethan Embry was a '90s film darling
Ethan Embry was acting long before he was cast as Coyote on "Grace and Frankie." Many people remember Embry from a slew of films he made in the 1990s, including "That Thing You Do!," "Can't Hardly Wait," and "Empire Records" (per IMDb). As Embry explained to PopWrapped, he also grew up in Hollywood, so it makes sense if he's one of those actors that you feel has always been around.
In 2015, Embry had just completely Season 1 of "Grace and Frankie" and was cautiously looking toward the future. He explained to Starry Constellation Magazine that he was pleased to be on the show, saying that part of the reason it felt special was the energy behind the show in the first place. He said, "It's rather silly and a hell of a lot of fun, but at the same time it is really honest. I think that isn't an easy thing to pull off these days."
Luckily for Embry, the show was renewed again and again. Since filming that first season of "Grace and Frankie," Embry has gone on to have guest spots on "The Walking Dead" and "The Twilight Zone." His years of work in Hollywood has resulted in an estimated net worth of $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, a number that's bound to keep rising.
June Diane Raphael previously wrote a movie starring Anne Hathaway
June Diane Raphael plays Brianna, daughter of Jane Fonda's Grace and Martin Sheen's Robert, on "Grace and Frankie." Per Bustle, Raphael first kicked off her career as a sketch comedy writer for Upright Citizens Brigade in Chicago; in 2009, a movie she and her friend co-wrote was released — "Bride Wars," starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. The years in between were filled with roles on TV shows as diverse as "Girls" and "Star Trek: Lower Decks" (per IMDb). All that hard work has resulted in an impressive net worth of $4 million (per Celebrity Net Worth).
In addition to the obvious financial impact that "Grace and Frankie" has given her, Raphael has praised the show for allowing her to portray a woman who is complex and not always, or even often, perfect. She told Interview Magazine that she admires her character's ability to be as bold as she wants to be. Raphael said, "I do think it's really important to see women behaving badly. I think so much of our lives, we're given these small parameters which play into our behavior and discipline, and the world is watching closely."
Ernie Hudson has worked in Hollywood for over 40 years
Ernie Hudson has enjoyed a tremendous career in Hollywood that began in 1976 with the film "Leadbelly." Since then, Hudson has appeared on "Little House on the Prairie," "Ghostbusters II," "Miss Congeniality," and "Desperate Housewives" (per IMDb). Hudson joined the cast of "Grace and Frankie" when he played Frankie's friend-turned-boyfriend, and he's expected to return to the show when its final season airs in 2022 (per Pop Culture).
Hudson's work on "Grace and Frankie" has contributed to his overall net worth of an estimated $5 million (per Celebrity Net Worth). On top of that, it sounds like the actor just had a blast while hanging out on the show. He explained to Tell-Tale TV that the opportunity was tremendous, and shared what he really liked about his character. He said, "He's the guy who just works, he's been very blessed and fortunate, and he just happens to like this lady for no other reason than he thinks she's cool. For me, to just play a guy without having to make him angry or make him something was just a lot of fun."
Though Hudson has had a long career, he once told PopEntertainment.com that, upon reflection, there are things he might have done differently if he could have, especially when it comes to roles that he accepted. He said, "People congratulate me on my choices, but those were the jobs that were offered. You look back on it and it's an interesting thing, but I wasn't as selective as I felt I could have been."
Peter Gallagher made money from starring in The O.C.
Peter Gallagher is another star who has worked in Hollywood for decades and who joined "Grace and Frankie" for a handful of seasons. Gallagher came on board as the boyfriend-turned-husband of Grace, Nick Skolka. The role is hardly Gallagher's first foray into the world of television; after kicking off his career in episode of "Guiding Light" in 1979, Gallagher has moved in and out of television for decades. He enjoyed a long run as Sandy Cohen on "The O.C.," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist," and he even joined the cast of "Grey's Anatomy" for a few episodes as Dr. David Hamilton.
His steady work in entertainment has resulted in an impressive net worth. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Gallagher has a fortune of an estimated $8 million. However, Gallagher hasn't let fame and his career go to his head; in fact, he once told The Guardian that success might just be one of the worst things that can happen to a person. He said, "One of the most toxic things in the world is success. I've seen people think they have all the answers."
Lily Tomlin has built her career mostly through comedy
It probably comes as no surprise that Lily Tomlin has built most of her decades-long career in comedy, especially as her take on Frankie in "Grace and Frankie” is absolutely grounded in comedic timing. While Tomlin initially had plans to pursue a medical degree in college (via Biography), she dropped out after taking a few theater classes and never looked back.
