David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)

David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Title: David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)
Last Updated: February 4, 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 particularly recognized for his figure paintings and his association with the bucktoothed whale in the graffiti scene. He has collaborated with magazines such as “Hustler,” “Vice,” and “Ray Gun,” and co-hosted the “DVDASA” podcast alongside adult film star Asa Akira. Choe’s publications include “Slow Jams” (1999), “Bruised Fruit: The Art of David Choe” (2002), “Cursiv” (2003), and “David Choe” (2020). Additionally, he was featured in the 2008 documentary “Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe” and has 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 artistry was noticed by Sean Parker, the President of Facebook. Parker commissioned Choe to embellish the walls of Facebook’s headquarters located in Silicon Valley. When it came to discussing payment, Choe requested $60,000.

Parker consulted with CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who agreed to the amount but advised taking the payment in company stock instead of cash, a very astute suggestion. While the exact number of Facebook shares Choe received is uncertain, it is known that he currently does not own enough to be disclosed in the company’s financial filings. Nonetheless, it’s widely believed that David Choe’s stock equity was valued at approximately $200 million at the time of Facebook’s IPO. Given Facebook’s stock price surge since then, it’s plausible that his holdings at various points could have been valued between $300 million to $500 million.

David Choe

Ramin Talaie/Getty Images

Early Life

Born on April 21, 1976, in Los Angeles, California, David Choe grew up in Koreatown, Los Angeles, to Korean immigrant parents who were born-again Christians. During his childhood, David honed his drawing skills by sketching “Star Wars” and “G.I. Joe” images. In 1990, inspired by local graffiti artists Hex and Mear One, he began painting graffiti.

After the 1992 L.A. riots resulted in the destruction of his parents’ real estate business, Choe dropped out of high school and spent two years hitchhiking across America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Upon returning to California at 21, he enrolled at the California College of the Arts but left after two years.

Art Career

David Choe’s graffiti ultimately led him to a week-long incarceration, after which he returned to live with his parents and started contributing to various magazines, including writing and illustrating for “Vice.” Furthermore, he featured in the “Vice” web series “Thumbs Up!” (2007–2010), which chronicled his hitchhiking and train-hopping adventures across the U.S. alongside his best friend, Harry Kim.

During his association with “Vice,” Choe started collaborating with the pop culture magazine and store “Giant Robot.” As art galleries showed little interest in his pieces, he instead exhibited his work at the Double Rainbow ice cream shop on Melrose Avenue. The artwork was so well-received by customers that the shop allowed him to showcase his creations there for two years, during which he continuously added new pieces whenever one was sold.

In

In 2006, the graphic novel “Slow Jams” was self-published by him, with an initial run of approximately 200 copies distributed at Comic-Con in 1998. After applying for the Xeric Grant, Choe received $5,000, enabling him to create an expanded edition consisting of 1,000 copies. The graphic novel was subsequently released in 1999, priced at $4, yet in recent years, it has fetched hundreds of dollars on eBay.

David Choe Net WorthDavid Choe Net Worth

Getty Images

For more than ten years, Harry Kim documented thousands of hours of David’s life, culminating in the 2008 documentary “Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe,” which portrays an “intense image of David Choe, a young street artist nearly diagnosed with schizophrenia who concocts various criminal strategies, allowing him to travel the globe by hitchhiking.” After hosting numerous solo exhibitions in San Francisco and San Jose, Choe held a solo show at the Santa Rosa Museum of Contemporary Art in 2005.

His debut solo exhibition in New York, titled “Gardeners of Eden,” was hosted by Chelsea’s Jonathan LeVine Gallery in 2007. The following year, he showcased his first solo exhibition in the U.K., “Murderous Heart,” at the Lazarides Gallery in London and Newcastle. In 2013, an exhibition of his watercolors was held at the Museo Universario del Chopo in Mexico City, and in 2017, he organized an invite-only exhibit named “The Choe Show” in Koreatown. Choe also contributed to the cover design for Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s 2004 “Collision Course” EP and voiced the main character in the animated film “We Are The Strange,” released in 2007.

Personal Life

Choe has been active with various charities, assisting in fundraising for Wyclef Jean’s Yle Haiti and engaging with at-risk children through The LIDÈ Haiti Foundation, founded by Rainn Wilson, a star from “The Office,” and his wife, author Holiday Reinhorn. During the early 2000s, David served three months in prison after an incident involving an undercover security guard in Tokyo that stemmed from a language barrier. While incarcerated, he produced over 600 drawings using “the only pen allowed in his cell,” alongside erotic artwork created with tea, soy sauce, blood, and urine. Upon his release, he was instructed to depart from the country with a prohibition on returning.

In 2014, David sparked controversy by admitting on his podcast to having displayed “rapey behavior” toward a masseuse; he later claimed that his podcast should be regarded as a fictional narrative. In 2017, several artists protested his commission to paint the Bowery Mural Wall, as artist Jasmine Wahi, who coordinated a performance in front of the mural, expressed, “Our goal is to elicit widespread rejection of the ongoing normalization of rape culture by shining a light on the topic.” David later apologized for his previous comments, stating, “I have ZERO history of sexual assault. I sincerely regret any pain I’ve caused anyone through my past statements. Non-consensual sex equates to rape, and it is neither funny nor acceptable to joke about.”

Real Estate

In 2010, David acquired a mansion in LA’s Los Feliz neighborhood for $3.1 million, which he subsequently listed for sale in September 2022 at a price of $6.9 million.


David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)

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This data spans 2023 and 2024, with forecast data provided for 2025 and 2026. We also extend the forecast into 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 4, 2025

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