Suzanne Somers Net Worth

What Is Suzanne Somers’s Net Worth

Suzanne Somers is a well-known figure in America, renowned for her multi-faceted career as an actress, businesswoman, author, and singer. However, the cute blonde Chrissie, best known for her role in the comedy “Threes Company,” was adored for her antics and distinctive snorting laughter that had everyone in stitches.

What is Suzanne Sommers’s net worth? The star’s net worth of $105 million as of 2023 is due to her impressive fortune accumulated over her decades in the spotlight.

In this post, you’ll learn about Suzanne Somers’ net worth, career, earnings, and other interesting facts.

Earnings Overview

Suzanne Somers’ impressive net worth matches her successful career. She has earned a $100 million fortune through acting, singing, and writing.

This growth is attributed to her well-known roles in shows like Step By Step and Three’s Company and her business ventures. As she continued with TV projects and Broadway productions, she also invested in various businesses, further adding to her net worth.

She signed a lucrative endorsement contract with ThighMaster, a brand offering a range of fitness and exercise products. She appeared in ThighMaster commercials in the 1990s, leading to the brand’s huge success with over 100 million sales.

In addition, it has earned her a substantial amount of money. During a recent “Hollywood Raw” podcast interview, Somers revealed that the ThighMaster has brought in a substantial amount of money for her.

Personal Life

Somers was born on 16 October 1946 in San Bruno, California. Her father, Francis (Frank) Mahoney, was a gardener and laborer, while her mother, Marion Elizabeth, worked as a medical secretary.

One of four children, Somers was raised Irish-Catholic in a family that appeared close on the outside. Internally, however, Somers, her siblings, and mother lived in fear of her abusive alcoholic father.

According to Somers, they spent many nights locked up in a closet hiding from him, trembling and praying that – “he wouldn’t find us and hoping he’d just pass out.”

As a result of this abuse, she struggled in school and grew up feeling insecure, worthless, and alone.

Education

As a young child, Somers had an issue with learning at school and was diagnosed with dyslexia. While attending her first high school, Mercy High School, she struggled academically.

However, she excelled in theatre and the arts. There, she got the lead role in the school musical, Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. And according to her, “it (music) was the only thing keeping me in school.”

At 14, she was expelled from Mercy High School for writing sexually salacious notes to a boy. It didnt matter that the notes were pure fantasy and had never been sent out.

She then transferred to Capuchino High School where she continued to act in school plays.

After graduating in 1964, Somers got accepted into San Francisco College for women on a music scholarship. (NB: The college is now known as Lone Mountain College.)

Her First Marriage

Within a year of receiving the scholarship, Somers got pregnant for Bruce Somers, her high school sweetheart. She tied the knot with Bruce Somers in 1965 at 19, and in November of that same year, the couple welcomed their son, Bruce Jr.

Unfortunately, the marriage lasted for only three years. The couple got divorced in 1968.

Her Second Marriage

After her divorce, Somers became a single mom and started raising her child alone. She took on odd jobs to provide for her child and began modeling in San Francisco.

In 1968, she got a job as a prize model at a game show called the Anniversary Game. This was where she first met her second husband, Alan Hamel, the show host.

That year, they began seeing each other even though Hamel was still married to his first wife, Marilyn Hamel.

In 1971, Hamel divorced his first wife and went on to marry Somers in 1977.

Somers has only one child, the one she had with her ex husband, Bruce Somers. She does not have any child with Hamel.

Similarly, Hamel has two children – Stephen and Leslie, with ex-wife Marilyn Hamel.

Suzanne Somers and Hamel, as of 2023, are still happily married. The two love birds recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary.

Cancer Diagnosis

In April 2000, Somers was diagnosed with second-stage breast cancer. She chose alternative medicine even though the doctors recommended chemotherapy.

She began by treating herself with Iscador, a fermented mistletoe extract. The actress combined this treatment with a surgical procedure, a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous lump, and followed it up with radiation therapy.

Her decision to use alternative treatments and her overall experience with cancer led her to write the book – Knockout. In it, she advocates for alternative cancer treatments which has brought her criticisms from the medical community.

