David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)

David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Title: David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)
Last Updated: February 5, 2025


What is David Choe’s Net Worth?

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

Facebook Payday

In the early 2000s, David’s graffiti artistry piqued the interest of Facebook President Sean Parker, who subsequently hired Choe to adorn the walls of Facebook’s headquarters in Silicon Valley. When it was time to negotiate his payment, Choe requested $60,000.

Parker then discussed the matter with CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who agreed with the fee but advised Choe to accept stock options instead of cash. This decision turned out to be a wise one. The exact number of Facebook shares that David received remains unknown, and currently, his stake is not large enough to be disclosed in the company’s financial reports. Nevertheless, it is known that David Choe’s equity was valued at approximately $200 million at Facebook’s IPO. Given the significant increase in Facebook’s stock value since that time, it is plausible that his assets could have been worth between $300 and $500 million at various points.

David Choe

Ramin Talaie/Getty Images

Early Life

Born on April 21, 1976, in Los Angeles, California, David Choe was raised in Koreatown. His parents, who are Korean immigrants, were also fervent born-again Christians. As a child, David was inspired to draw images from “Star Wars” and “G.I. Joe.” His journey into graffiti began in 1990, sparked by the work of local graffiti artists Hex and Mear One.

After the family’s real estate business was destroyed during the 1992 L.A. riots, Choe dropped out of high school and spent two years hitchhiking across America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. At 21, he returned to California, enrolling at the California College of the Arts; however, he left after just two years.

Art Career

Following a week-long incarceration due to his graffiti activities, David moved back in with his parents and began contributing illustrations and writings for various magazines, particularly “Vice.” He participated in the “Vice” web series “Thumbs Up!” (2007–2010), which captured his journeys hitchhiking and train-hopping throughout the U.S. and even across China with his best friend, Harry Kim.

Around this time, Choe formed a connection with the pop culture magazine and store “Giant Robot.” When art galleries showed little interest in featuring his works, David displayed his art in Double Rainbow, an ice cream shop on Melrose Avenue. The response from customers was overwhelmingly positive, leading to a two-year exhibition where he would showcase a new piece each time one was sold.

InIn 2006, the graphic novel “Slow Jams” was self-published by David Choe, who initially produced around 200 copies and distributed them at Comic-Con in 1998. After applying for the Xeric Grant, Choe secured $5,000 which enabled him to self-publish an expanded edition comprising 1,000 copies. The graphic novel, published in 1999 with a cover price of $4, has seen its value escalate on eBay in recent years, selling for hundreds of dollars.

David Choe Net WorthDavid Choe Net Worth

Getty Images

For over a decade, 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 paints an “intense portrait of David Choe, a young street artist on the brink of schizophrenia who plots numerous criminal schemes allowing him to travel the world.” After numerous solo exhibitions in San Francisco and San Jose, Choe received a solo show at the Santa Rosa Museum of Contemporary Art in 2005.

In 2007, Choe showcased his first solo exhibition in New York titled “Gardeners of Eden” at Chelsea’s Jonathan LeVine Gallery. The subsequent year, he conducted his first solo exhibition in the U.K. named “Murderous Heart” at the Lazarides Gallery in London and Newcastle. An exhibition of his watercolors took place in 2013 at the Museo Universario del Chopo in Mexico City, followed by an invite-only exhibit titled “The Choe Show” in Koreatown in 2017. Additionally, he designed the cover for the 2004 “Collision Course” EP by Jay-Z and Linkin Park, 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 working with at-risk children through The LIDÈ Haiti Foundation, founded by Rainn Wilson from “The Office” and his wife, author Holiday Reinhorn. After an incident in the early 2000s where David punched an undercover security guard in Tokyo due to communication struggles, he spent three months in prison. While incarcerated, he created over 600 drawings with only “the one pen his cell allowed” and produced erotic paintings using tea, soy sauce, blood, and urine. Upon his release, he was expelled from the country.

In 2014, David sparked controversy after admitting on his podcast to having engaged in “rapey behavior” toward a masseuse; he later clarified that the podcast should be viewed as a work of fiction. In 2017, he faced protests from several artists when commissioned to paint the Bowery Mural Wall, with artist Jasmine Wahi stating that the initiative aimed to challenge the normalization of rape culture. David later expressed regret over his earlier remarks, stating, “I have ZERO history of sexual assault. I am deeply sorry for any pain I’ve caused anyone with my past words. Non-consensual sex is rape, and it is never appropriate to joke about.”

Real Estate

Having paid $3.1 million in 2010 for a 6,500 square-foot mansion in LA’s Los Feliz neighborhood, David listed this property for sale at $6.9 million in September 2022.


David Choe Net Worth (Money & Salary)

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Data is obtained from 2023 and 2024, with projected information extending into 2025 and 2026. We also include forecasts for the years 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 5, 2025