David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)

David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)

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Title: David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)
Last Updated: February 12, 2025


What is David Choe’s Net Worth?

With a net worth of $300 million, David Choe, an American painter, graffiti artist, graphic novelist, and muralist, is recognized for his figure paintings and the bucktoothed whale symbol in the graffiti community. His work has been featured in magazines such as “Hustler,” “Vice,” and “Ray Gun.” Additionally, he co-hosted the “DVDASA” podcast alongside adult film star Asa Akira. Choe has authored several books, including “Slow Jams” (1999), “Bruised Fruit: The Art of David Choe” (2002), “Cursiv” (2003), and “David Choe” (2020). His artistic journey was documented in the film “Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe” (2008), and he made appearances on shows like “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” (2013), “Vice” (2014), “Better Things” (2019), and “The Mandalorian” (2021).

Facebook Payday

In the early 2000s, David’s graffiti art attracted the attention of Facebook President Sean Parker, who commissioned him to beautify the walls of Facebook’s headquarters in Silicon Valley. During the negotiation, Choe requested a payment of $60,000.

Parker discussed this with CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who approved but advised that taking his payment in company stock would be more advantageous than cash. This proved to be an astute suggestion. Although the exact number of shares David received remains unknown, his stake was not large enough to be disclosed in financial filings. However, it is estimated that at the time of Facebook’s IPO, David Choe’s equity was approximately worth $200 million. Given the significant increase in Facebook’s stock value post-IPO, it is plausible that at different times, his holdings could have been valued between $300-500 million.

David Choe

Ramin Talaie/Getty Images

Early Life

Born on April 21, 1976, in Los Angeles, California, David Choe spent his childhood in the Koreatown neighborhood. He is the son of Korean immigrants who are also born-again Christians. In his early years, David began drawing characters from “Star Wars” and “G.I. Joe” and was inspired by Los Angeles graffiti artists Hex and Mear One to start painting graffiti in 1990.

After the family’s real estate business was destroyed during the 1992 L.A. riots, Choe chose to drop out of high school. He then embarked on a two-year journey hitchhiking across America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. At 21, he returned to California and enrolled at the California College of the Arts, though he left after two years.

Art Career

After landing in prison due to his graffiti, David moved back in with his parents and began contributing illustrations and writings to various magazines, including “Vice.” He also featured in the “Vice” web series “Thumbs Up!” (2007–2010), where he and his best friend, Harry Kim, documented their hitchhiking and train-hopping adventures across the U.S. and through China.

During his engagement with “Vice,” Choe formed a connection with the pop culture store and magazine “Giant Robot.” Faced with minimal interest from art galleries, David displayed his artwork in the Melrose Avenue ice cream shop Double Rainbow. The positive reception from patrons allowed him to showcase his work there for two years, adding new pieces each time one was sold.

In
“`In 2006, the graphic novel “Slow Jams” was self-published by Choe, who initially produced roughly 200 copies for distribution at Comic-Con in 1998. Following his submission of the graphic novel for the Xeric Grant, he received $5,000, which enabled him to publish an expanded edition of 1,000 copies. The novel was released in 1999, priced at $4, but in recent years, it has fetched hundreds of dollars on eBay.

David Choe Net WorthDavid Choe Net Worth

Getty Images

Harry Kim spent over a decade filming thousands of hours of David’s life, culminating in the documentary “Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe,” released in 2008. This documentary is characterized as an “intense portrait of David Choe, a young near-schizophrenic street artist who concocts multiple criminal schemes to travel the globe.” After numerous solo exhibitions in San Francisco and San Jose, David was offered a solo show at the Santa Rosa Museum of Contemporary Art in 2005.

His inaugural solo exhibition in New York, titled “Gardeners of Eden,” occurred at Chelsea’s Jonathan LeVine Gallery in 2007. The following year saw his debut solo exhibition in the U.K., “Murderous Heart,” at the Lazarides Gallery in London and Newcastle. In 2013, David showcased his watercolors at the Museo Universario del Chopo in Mexico City, and in 2017, he held an invite-only exhibit called “The Choe Show” in Koreatown. Additionally, he designed the cover for Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s 2004 “Collision Course” EP and lent his voice to the lead character in the 2007 animated film “We Are The Strange.”

Personal Life

Choe has participated in various charitable efforts, raising funds for Wyclef Jean’s Yle Haiti and engaging with at-risk children through The LIDÈ Haiti Foundation, which was founded by Rainn Wilson, a star of “The Office,” and his wife, author Holiday Reinhorn. During the early 2000s, David spent three months incarcerated after an incident where he punched an undercover security guard in Tokyo. This altercation arose from a language barrier, and while imprisoned, Choe created over 600 drawings using “the one pen allowed in his cell,” and produced erotic paintings using tea, soy sauce, blood, and urine. Upon his release, he was ordered to leave Japan permanently.

In 2014, controversy surrounded David when he admitted on his podcast to having exhibited “rapey behavior” towards a masseuse, a statement he later claimed ought to be interpreted as fictional. In 2017, protests erupted when Choe was commissioned to create a mural on the Bowery Mural Wall. Jasmine Wahi, an artist involved in organizing a performance against Choe, stated, “Our aim is to provoke widespread rejection of the continued normalization of rape culture by bringing visibility to the topic.” David later expressed remorse for his past comments, asserting, “I have ZERO history of sexual assault. I am deeply sorry for any hurt I’ve caused anyone through my past words. Non-consensual sex is rape, and it is never funny or appropriate to joke about.”

Real Estate

In 2010, David acquired a mansion measuring 6,500 square feet in Los Feliz, LA, for $3.1 million. In September 2022, he put this property on the market for $6.9 million.


David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)

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The data originates from 2023 and 2024, with forecasts extending to 2025 and 2026, and further projections expanding to 2027 and 2028.

 



* This information was taken from various sources around the world, including these countries:

Australia, Canada, USA, UK, UAE, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, US, United Kingdom, United States of America, Malaysia, U.S., South Africa, New Zealand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates.

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan.

Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi.

Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling Islands), Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Croatia (Hrvatska), Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic.

Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, Metropolitan, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories.

Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard and McDonald Islands, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy.

Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg.

Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar.

Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand (NZ), Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway.

Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe.

Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Helena, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria.

Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates (UAE), UK (United Kingdom), USA (United States of America, U.S.), US Minor Outlying Islands.

Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State (Holy See), Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (US), Wallis and Futuna Islands, Western Sahara, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Post Title: David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)
Last Updated: February 12, 2025

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