Weird Al Yankovic is an American musician, songwriter, comedian, actor, and record producer with a net worth of $20 million. Weird Al, also known as the “musical comedian”, is best known for writing songs that make people laugh. Weird Al Yankovic has released nearly 150 original songs since the start of his career.
He is a commercially successful artist with over 12 million albums sold worldwide. Six of his albums have been certified platinum. Yankovic is best known for his humorous music videos, which he directs and uploads to YouTube.
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ToggleWho is the strange Al Yankovic?
Strange Al Yankovic was born October 23, 1959 in Downey, California. As a child, Al’s father always urged him to “make a living doing what makes you happy.” Shortly before the age of seven, Yankovic received his first accordion lessons. Al’s love of music grew from his initial interest in the instrument. After three years, Al Yankovic began teaching himself to play the accordion and rock and roll by listening to Elton John tunes.
From a young age, he was inspired by comedians such as Frank Zappa, Shel Silverstein and Spike Jones. Yankovic started kindergarten a year early and graduated from high school two years earlier than her classmates. During his high school years, he participated in plays and clubs such as the National Forensic League and the Volcano Worshipers Club.
How many businesses does Weird Al Yankovic own?
Al Yankovic began his career at the age of 16 on Dr. Demento, as a radio host, playing the teenager tape recordings of many parody songs. During this time, he also began playing the accordion in local coffee shops, performing songs such as the title theme for 2001: A Space Odyssey. Yankovic first became known as “Weird Al” while studying architecture at Cal Poly and working as a DJ for the school’s radio station. Yankovic’s nickname was actually a negative label given to him by his classmates, but he decided to “adopt it professionally.” Since Yankovic sang a comedic song on Dr. Dr. in 1976 at the age of 16, Demento Radio Show, he has sold over 12 million albums (as of 2015), released over 150 parodies and original songs, and performed at over 1,000 live events. His work has earned him five Grammy Awards and eleven nominations, as well as four gold and six platinum records in the United States. In 2006, nearly three decades into his career, he released his first Billboard top ten album (Straight Outta Lynwood) and lead single (“White & Nerdy”). Mandatory Fun (2014) became his first number-one album in its first week of release. Weird Al accompanied Michael J. Nelson on the RiffTrax audio commentary for Jurassic Park in 2008. Weird Al was a guest “Internet scientist” on Rocketboom’s “Know Your Meme” video series on the November 10, 2009 episode of Auto-Tune, hosted by Jamie Wilkinson.
Yankovic later starred with Huey Lewis in another short film Funny or Die which recreated the ax murder scene in the film American Psycho, in which Christian Bale’s character Patrick Bateman investigates the nature of Lewis’ musical work before killing his murdered victim.
On April 3, 2012, Weird Al began hosting a new online series of celebrity comedy interviews, Face to Face with “Weird Al” Yankovic, for The Nerdist podcast. The show features fake Al-TV style interviews with Hollywood stars.
Al has appeared on many other web shows, including “CollegeHumor”, “LearningTown”, “Some Jerk with a Camera”, “Team Unicorn” and “Epic Rap Battles of History”, where he played Sir Isaac Newton and faced off against actors playing Bill Nye, the Science Guy (YouTube star Nice played Peter) and Neil DeGrasse Tyson (Chali 2na from Jurassic 5).
Yankovic teamed up with the Gregory Brothers in October 2016 to film a music video for “Bad Hombres, Nasty Women” shortly after the third debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, in which Yankovic sings between auto-tuned samples of the candidates. Yankovic worked with the Gregory brothers on a similar film after the first debate between Trump and Joe Biden in the 2020 race.
How many investments does Weird Al Yankovic own?
Al paid $2 million for a 7,000-square-foot mansion in the Hollywood Hills in 2001. Comparable homes in the area have recently sold for between $7 million and $9 million.
How many sponsorship deals does Weird Al Yankovic have?
A brewing company offered Yankovic an advertising contract, but he turned it down, they say.
How many charities has Weird Al Yankovic donated to?
Weird Al Yankovic has donated to the following charities listed on this site: Children’s Cancer Association, American Foundation for Equal Rights, and Human Rights Campaign.
How many philanthropies has Weird Al Yankovic supported?