In 2018, Somers revealed that she had undergone a procedure called cell-assisted lipo transfer. The surgery was done to “regrow” the breast that had been affected by cancer.

Career

Somers started her acting career in the late 1960s and early 1970s with small roles in films and talk shows to promote her poetry collection. In 1974, she starred in The Rockford Files.

She appears in the 1977 episode “Cheshire Project” of The Six Million Dollar Man.

She then appeared in Three’s Company in 1977. When ABC and the makers of Three’s Company disagreed, CBS offered her a contract and an innovative agreement for her sitcom, The Suzanne Somers Show, in which she played an “over-the-top” airline warden.

In 1980 and 1984, she acted in 2 Playboy cover pictorials in the nude. In 1970, Stan Malinowski captured the first set of images featuring Somers, a rising model who had just completed a trial photoshoot for the magazine.

Later, she co-hosted the revamped version of Candid Camera, which aired on CBS from 1997 to 1999, before PAX TV decided not to renew it due to her absence. In 2005, Somers made her Broadway debut with The Blonde in the Thunderbird.

However, the play received negative reviews and poor ticket sales, leading to its termination after a week. Somers also starred in the Suzanne Show on Lifetime Television Network, which aired for 13 episodes in the fall of 2012.

Somers became well-known after her appearance in the Anniversary Game as a prize model. One of her first major acting roles was in the 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film American Graffiti, directed by George Lucas and produced by Francis Ford Coppola.

She also landed roles in shows such as The Rockford Files (1974) and an uncredited role in Magnum Force (1973).

In 1974, Somers went on to get a guest-starring role in the American science fiction and action television series, The Six Million Dollar Man. The series aired from 1974 to 1978.

The actress also made a guest appearance in a 1976 episode of an American Sitcom, One Day at a Time. In 1977, Somers got a leading role in the ABC sitcom Tv series, “Three’s Company.”

The actress received $30,000 per episode for the show’s first four seasons. She was, by this time, a worldwide phenomenon and unquestionably the most famous character on the show.

Salary Disagreement  with Three’s Company

In 1980 after four seasons of the show, Somers started requesting a pay raise. She demanded a pay increase from $30,000 to $150,000 per episode, the same fee her co-star John Ritter was earning.

The actress also demanded a 10% share of the show’s profits. The show producers turned down her request and terminated her contract even though she was one of the reasons millions of viewers tuned into the show each week.

The actress filed a $2 million lawsuit against the network, claiming damage to her reputation. However, she was only given $30,000 because of one missing unpaid episode.

Life After her Exit From Three’s Company

Due to her controversial exit from the Three’s Company, Somers found it difficult to get roles in sitcoms afterward. Fortunately, she eventually made it back into the sitcom world with She’s the Sheriff, which debuted in 1987.

Following her appearances in several made-for-TV movies, Somers got a role in Step By Step, a well-known American sitcom TV series created by William Bickley and Michael Warren. The sitcom, which aired from 20 September 1991 to 28 June 1998, undoubtedly boosted Somers’s star power.

Apart from acting, the actress tried other things over the years, such as publishing her books and hosting various talk shows. Somers also appeared in Broadway productions and 2015 Dancing With The Stars (the 20th season) with professional dancer Tony Dovolani as her partner.

Somers and her dance partner Dovolani got eliminated in the fifth week of the competition. They finished in 9th place.

Playboy Cover-Feature Nude Photos

Somers has appeared twice in Playboy cover-feature nude photos (in 1980 and 1984). According to the actress, her primary reason for posing in a naked state was to raise money for her son’s medical expenses, who got injured in a car accident.

However, the American actress later denied being a part of the shoot. Her denial prompted Playboy to publish the photos in 1980 to prove her wrong.

Out of anger, Somers filed a lawsuit against Playboy and eventually received a $50,000 settlement. Her main worry was that her son, who was 14, would see the photos and that it would harm him mentally.

Nevertheless, despite her anger and the previous lawsuit, Playboy approached her again that year to pose nude. At first, she got infuriated again, but after discussing it with her family, she finally consented.

This time, Somers felt she could at least control the picture’s quality. The actress also believed it would revive her diminished reputation following her controversial exit from Three’s Company.

Playboy published the second nude picture in December 1984.

