They say that once you hit rock bottom, the only place you can go is up – that is Menery’s testimony. He went from sleeping in the car and clinging to the last vestige of hope to being a millionaire.
The uphill climb has become a source of inspiration to anyone who learns how Bob Menery’s net worth reached $5 million. The comedian owes it all to a clip showcasing his talent going viral, and you can read all about the events leading up to it here.
Bob Menery’s Origins
Menery is the last-born child of Mark and Patty. According to Boston Man Magazine, he grew up in a lower-middle-class neighborhood thanks to his father’s job as an insurance salesman, while Patty stayed at home to raise her three kids. The family moved from Lawrence, Massachusetts to North Andover, allowing Menery to attend St. Michael’s Catholic School.
He confessed to often being in trouble because he wanted to make fellow children laugh, even if he would end up in detention. Menery succeeded in making other people laugh and never concentrated on his studies. He appreciated his gift and aspired to become an actor and comedian.
The teenager realized another passion – sports – while in high school and rallied for the local teams. When the game aired, Menery would pretend to be a sportscaster, turning down the TV to entertain his friends with his unique way of sportscasting. The great voice he acquired after hitting puberty became a source of entertainment even in the streets where he would broadcast.
However, as he told For The Win, he never planned on doing anything with his voice because he was focused on pursuing comedy. Thus, after graduating from North Andover High School, Menery took acting classes at New York Film School at 23. After his studies, he left Boston for Los Angeles, ready to grab any acting opportunity that came his way.
Shattered Dreams of Being an Actor
Unfortunately, he never fulfilled his dream to be an actor-comedian. Menery said he probably is the first person aspiring to be an actor and comedian to go out to Los Angeles and not do one standup show or attend an audition. He still had to survive, so Menery got a job as a caddie at Wilshire Country Club after lying about being experienced.
He got distracted from his ambitions and started abusing drugs. Menery would not go a day without cocaine because being high on cocaine would help him move fast on the golf course. However, he added that his father had installed in him a work ethic, that no matter what job he held, he had to get up early, be the first one in, and the last to leave.
Thus, Menery followed his father’s advice but sometimes would be late for work due to his drug habits. As a drug addict, Menery would spend his money on drugs and unnecessary things. For this reason, he could not even afford to rent an apartment and was living with a friend.
Almost homeless
When that friend decided to move to Texas, Menery was out of a place to live. Caddies can reportedly earn a weekly salary of $1,500-$3,000, depending on the negotiations with the players. Yet, after four years of being a caddie, Menery had overdrawn $700 from his account. Luckily, he had been given a car to drive to and from work, so he turned it into his home. He disclosed that he had nowhere to go.
So, Menery would drive around looking for a safe neighborhood, then park the car and sleep. For two and a half months, that was the routine- he would take a shower at YMCA and head out to work. He finally returned to Boston after a friend, Ernie Giapapas, noticed that Menery was heading in the wrong direction and would be better off going back home.
Menery would Resurrect Himself
Back home, Menery’s brother-in-law picked Menery so he could apply for a job at a local liquor store, Leary’s. The brother-in-law asked Menery if he could be an extra in a Mike Constantino music video, to which the unemployed aspiring actor agreed. Menery sat next to David Justin when they took a break after shooting the video.
The two started talking, and Justin asked Menery what he did, so Menery began broadcasting using the voice he had practiced for years. According to Golf, Justin pulled out the camera and started recording. The next day as Menery was out on a golf tournament, he left his phone in the car, only to return and find he had missed 317 calls.
Bob Menery’s Current Sources of Income and Net Worth
He said he witnessed firsthand what it means to go viral. It was unplanned, and for the next few days, he was anxious and could hardly sleep as he wondered what his next step would be. He sold the clip Justin had recorded to BroBible for $500 and began working on establishing a social media presence. Today, he has over 3 million followers on Instagram and uses the platform to promote brands for a fee.
Since Instagram brands pay $10 per 1000 followers for each post promoting them, the comedian pockets $30,000. With his 113,000 YouTube subscribers, Menery earns $20 per 1000 subscribers, and from the 1.1 million followers on Facebook, he receives $25 for every 1,000 followers. Menery also created a podcast, ZAPPED, which has a 4.8-star rating.
Although he is nowhere near Joe Rogan in terms of earnings from his podcast, the channel still rakes in a substantial amount since podcasters are known to make between $10,000 and $500,000 per episode. He has not been active on the podcast since November 2020, so he probably would be earning much more with new content.
He is also a co-owner of the Zappers football team that signed Josh Gordon to a four-game contract. All the same, Menery insists that it is not about the money but the game.
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