Jordan Peterson's Net Worth (Updated 2022) | Wealthy Gorilla

Introduction

Jordan Peterson is a Canadian psychology professor, YouTuber, and author with an estimated net worth of $8 Million.

Wilfrid Laurier University Lawsuit

In 2018, Peterson filed a lawsuit against Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, and several of its faculty members for defamation. The lawsuit came after Lindsay Shepherd, a teaching assistant at Laurier, played a video clip to her class, which showed Peterson debating the use of pronouns. Following complaints from some of her students, Shepherd attended a disciplinary meeting with three University professors. Although the meeting was closed to the public, Shepherd secretly recorded the professors comparing Peterson’s speech to Adolf Hitler and accusing him of creating a toxic classroom environment.

Shepherd then made the recordings public in November 2017, posting them on social media and sending them to the National Post newspaper in Canada. Following the release of the tapes, the University issued a press release saying that Peterson would benefit from the controversy. In response, Peterson added this to the defamation suit and asked for an additional $1.7 million, as the press release had caused him reputational harm. After many years of back and forth, Peterson voluntarily dropped the lawsuit, and the case was officially dismissed on November 7, 2024.

College of Psychologists Dispute

Several years later, in 2022, Peterson was involved in a second legal case following complaints to the College of Psychologists of Ontario, the governing body for Psychologists in Ontario, Canada. Since 2018, the College has received numerous complaints from members of the public about Peterson’s posts on gender identity, climate change, and politics.

In November 2022, further concerns were raised after Peterson appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, where he made negative comments about a former client. The College of Psychologists of Ontario agreed that some of Peterson’s comments were unprofessional and went against their code of conduct about the use of respectful language. Eventually, the College admitted that Peterson’s comments could damage public trust in psychology and, on November 22, 2022, ordered Peterson to go on a social media coaching program. They also issued a warning that if he didn’t comply, it could lead to allegations of professional misconduct and he could lose his licence to practise.

Peterson argued that his posts were his own personal opinions and the order violated his right to free speech. However, the court disagreed, and in August 2023, a judge ruled that, as Peterson kept publicly referring to himself as a psychologist, he had to follow professional regulations. The Judge explained that Peterson couldn’t use his professional title while also ignoring the responsibilities that come with it, and the coaching order was to make sure he followed professional rules. The Judge also rejected Peterson’s challenge and ordered him to pay $25,000 in legal costs.

In August 2024, Peterson made a second appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, but his case was rejected, and Peterson had no choice but to attend the social media coaching program.