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John Oliver has changed the hosting game with his long-lasting career that took him from being a substitute guest host on The Daily Show to being chosen by HBO for a better running career. He has also been a comedian and gathered his primary stage experience through his comedy acts in the UK.

Oliver also got on with his acting career at a young age. His rising popularity hugely favored his fame on the big screen as a television personality. So, it can be safely assumed that he had his biggest breaks as a TV host, and the rest of his ventures were aided by similar fame.

In 2021, Oliver is estimated to have a sumptuous net worth of about $30 million and here is how he grew this fortune.

The Early Life Of Oliver

Born on 23 April 1977 in Birmingham, England, John Williams Oliver was born to Carole, a musician and teacher, and Jim Oliver, a social worker and a headmaster. As a result, John got trained in both trades. He grew up learning to play the viola, a coveted string instrument. Later he took up English as his subject while graduating from college.

He attended the Mark Rutherford School in Bedford for his schooling. Later, he enrolled at Christ's College in Cambridge for his secondary schooling. Oliver’s knack for the stage can be traced back to this time in his boyhood when he became a part of the Cambridge Footlights, a theatre club run by Cambridge University students. A year before graduating from Christ’s College with a degree in English, Oliver also became the theatrical club president. He went to school with peers like David Mitchell and Richard Ayoade, who later became famous comedians and TV personas.

An Amazing Television Career

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe organized a late-night program called The Comedy Zone to present new stand-up acts, and in 2001, John Oliver got a chance to present himself for the first time. Thus, began his stage career with stand-up comedy in the character of an oleaginous journalist. In an episode on Late Night With Seth Meyers, he later mentioned that he was once a writer for The Big Breakfast and that this British morning show was one of his earliest paying jobs.

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He was simultaneously a part of the Chocolate Milk Gang, a group of comedians who collaborated and did acts together. After having his first solo act in 2002, Oliver began collaborating with another group of performers on the radio show called Political Animal. John began manifesting his talent in satire and his erudition in politics. He was also on British TV as a panelist of the mock news quiz show called Mock The Week.

His First Big Break With Jon Stewart

John Oliver’s first big break came in 2006 when he got noticed by the comedian and actor Ricky Gervais. Gervais, seeing a few stand-up acts by Oliver, was so impressed that he recommended Oliver to Jon Stewart. Oliver then got a call for an interview, and for the first time, he got a chance to fly to America.

The interview was a success, and within two weeks, Oliver got settled in New York and became a part of The Daily Show With Jo Stewart. Meanwhile, he did not lose touch with his comedy acts as he kept performing at small clubs. Eventually, he got larger deals and started making headlines. He also released John Oliver: Terrifying Times on Comedy Central in 2008, his first-ever stand-up special.

His popularity began rising when he started being the guest host on the Daily Show With Jo Stewart in the absence of Stewart. In 2013, Oliver got the opportunity to be the host for two whole months when Stewart was busy shooting for Rosewater. The result was his raving popularity and suggestions that Oliver is offered his show.

Landing His Own Show

Oliver became the deserving recipient of the honorary Emmy for being on The Daily Show. After all the favorable reception both by critics and viewers, it was even suggested by some that Oliver should replace Craig Ferguson on The Late Show. Dreams began coming true for John when he got noticed by HBO and finally landed a show that he could call his own. This breakthrough also contributed to his massive million-dollar net worth as the annual salary from his show was about $8 million.

On 27th April 2014, he started his journey as the host of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver on HBO. The first contract he signed with HBO lasted from 2014 to 2017. Later with his immediate success, this contract was extended to 2023. The freedom he enjoys on this show is also infinite, as he is allowed to criticize corporations and structures as part of his satire as long as he leaves HBO out of it.

John Oliver has been on the list of Times’ Most Influential People in 2015 and received the Peabody award in 2018. Besides being on shows and podcasts, he has also been a voice artist for animation works such as Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty, and The Simpsons. His career even extends to being an executive producer for the show called Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas. Oliver currently lives with his spouse, Kate Norley, in a New York City Penthouse worth over $10 million.

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Source: Meaww.com, Wealthry, Celebrity Net Worth, Investor Mint