Reality television stars can stack a lot in the bank, with some household names earning
millions a year for their work. Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Kylie Jenner, for
example, has a reported net worth somewhere north of $700 million according to Forbes,
while American Idol alum Simon Cowell has an impressive $600 million in the bank.
But just where do reality stars get their money from? Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star Karlie
Redd has taken a bit of a different approach than her fellow stars. While Jenner has racked
up quite a bit from her beauty cosmetics line, and influencer status, and Cowell has branched
out to appear on multiple television shows, Redd's money has come in part from decidedly
more interesting — and adult — sources.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Redd's net worth is approximately $1.2 million. And while
some of that can definitely be chalked up to the hefty $50,000 per episode that she
reportedly receives for appearing on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, according to TMZ a full
quarter of her net worth — $300,000 — comes from a deal with a company called Doc Johnson
to market a line of adult toys.
That makes a lot of sense considering that Redd is also a licensed sexologist. In 2016,
she even wrote an erotic novel called Even Exchange, which she based on her own romantic
experiences. She told Rolling Out that she hoped the adult toys and the book would help
women take control of their own bodies and experiences.
"It's called 'Even Exchange' because, for me, I want to make sure sex is an even exchange.
I'm not getting the short end of the stick. I want to help women and young girls enjoy
their sexuality while staying safe."
Of course, that's far from the only thing Redd has been doing to add to her bank account.
In fact, it's almost easier to list the fields where she hasn't been active. Besides her
reality TV series, she's also appeared in films like Pinch, Stolen Lillies, and Choices,
and other TV shows such as Saints & Sinners. As a musician, she dropped her debut single
in 2012, the same year she began her hair extensions line, called "Redd Remy Hair."
She's also been active as a model, and with over 2.2 million Instagram followers, she
no doubt gets a fair bit of income from her role as an influencer.
And on top of all that, she's also branched out into the world of retail. In March 2020,
she told Rolling Out,
"I have several [Merci] clothing stores in malls here in Atlanta and also LA, etc., and
I just opened a medispa in Las Vegas. We offer cool sculpting, Botox, facials, all the things
to help women and men keep themselves looking good. I'm really excited about that. I have
also been working on partnering in a restaurant here in Atlanta."
Although the exact details of Redd's earnings from these ventures are unclear, it's obvious
she's committed to her careers — all of them!
Of course, as fans of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta know all too well, romance doesn't always
work out for reality stars. In May 2020, Karlie Redd filed for divorce from her husband of
a year, Maurice "Arkansas Mo" Fayne. However, though the details aren't known, Bossip reported
that Redd's finances don't seem to have been negatively affected by the divorce.
That’s especially good news considering Fayne made headlines for misappropriating
federal money. Redd's divorce filing came days after her ex got charged with federal
bank fraud for allegedly misusing a $2,045,800 Paycheck Protection Program loan he received
from the U.S. government. Instead of using the funds to provide coronavirus-related relief
to the employees of his trucking business, Flame Trucking, the U.S. Department of Justice
claims he spent the dough on everything from jewelry to child support.
Redd told Rolling Out,
"The things that went on in my marriage, no woman would ever be proud of saying she went
through. It was a bad relationship, and I knew I couldn’t be the role model that I
want to be and stay in that toxic situation."
Keep going strong, Karlie!
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