John Legend’s net worth: How much he earns from ‘The Voice’ and his music, explained

John Legend is highly recognized as a multi-talented musician, actor, and beloved coach from NBC’s The Voice. Since Legend’s debut in the entertainment industry, many have seen the star achieve great success in his personal and professional life over the years. 

Legend is currently married to model and entrepreneur Chrissy Teigen. The couple, who has been together since 2006, married in 2013 and shared two children—a daughter named Luna, 6, and a 4-year-old son named Miles. In addition to their two kids, Legend and Teigen are expecting another child. This comes years following Teigen’s life-saving abortion with their son Jack after suffering pregnancy complications. 

As for his career, Legend has released eight studio albums, won 12 Grammy, an Emmy, an Oscar, and a Tony. The singer is also the first Black man to obtain EGOT status for his many contributions to the industry. Recently, he made headlines when he ascended to top-1 percent status based on his enormous wealth, so where does his net worth come from?

Brief history

Legend, also known as John Stephens, was born on Dec. 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio, to a seamstress named Phyllis Stephens and Ronald Stephens, a factory worker. Legend is the second oldest of three children. The “All of Me” singer’s love for the arts began early because he came from a musically inclined family. Growing up, Legend and his family were highly involved in the church. His mother would sing and direct the church choir while his father and brother played the drums. As for Legend, he sang and learned how to play the piano.

He was homeschooled on and off until high school, would attend North High School at 12 after skipping two grades. After graduating high school at 16 years old, he left his hometown and went to the University of Pennsylvania. He would ultimately graduate from college with an English degree in 1999. That following year, Legend moved to New York and began professionally pursuing music by performing in nightclubs. During those performances, he sold his self-produced work by giving fans a copy of his CDs—”John Stephens” and “Live at Johnny’s”—in 2000 and 2001. 

Also in 2001, The “Tonight” vocalist would have a life-changing encounter after meeting rapper and former friend Kanye West. Immediately following that introduction, Legend started playing the piano and singing background vocals for other artists. The list included Alicia Keys, Talib Kwali, and The Black Eyed Peas. 

Legend’s career started to pick up drastically in 2004 after working on West’s debut album, “College Dropout.” That same year, West launched his record label, G.O.O.D. Music, with Sony BMG, and Legend was the company’s first act. His debut album, “Get Lifted,” was released in December 2004. The record, which spawned the hit single, “Ordinary People,” earned him two Grammy awards.  

His musical success continued to soar as he won numerous Grammys for other albums released from 2006 to 2020. The list includes “Once Again,” “Evolver,” “Wake Up!,” “Love in the Future,” “Darkness and Light,” and “Bigger Love.” To date, Legend is reported to have sold 10 million records worldwide.  

His accomplishments didn’t stop there. The singer would go on to win a Golden Globe and an Oscar for the track, “Glory,” that he and rapper Common wrote and collaborated on for the Selma movie soundtrack. Legend’s other professional accolades include a Tony Award for co-producing the play, Jitney, and an Emmy Award for his work on the live rock rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Despite conflicting reports, many outlets claim that Legend is worth about $100 million. It is also reported that Legend’s net worth is a combined total with his wife, Chrissy Teigen, with the singer making the bulk of the money. Despite that, it is still being determined how much Legend’s net worth has increased since he became a coach on The Voice and sold his entire music catalog. 

How much does John Legend get paid on ‘The Voice?’

According to OK! Magazine, Legend reportedly makes $13 million per season as a coach on NBC’s The Voice. The reality competition series is about four professional musicians trying to mentor people they consider to have the most extraordinary voice in America and help advance their careers as artists. 

Legend first joined The Voice in 2019 as a replacement for Jennifer Hudson during the show’s 16th season and has been there ever since. If Legend’s salary reporting is true, he has made about $78 million for the six seasons he has been on the show. Despite earning a decent paycheck, Legend announced in October 2022 that he wasn’t returning for season 23, which is set to premiere sometime next year.

Legend told Entertainment Tonight that the reason behind his temporary departure was the various things going on in his life. The list includes welcoming a new baby and going on tour to promote his new album, “Legend.” The 43-year-old said:

My family’s growing, I have a new album out, I’m gonna do a little bit of touring, and so it’s probably better that I take a break…but I’ll be back on The Voice, just not this coming season.”

John Legend’s earnings from his music

Although Legend may have sold 10 million albums globally, the total income of how much the “Green Light” songster has profited has not been made public. As for his concert revenue, Pollstar reports that his shows would average about 4,033 ticket sales. This means that Legend could make up to $448,494 a night. 

In January 2022, Legend made headlines after selling his entire music catalog and royalties to BMG and KKR & Co Inc., an investment company, for an undisclosed amount. This comes after Legend allegedly agreed on a deal with the companies in 2021. It is reported that the music company BMG and KKR & Co Inc. own 50 percent of Legend’s music catalog dating from 2004 to 2021. Despite Legend and the companies not publicly sharing how much he profited from this deal, other artists have made hundreds of millions of dollars in the past for their catalogs.