What is Awkwafina Net Worth and Salary?
An estimate of Awkwafina net worth is $8 million. She is an American rapper, comedian, actress and television personality. Awkwafina rose to fame in 2012 when her YouTube song My Vagy went viral. Following this, she launched a hip hop career doing albums and compositions, acting in films like Ocean’s 8, Crazy Rich Asians, and The Farewell. She also starred in the MTV comedy “Girl Code.” Alongside other ventures, she is the co-creator and writer of the television series “Awkwafina is Nora from Queens.”
Early Life and Education
Awkwafina, originally named Nora Lum, was born on June 2, 1988. Her parents are Wally, a Chinese descendent, and Tia, a Korean American painter. They gave birth to her on Long Island. She spent her childhood in Queens, specifically in the neighborhood of South Forest Hills. When she was Begging at the age of 4, her mother passed away. This resulted in her living with her father and grandparents. For highschool, she attended the Fiorello LaGuardia school where she studied jazz and classical music in addition to trumpet. She started using the name also “Awkwafina” around this time. Between 2006 and 2008, she enrolled in Mandarin classes at the Beijing Language and Culture University.
After this, she went to attend the university at Albany in the State University of New York where she graduated in 2011 with a double degree in Women’s Studies and Journalism.
Starting Her Career
Pretaining to her role as an entertainer, Awkwafina interned at the New York publications the Gotham Gazette and the Times Union. She also worked as a publicity assistant at Rodale Books, a publishing house. Eventually, after years of rapping on the side, she finally got recognition in 2012 when her song “My Vag” went viral on YouTube. This went as far as making headlines after my employer Rodney Books terminated me for it. Eventually, I started working at a vegan bodega. Now my reputation was growing, and in 2014, I released my debut hip hop album titled “Yellow Ranger.” The same year marked my first television appearance, where I was on multiple episodes of the MTV’s Girl Code. Before the show ended, I was fortunate enough to co-host a spin-off dubbed “Girl Code Live.” After the reality show wrap up, I got the opportunity to host the talk show “Tawk.”
Film Career
A bit over five years later, I started expanding my horizons and entered the film scene. It was 2016 when I played a supporting in ‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising’ alongside some well known actors. This was also the year I dabbled in voice acting for the children’s animated movie “Storks”. A year later, I took up a few features in the coming-of-age comedy-drama ‘Dude’, the blockbuster ‘Ocean’s 8’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. In the latter film, I had the chance to portray Goh Peik Lin, a Singaporean with some of the female lead’s most iconic dialogues.
In the year 2019, Awkwafina had her most prolific year in film, as she appeared in five movies, including “Paradise Hills” and “Jumanji: The Next Level.” The one that stood out the most was “The Farewell,” where she acted as a Chinese-American journeying to China to see her grandmother. Awkwafina won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her performance. She has also appeared in several notable projects, including the crime dramedy Breaking News in Yuba County, Disney’s animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, where she voiced Sisu the dragon, as well as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Swan Song, and the animated comedy The Bad Guys.
Television Career
Awkwafina made her television debut in 2017 with a role in the Hulu series Future Man. She has also appeared in The Simpsons, Weird City, Tuca & Bertie, and played skekLach the Collector in Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. In 2020, Awkwafina produced, wrote, starred, and executive produced her very own show titled “Nora from Queens,” further establishing her imprint in television. Airing on Comedy Central, the show focuses on a twenty something woman in Queens and the many aspects of living in young adulthood.
Other Appearances
She was in Gap’s advertising campaign highlighting up-and-coming personalities who creatively wear and superimpose their cultures. In 2015, she released a guidebook titled Awkwafina’s NYC. She later headlined EEEEEATSCON 2019, the yearly food festival by The Infatuation, where she was the main attraction.
Cultural Appropriation Controversy
In some of her circles, she has suffered backlash for purportedly using stereotypical African American manners or speech, or AAVE. In response, she has tweeted defending herself, claiming her association with America’s culture and her love for hip hop through the lens of an immigrants is authentic. Many activists and journalists concluded that her rebuttal verged on a non-apology instead of a proper defense.
Real Estate
In November 2019, Akwafina bought a townhouse in West Hollywood for $2.277 million. In April 2021, Akwafina acquired a residence in Bel Air, Los Angeles, for $3.5 million.
