Vanilla Ice's Net Worth (Updated 2022) | Wealthy Gorilla

Net Worth:	$12 Million
Age:	58
Born:	October 31, 1967
Gender:	Male
Height:	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Country of Origin:	United States of America
Source of Wealth:	Professional Rapper
Last Updated:	Dec 30, 2025

Vanilla Ice is an American professional actor, rapper, and television host with an estimated net worth of $12 Million.

Ice released his debut album, Hooked, in 1989, which became a huge hit. He later signed a contract with SBK Records, an EMI Group record label. His 1990 single, ‘Ice Ice Baby,’ was his first hip-hop single to top the Billboard charts.

Table of Contents

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• Ice Ice Baby Royalty Payments
• Divorce Settlement
• Highlights
• Summary

Ice Ice Baby Royalty Payments

Vanilla Ice released his iconic hit single “Ice Ice Baby” in 1990 through SBK Records, and to this day, it still generates millions of dollars per year in royalties. However, the royalty checks do not solely belong to the rapper, as they are shared with the original rights holder, EMI Music Publishing, and the estates of Queen and David Bowie.

After the single became an enormous success in the 1990s, the band Queen claimed that the bass sample used on the track was taken from their song “Under Pressure”, released in 1981. After the band threatened legal action against Vanilla Ice, the dispute was settled out of court, with the rapper agreeing to give the band a percentage of the royalties from “Ice Ice Baby”.

It’s been reported that the song still earns somewhere between $1 million and $2 million in annual royalties, with Vanilla Ice receiving a small percentage of this figure. Now, if you do a quick search online, you’ll find almost every source listing his royalties at $400,000 per year, apart from one that lists an estimate of between $100,000 and $300,000. For the $400,000 estimate, this appears to be based on a hypothetical 50% of Vanilla Ice’s $800,000 annual income, which was revealed in his 2018 divorce filing. Some reports suggest that his ex-wife specifically claimed $400,000 per year came from royalties, but we were unable to confirm this statement.

In any case, you can be assured that he still earns at least six figures per year from the song. However, we are now discussing this seven years after the $800,000 figure came to light. Thus, his royalty checks may have declined since then.

Divorce Settlement

Vanilla Ice’s wife, Laura Van Winkle, filed for divorce in October 2016 after more than 20 years of marriage, stating that the marriage was irretrievably broken, while claiming that Ice was worth a minimum of $10 million. In May 2017, Vanilla Ice countersued, requesting 50/50 custody of their children and payment of his attorney’s fees.

Divorce documents released in November 2018 revealed that Vanilla Ice earned $800,000 annually from all his endeavors, including royalties from “Ice Ice Baby” and earnings from his reality TV show The Vanilla Ice Project, which equates to roughly $68,000 per month. The documents also revealed additional assets totaling $9 million, including 15 properties valued at approximately $5 million, eight cars, a boat, and $3 million in liquid assets.

In 2019, a Palm Beach County, Florida, judge approved the settlement and finalized the divorce, reserving the right to bring both parties back into court if they failed to adhere to the terms. Vanilla Ice was ordered to pay his ex-wife $10,500 per month in support, along with $110,000 in back support payments, and was also required to pay an additional $200,000 to cover her legal expenses.

Laura Van Winkle took Vanilla Ice to court again in March 2020 after Ice was short on two alimony payments. The rapper responded that it was an auto-payment glitch and that the amount was being paid.

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Highlights

Here are some of the best highlights of Vanilla Ice’s career:

• Ice Ice Baby (Song, 1990)
• To the Extreme (Album, 1990)
• Cool as Ice (Song, 1991)
• Grammy Awards (Best Solo Rap Performance, 1991) – Won
• Roll Em’ Up (Song, 1994)
• Mind Blowin’ (Album, 1994)
• Too Cold (Song, 1998)
• Tha Weed Song (Song, 2007)
• Bi-Polar (Album, 2007)
• Born on Halloween (Song, 2011)
• Rock Star Party (Song, 2011)
• W.T.F (Album, 2011)

Summary

Vanilla Ice has been a popular rapper for as long as we can remember. His huge hit ‘Ice Ice Baby’ has featured in several movies and TV shows. Vanilla Ice has collaborated with some of the world’s top rappers throughout his career. However, despite facing legal woes and struggles to maintain his career, he still boasts an impressive net worth.