Who’s richest of the Red Hot Chili Peppers? Net worths, ranked – how Flea, John Frusciante, Dave Navarro, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer all made millions
Hey oh, Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) is back – again!
The 80s Californian rock band has kept busy over the past four decades. It’s currently on the road with The Global Stadium Tour, with a new album, Return of the Dream Canteen, set to release on October 14. It arrives after the group’s twelfth album Unlimited Love came out in just a few months ago in April.
Clearly, despite some ups and downs, the men are back on a running streak as their last album before that, The Getaway, was released in 2016.
As one of the world’s greatest rock bands, RHCP has sold over 80 million albums, collected six Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, per NBC Los Angeles. Last year, the band sold its music catalogue to UK investment company Hipgnosis for US$140 million. Its songs, mostly written by its members, generated US$5 million to US$6 million yearly, according to Variety.
RHCP was founded in 1983 by Anthony Kiedis, Australian-born Michael Balzary (Flea), Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons. Slovak and Irons spent a short time with the band as Slovak passed away in 1988 and Irons left at the same time.
Later, John Frusciante and Chad Smith came in, making the four current members today. While Frusciante left the band twice, in 1992 and 2009, Dave Navarro and Josh Klinghoffer replaced him, contributing to part of the success of the band.
All RHCP members became multimillionaires, mostly from their successful music career. But who is the richest, according to Celebrity Net Worth estimations?
6. Josh Klinghoffer, 43 – US$10 million
Multi-talented musician Klinghoffer, 43, who can play the guitar, the drums and even sing, joined many bands before taking the role of lead guitarist at RHCP from 2009 to 2019. He recorded two studio albums during his time with the band, I’m with You (2011) and The Getaway (2016).
He’s also played with other bands like Dot Hacker, which he founded in 2008, Golden Shoulders and Pearl Jam, and released three solo albums.
5. Dave Navarro, 55 – US$20 million
The guitarist of the rock band Jane’s Addiction, Navarro, 55, took Frusciante’s place during his absence from 1993 to 1998, contributing to the album One Hot Minute (1995). He then reunited with Jane’s Addiction.
Navarro has also collaborated with other superstars, from performing with Michael Jackson and remixing Janet Jackson’s song “What’ll I Do” to having a cameo in Mariah Carey’s “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” music video.
Besides music, he also racked up his millions by starring on Ink Master and co-hosting shows like Rock Star: INXS and Rock Star: Supernova. He’s even appeared in TV shows like Sons of Anarchy and Law and Order: SVU, per Celebrity Net Worth.
In 2018, he launched Duel Diagnosis, a line of fine art, tees and prints.
4. John Frusciante, 52 – US$25 million
Frusciante, 52, was a long-time fan of the band when he replaced original guitarist Slovak in 1988 at just 18 years old. He has appeared on RHCP’s most popular albums. His solo career spawned several albums and, despite leaving the band twice, he was still a big part of some of its biggest chart-toppers.
His work has all added up nicely, with the band’s successes to bring him a net worth of around US$25 million.
3. Chad Smith, 60 – US$90 million
Joining in 1988, Chad Smith is RHCP’s drummer. Revered for being one of the greatest alternative drummers of all time, hard work has paid off for Smith, who’s accumulated about US$90 million in his lifetime.
Outside the Chili Peppers, he’s worked with artists including Johnny Cash, Ozzy Osbourne, the Dixie Chicks, Kid Rock, Lana Del Rey and others.
In recent years, he has participated in other areas of the entertainment world, such as co-hosting Sirius XM’s music talk show Volume West with Yahoo Entertainment’s music editor Lyndsey Parker and starring in Netflix’s drummer documentary Count Me In (2021) alongside other legendary music icons like Dire Straits and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, among others.
2. Anthony Kiedis, 59 – US$155 million
Red Hot Chili Peppers’ founder and vocalist Anthony Kiedis, 59, is admired for his special rap style and writing of the band’s biggest hits. His time with the band has contributed greatly to the majority of his bank balance.
Other gigs include appearing in films like Point Break (1991) and The Chase (1994). He partnered with bandmate Flea to produce the film Low Down (2014), which is based on the life of jazz pianist Joe Albany.
He also published his memoir, Scar Tissue, in 2004, which ranked No 1 in New York Times’ best selling autobiography section.
1. Flea, 59 – US$160 million
Another founder, bassist Flea, 59, is one of the biggest rock icons in the 80s and 90s. He has been compensated for his incredible work with the band in the studio and on stage, both with his guitar and pen, becoming the richest member.
Flea has also dabbled in Hollywood gigs. He has over 20 acting credits to his name including big hits such as the Back to the Future franchise, The Big Lebowski (1998), Inside Out (2015) and Toy Story 4 (2019), per his IMDB profile. Randomly, he also voice acted in the animated series The Wild Thornberrys (1998-2004).
Like his fellow group member Kiedis, he wrote a memoir called Acid for the Children, which launched in 2019 and was also a New York Times bestseller.