Tomlin once told Parade that performing is easy for her, adding that, as a child, she used to put on shows. She said, "I was fearless. I didn't fear anybody or anything when I was a kid. I constantly was striving to challenge myself. It's when I got into [show] business that I started to fear things [laughs]." Her big break came after she joined the cast of "Laugh-In" in 1969, and Tomlin hasn't looked back.
Tomlin's current net worth is estimated to be $20 million (via Celebrity Net Worth). Everything from stints on "Laugh-In" to "The Magic School Bus" to "Murphy Brown" to "The West Wing" has contributed to that impressive number (via IMDb), to say nothing of her time on "Grace and Frankie."
Sam Waterston has thrived on stage and on TV alike
Veteran actor Sam Waterston plays Sol Bergstein on "Grace and Frankie." Sol is Frankie's ex-husband, the man who fell in love and left her for his business partner of over two decades. Waterston has built an impressive career throughout the years, having had stints on television shows such as "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and "The Newsroom" (per IMDb).
Waterston has also acted in a number TV movies and films, as well as dozens of plays, as noted by Broadway World. They have all contributed to his overall estimated net worth of $20 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. The site also claims that Waterston is paid $65,000 per episode. In 2015, he and costar Martin Sheen were reportedly earning the same amount that show headliners Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin were, sparking fan outrage (per Vanity Fair).
While he's definitely enjoyed a varied career, Waterston seems to know that "Grace and Frankie" is something special. He told Assignment X that the show works because it surprised its audience. He said, "They don't expect such delicate and difficult and hard subjects as late in life sexual orientation changes, and divorce, and death itself, and aging to be funny at all, and so I think people are frankly astonished."
Brooklyn Decker was a model before the show
Brooklyn Decker is a model and actress who began her career by modeling for magazines like Sports Illustrated. She and her husband, tennis pro Andy Roddick, have a combined net worth of $40 million (per Celebrity Net Worth). Decker was able to move from modeling to acting, joining the cast of 2011's "Just Go With It" after snagging a few small roles. From there, she starred in "What to Expect When You're Expecting" before coming on board "Grace and Frankie" in 2015.
Decker explained to Aesthetic Magazine that moving from modeling to acting wasn't as difficult as you might think, especially since acting became a way for her to connect with other people her age. She said, "When I moved to New York and first started modeling, I moved thinking that I was just going to pay for school. That was the goal. When I started modeling I was eighteen, and all of my friends were in their freshman year at college. I really missed that. The reason I started studying acting was because I really missed school." She added that her manager suggested acting as a way to have something to do while traveling for work, and one thing quickly led to another.
Decker is also one of the founders of Finery, an app that helps users plan out outfits before they want to wear them. The app tracks your online purchases and, according to Decker, saves you time (per MyDomaine). Stitch Fix snapped up the app in 2019, putting Decker on the tech map (via WWD).
Martin Sheen is a legendary Hollywood actor
Odds are, you've heard the name Martin Sheen more than once. Sheen is a part of a Hollywood family — his sons are the actors Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen (per The Daily Beast). Sheen has acted in over 250 productions since he had a small role on "The Edge of Night" in 1956; many of those roles have been on television shows and in series that are loved all over the world. He is arguably most well-known for playing President Josiah Bartlet on "The West Wing" from 1999 to 2006.
Sheen certainly looks back on his time on the show with great fondness. He even told Entertainment Weekly that people have encouraged him to get into politics after watching the show, but he understands his craft and his place. He said, "I'm an actor. I'm playing a president. I've played a lot of different characters. This one struck a chord in the American culture, which is very, very gratifying, but you can't misinterpret an entertainment value for a public service."
Sheen has been rewarded handsomely for entertaining us all. Celebrity Net Worth values his overall net worth at an estimated $60 million.
Jane Fonda does just about everything you can do
When it comes to the "Grace and Frankie"' star who has the highest net worth, it's probably not a surprise that the person at the top is none other than Jane Fonda herself. Fonda is an actor, writer, producer, author, and more — she pretty much does it all. That's why it's truly not too surprising that her overall net worth is estimated at $200 million (per Celebrity Net Worth).
In addition to acting and working in entertainment, Fonda has a whole host of gigs and credits to her name. For starters, she's a brand ambassador for L'Oreal Paris, and she joked while attending the Alliance Francaise in 2018 that she was most likely "the oldest ambassador for skin care you've even seen" (per Town & Country magazine). Fonda was also married to Ted Turner, founder of CNN, from 1990 to 2001. When the two divorced, she received an estimated settlement of $70 to $100 million worth of stocks (via Prevention).
Fonda has also built her career from the ground up. While being the child of Henry Fonda likely helped her break into Hollywood, though Fonda has been clear that her father didn't give her a tremendous amount of information ahead of time (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Grace and Frankie" has also contributed to Fonda's overall fortune, and as she'll continue working after the show's conclusion, it looks like there's no slowing her down (via The Wrap).