Whitney Way Thore has been sharing her life on television for 10 years. While she has her fair share of critics, she is still pulling in about half a million viewers per episode of her TLC show My Big Fat Fabulous Life. She is a body positivity advocate, a reality TV star, and more. Over time, she’s been able to build a successful career for herself that extends beyond the small screen. So, what is Whitney Way Thore’s net worth and how has she made her money?
What Did Whitney Do Before Her TLC Show?
The My Big Fat Fab Life star was born on April 14, 1984, in Greensboro, NC. Her parents, Barbara and Glenn Thore, were always supportive of her throughout her life. She became a theater kid and pursued a college degree in theater.
In 2000, she was accepted into the Theatre Summer Enrichment Program at the Governor’s School of North Carolina of Meredith College. She went on to graduate high school and attended Appalachian State University where she majored in theater.
After graduating college, she actually moved to South Korea for a period of time to teach English to students. However, that wasn’t where her career path landed in the long run.
Once she returned to the States, Whitney became the on-air producer for a local radio show in NC called Jared & Katie in the Morning. What catapulted her into fame was a viral video she shared of herself in February 2014. The clip was titled “A Fat Girl Dancing” and it was shared on the radio station’s YouTube channel. After the video spread like wildfire, she used her time in the spotlight to promote her message of body positivity.
The video got her featured on a number of news outlets and, eventually, TLC picked her up for a show. That’s when My Big Fat Fabulous Life was born. Since then, she has made money via her reality television show, gaining herself a massive following.
So, what’s Whitney Way Thore’s net worth in 2025? Here’s a look at her earnings and how she earns her cash.
Whitney Way Thore’s Net Worth
Whitney Way Thore’s net worth is estimated to be about $5 million. Her net worth stems from her salary on the show, book sales, endorsements, YouTube income, merchandising, and various other opportunities.
There isn’t much information about how much Whitney earns per episode of My Big Fat Fab Life. However, when you consider what other long-running TLC series stars are making, you can make an educated guess. Sister Wives stars make between $25,000 and $40,000 per episode each. So, it can be assumed that Whit makes about the same.
She’s also made some money from the sale of her book, I Do It With The Lights On. Whitney Way Thore discusses her struggles with body image in the book and now makes royalties from the published work. It serves as a sort of passive income for her now that she’s not actively promoting it.
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On top of that, Whitney is always looking for brands to partner with. She pinpoints brands that align with her overall body-positive vibe and is paid to promote them. Whitney also has a Cameo where fans can pay for personalized messages. You can also pay $19.99 to send her a message.
There’s no doubt that Whitney Way Thore’s net worth is going to continue to grow as she continues to expand her presence online. And TLC shows no signs of dropping her show from their programming any time soon. So, the money will keep flowing in.
Were you surprised to find out how much Whitney Way Thore is worth?
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