Key Factors to Success From Suzanne Sommers

In addition to exploring Suzanne Sommers’s net worth and journey to success, let’s uncover the valuable insights and lessons that can be derived from her story.

1. Know Your Worth

Suzanne explains that she views negative events in life as opportunities. Having grown up with an alcoholic father who instilled low self-esteem in her and being fired from Three’s Company, she discovered the secret to recognizing her value.

She found a way to turn her negatives into positives by convincing her brain that she has faith in herself. Instead of letting these events hold her back, she believed they would work in her favor, and they have. She now recognizes her worth.

2. Look For The Silver Linings

Suzanne acknowledges that her recent fall resulted in her regaining her ability to walk but losing her balance, which she finds humiliating. However, she reveals that she is improving her balance and feels grateful to God for his guidance and support.

According to Suzanne, when faced with injury or other challenges, one may develop a deeper connection with God. She also shares that even when she faced setbacks. She believes that there is always a hidden gift in every situation.

3. Love Your Body

Sommers compares aging to a car in need of a new carburetor. Suzanne adopts an organic lifestyle to maintain her approach to aging and only consumes foods she can pick, pluck, or milk. She says that by consuming high-quality foods, her body expresses gratitude daily.

Nominations, Awards and Honors

The Hollywood actress has received several prestigious nominations including a Daytime Emmy, Golden Globes, and People’s Choice Awards.

In 1978, Sommers won the People’s Choice award in the category: Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Program.

Also in 1992, she bagged another People’s Choice Award in the category: Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Series. On 24 January 2003, at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard, she was honored with A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame in recognition of her achievements in television.

Achievements, Assets, and Net Worth

Somers owns a large number of properties. She has houses in various cities in California as well as in New York and Washington, D.C.

The Hollywood icon also has an incredible collection of vintage cars. These include a Jaguar F Type, Rolls-Royce, Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, and many others.

Over the years, Somers has also become a very successful author, having written over 25 books.

Her works have gotten her on the New York’s best seller’s list fourteen times, three of which were #1s.

Her published works include autobiographies, poetry collections, and books on diet.

Lifestyle

Houses

Sommers and Alan own multiple properties in Southern California, including a 73-acre mansion in Palm Springs listed for $35 million in 2008. They’ve held this real estate since the 1970s, and its value has declined, now listed at $9.5 million.

In 1999, they purchased an oceanfront property in Malibu for $2.3 million and expanded it by buying the adjacent lot for $2.35 million in 2001. However, one of the homes was destroyed, and the other was damaged in a 2007 fire.

Cars

Suzanne Somers possesses a luxurious array of cars. Being wealthy, she has always enjoyed owning cars. Her collection includes classic vehicles such as the Rolls Royce, Subaru, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar F type, and more.

Charity

Suzanne Somers donated most of her attire to a charity thrift store called Revivals, where the proceeds benefit the Desert AIDS Project in the Coachella Valley. This included over 50 designer shoes.

Quotes By Suzzane Somers

Somers is not only praised for her acting and business prowess but also gets praised for how she promotes healthy living.

Let’s take a look at some of her famous quotes on health and life in general:

• “Focus on eating real, whole, natural foods. As I love to say, if you can pick it, pluck it, milk it, or shoot it, you can eat it!”
• “Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.”
• “Reduce the stress levels in your life through relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, and exercise. You’ll look and feel way better for it.”
• “We stopped cleaning our houses with lemon water and vinegar like our mothers did, and we cleaned with chemicals. We’re breathing chemicals, and then everyone wonders why cancer is the biggest killer.”
• “When you choose high-quality delicious foods, your body will reward you with a trim figure and a longer, healthier life. After all, what you put in your body is the best recipe for staying sexy forever.”

Conclusion

Somers faced many challenges growing up, from having an abusive alcoholic father to early pregnancy and divorce.

Suzanne Somers came from something other than a background of wealth or a business-oriented family. As a result, she had to work tirelessly to reach her current level of success.

Despite her obstacles like health problems and career setbacks, she persevered and emerged even stronger. Known for her roles in entertainment and her entrepreneurial and writing ventures, she has earned a net worth of $100 million, with the potential to increase it even further.