What is Sunny Leone's Net Worth?
Sunny Leone is an Indo-Canadian adult film actress, reality star, social media star, businesswoman and model and has a net worth of $16 million. Sunny Leone is one of the 100 most-followed people on Instagram with more than 50 million followers as of this writing. Sunny's $16 million net worth makes her the richest porn star in the world.
Sunny Leone is best known for her work in both the adult film industry and the mainstream Indian film industry. After making her Bollywood debut in the 2012 erotic thriller film "Jism 2," she appeared in such movies as "Jackpot," "Ek Paheli Leela," and "Madhura Raja." On television, Leone has hosted a number of shows, including "MTV Splitsvilla" and "Man vs. Wild."
Early Life
Sunny Leone was born as Karenjit Kaur Vohra on May 13, 1981 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in idyllic surroundings, loving the cold Canadian winters and the snow that came with them. She was a consummate performer, basking in the attention it brought her and eating up every word of praise that came her way. Although her parents are Sikh Indian Punjabs, she was enrolled at a Catholic school as a youth due to fears of being unsafe at a public school. At the age of 13, Leone moved with her family to Fort Gratiot, Michigan; the following year, they moved to Lake Forest, California. When she was 18, Leone realized she was bisexual.
Adult Modeling Career
Before working in the entertainment industry, she first worked at a German bakery, a Jiffy Lube, and later a tax and retirement firm. While studying to be a pediatric nurse in Orange County, a classmate – who was an exotic dancer – introduced Leone to John Stevens, an agent. John in turn introduced her to Jay Allen, a photographer for Penthouse magazine. When picking a name for her adult career, she has said that Sunny is her real name and Leone was picked by Bob Guccione, former owner of Penthouse magazine. Leone was named the "Penthouse Pet of the Month" in March of 2001, and later in the year posed as a "Hustler Honey" for Hustler magazine. Additionally, she appeared in Cheri, High Society, Lowrider, and Swank, among other magazines.
Adult Video Career
In 2003, she was declared the Penthouse Pet of the Year and also starred in the video Penthouse Pets in Paradise alongside Tera Patrick (12 walls) and Kyla Cole.
In 2005 she signed a three-year contract with Vivid Entertainment with which she transitioned into the world of hardcore adult entertainment. She was subsequently in the adult films "Sunny," "Virtual Vivid Girl Sunny Leone," "Sunny Loves Cher," and "The Female Gardner." Leone re-signed with Vivid for another six films in 2007, and subsequently performed alongside her fiancee Matt Erikson in "Sunny Loves Matt." In 2009, Leone announced the launch of her own studio, called Sunlust Pictures; that March, she released her first independent production, entitled "The Dark Side of the Sun." This was followed by further self-produced films such as "Sunny Slumber Party," "Gia Portrait of a Porn Star," "Roleplay," and "Goddess." Leone boosted her popularity by securing deals with such companies as Totemcash, PPPcard, and Flirt4Free, which sold and distributed her content across the Internet.
Among her other porn endeavors, Leone participated in the Vivid Comedy Tour, and modeled for the Vivid Footwear collection. Additionally, she participated in the Vivid/ClubJenna Lingerie Bowl and Vivid's Hot Rod Night. Leone retired from the adult industry in 2013.
In September 2009, an iPhone application consisting of a collection of non-nude photos, some videos and a adult film star-penned blog was approved by Apple for sale in the iTunes store, making it the first officially sanctioned application featuring a adult film star.
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Indian Film Career
Leone made her Bollywood debut in 2012, starring in the erotic thriller "Jism 2." She followed this with the gangster crime film "Shootout at Wadala," the comedy thriller "Jackpot," and the erotic horror film sequel "Ragini MMS 2." In 2014, Leone made her Tamil film debut in "Vadacurry." Her subsequent credits included "Hate Story 2," "Balwinder Singh Famous Ho Gaya," "DK," and "Ek Paheli Leela." Next, Leone was in the comedies "Kuch Kuch Locha Hai" and "Mastizaade," the erotic romantic drama "One Night Stand," and the thriller "Beiimaan Love."
In 2017, Leone performed the song "Piya More" in the action adventure film "Baadshaho," as well as the song "Trippy Trippy" in the drama "Bhoomi." Also that year, she made her Marathi and Bengali film debuts in "Boyz" and "Shrestha Bangali," respectively. Leone's other notable credits have included "PSV Garuda Vega," "Tera Intezaar," and "Veeramadevi."
Television Career
On television, Leone made her first mainstream appearance as a red carpet reporter at the MTV Awards in 2005. Three years later, she was a contestant on the reality show "My Bare Lady 2: Open for Business," and in 2011, started participating on the Indian reality series "Bigg Boss 5." Later, in 2016, Leone was a contestant in the second season of the Indian sports competition series "Box Cricket League." Additionally, she has hosted a number of programs, including "Haunted Weekends with Sunny Leone," the dating show "MTV Splitsvilla," and the survival series "Man vs. Wild."
Other Endeavors
Beyond Indian film and television, Leone made a cameo appearance in the 2004 American romcom "The Girl Next Door." She was subsequently in the films "Pirate's Blood" and "The Virginity Hit." In 2016, Leone was the subject of the biographical documentary "Mostly Sunny." The same year, she released a collection of 12 short stories called "Sweet Dreams," and appeared at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Leone has also been heavily involved in activism. In 2004, she participated in the No More Bush Girls event, in which she and other adult actresses shaved off their pubic hair to protest the presidency of George W. Bush. Later, in 2008, she was in a promotional video for the non-profit voter registration campaign Declare Yourself. In 2013, Leone posed for a PETA campaign encouraging cat and dog owners to get their pets spayed and neutered. She was also involved in the Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles Half-Marathon, which raised money for the American Cancer Society.
Personal Life
Early in her career, Leone dated stand-up comic Russell Peters and Playboy marketing executive Matt Erikson. In 2017, Leone married actor and producer Daniel Weber. Together, they adopted a baby girl named Nisha from Latur, Maharashtra, India. Through a surrogate, the couple later had twin boys named Noah and Asher. Leone has citizenship in the United States, Canada, and India, and resides with her husband and children in Mumbai.
Real Estate
In Mumbai, Sunny owns an apartment that is worth $3-4 million.
In California she owns a home that was bought for $3.75 million in 2017. Sunny and Daniel listed this home for sale in 2020 for $5.15 million. After failing to land any offers, by mid-2021 they had lowered the price to $4.7 million. In August 2021 she removed the listing from the market.
