It is rare that there are actors with residual benefits that amount to something quite great. Jennifer Tilly’s is exceptional because she was able to gain $5 million in yearly residual benefits just by playing in one episode of The Simpsons. This benefit arises not because of her performance, but a settlement from her divorce from Sam Simon, the show’s co-creator.
Jennifer Tilly’s Unexpected Connection to The Simpsons
Jennifer Tilly, with her roles as Tiffany Valentine in the Chucky films and Oscar-nominated work in Bullets Over Broadway (1994), is also a voice actress, having appeared in animated series such as Family Guy. But a lot of her money these days comes from The Simpsons. Though she only provided a voice for a character in one episode over 20 years ago, Tilly profits financially through her former marriage to Sam Simon, the co-creator of the show.
Married to Simon from 1984 until 1991, Tilly and Simon fully divorced in 1993. Under the terms of their settlement, she received 25% of the money Simon was taking in off The Simpsons; that included profits off the episodes, films, syndication, and more. She would continue to see income from The Simpsons, even after Simon died in 2015, based on an agreement made by Simon ensuring she gets 30% of his estate’s earnings from the show. This arrangement reportedly nets her up to $5 million annually.
Appearing on Andy Cohen’s show recently, Tilly expressed her gratitude for Simon’s generosity. “My ex-husband Sam Simon created The Simpsons. When we divorced, I got a share of The Simpsons in the settlement,” she said. “Nobody could have predicted how long the show would last. Every day, I say, Thank you, Sam,” she added.
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Building a Poker Career
Tilly’s steady income from The Simpsons has given her the freedom to choose which acting projects she wants to take on, which means she can continue pursuing her interest in poker. Tilly has been dating professional poker player Phil Laak since 2004 and has learned the game from him. She won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2005, beating 600 opponents, and also took the World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational Tournament the same year.
She briefly stopped playing poker until 2010 when she resumed the game. By 2019, Tilly’s winnings from live tournaments exceeded $1 million. Her freedom financially has helped her strike a balance between acting and poker and, by all means, be exceptional in both.
