Gregory C. Giraldo was born on 10 December 1965, in The Bronx, New York City USA, to Dolores, of Spanish descent, and Alfonso Giraldo, of Colombian descent. He was a stand-up comedian, television personality and lawyer, best known for his appearances in the Comedy Central roast specials and shows, such as “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn“. He passed away in 2010.
So just how wealthy was Greg Giraldo? According to sources, Giraldo had earned a net worth of over $100,000, established through his involvement in the comedy entertainment business which began in 1992.
Greg Giraldo Net Worth $100,000
Giraldo grew up in the upper middle class neighborhood of Queens, New York City, along with his two siblings. He attended Regis High School in Manhattan, matriculating in 1983, and then enrolled at Columbia University, graduating with a BA degree in English. He then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1990 with a law degree.
Prior to turning to comedy, Giraldo briefly worked as an associate for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom law firm in New York City. In 1992, he gave up his law career and began performing stand-up comedy in clubs such as Manhattan’s Comedy Cellar. While performing at the 1995 Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, he was discovered by Hollywood agents, who offered him the starring role of lawyer John Alvarez in the short-lived ABC sitcom “Common Law”. His net worth started to rise.
In the early 2000s, Giraldo began performing stand-up on Comedy Central Presents, soon becoming a recognized figure among the network’s fans. He made appearances in a number of popular shows for Comedy Central and NBC, such as “Late Night with Conan O’Brien“, “Last Call with Carson Daly“, “The View”, “The Colin Quinn Show”, “Late Show with David Letterman“, “Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”. He served as a regular panelist on “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn“, and all added to his wealth.
In 2005 he wrote, executive produced and hosted his own shows for Comedy Central, “The Greg Giraldo Show”, “Gone Hollywood” and “Friday Night Stand-Up with Greg Giraldo”. He also wrote and appeared in the network’s shows “Just For Laughs” and “Adult Content with Greg Giraldo”, and had his own stand-up special, the 2009 “Greg Giraldo: Midlife Vices”. He served as a judge on the NBC reality television talent show “Last Comic Standing”, and appeared as a panelist on Jerry Seinfeld’s “The Marriage Ref” reality show and panel game, all of which considerably contributed to his popularity, and to his net worth as well.
Aside from his career in television, Giraldo was also involved in the film industry, having minor roles in “Game Day”, “Choices”, “Comedian”, “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work” and “I Am Comic”.
Although his career included various comedy-related projects, it was the Comedy Central roast series that put Giraldo on the map and boosted his popularity the most. Those included roasts of Joan Rivers, Chevy Chase, Flavor Flav, Bob Saget, Pamela Anderson, William Shatner, Jeff Foxworthy, and Larry the Cable Guy. Giraldo’s last appearance on Comedy Central was in mid-2010, in “The Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff“.
When it comes to his personal life, Giraldo was married twice. His first marriage was in his mid-20s, and lasted only two years. In 1999 he married a comedy club waitress named Maryann, with whom he had three children. The couple separated in 2008, but had several reconciliations after that. The comedian died from what was reported as an accidental prescription-drug overdose, on 29 September 2010, although Giraldo had struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout his career. However, in his most recent interviews, he spoke of being sober, with only occasional slip-ups.
