how much did alex honnold make from taipei
Alex Honnold’s exact payday for climbing Taipei 101 has not been publicly disclosed, but multiple reports say Netflix is paying him a “mid-six-figure” amount, generally understood as somewhere in the hundreds of thousands of dollars (roughly around the 500k range, though that’s still an estimate, not an official number). He has described the fee as “an embarrassing amount” when compared to what mainstream sports stars or big Netflix celebrities earn, even though it’s still a huge single paycheck by normal standards.
How Much Did Alex Honnold Make From Taipei?
Quick Scoop
- The exact figure is not officially confirmed.
- Reputable outlets report that Netflix is paying him in the “mid-six figures” for the Taipei 101 climb.
- “Mid-six figures” usually means somewhere in the middle of the 100,000–999,999 band (often interpreted in fan and forum discussions as around the $500k ballpark, but that part is speculation, not a disclosed contract term).
- Honnold has called the pay “an embarrassing amount” relative to other Netflix stars and pro athletes, not relative to normal jobs.
- He’s said he would have climbed Taipei 101 even for free if the opportunity existed, which likely weakened his negotiating leverage.
In short: we only know the range , not the exact paycheck. Anything like “he made exactly $X” is guesswork.
What The Reports Actually Say
1. The “mid-six figures” detail
- Several sports and entertainment outlets, citing reporting from the New York Times, state that Honnold is being paid in the mid-six figures by Netflix for the Taipei 101 live special.
- When an interviewer floated a $10 million number, Honnold immediately rejected it and again referred to the amount as “embarrassingly small” in comparison to major-league contracts and huge Netflix deals for movie stars and fighters.
2. His own comments about the money
Honnold has said things along these lines in interviews:
- In mainstream sports terms, his pay is “embarrassingly small.”
- He points out that MLB players sign contracts worth around $170 million , and even relatively unknown athletes can end up with life-changing money, which he contrasts with his own fee.
- When asked if this is his biggest payday ever, he’s answered “maybe,” but also noted it’s less than what his agent had hoped for.
- He has said he’d be willing to do the Taipei 101 climb without pay if it weren’t a TV production and the building simply allowed him to climb it because he knows he can and thinks it would be incredible.
These quotes are where the “embarrassing amount” phrase comes from; they’re not saying the number is small in absolute terms, but that it looks small next to huge big-league and Netflix headliner salaries.
Forums, Speculation, And The “$500K” Talk
Because fans love to put a number on everything, forums and comment sections have been throwing around specific guesses :
- Some Reddit and forum users argue the figure is likely around $500,000 , basing that on the phrase “mid-six figures” plus comparisons to other Netflix payouts like celebrity boxing matches or movie deals.
- But those posts are speculation , not contract leaks or official disclosures; they start from the same “mid-six figures” reporting everyone sees and then pick a number that “feels” mid-range.
So if you see a very confident “Alex Honnold got $500k exactly” claim, that’s still just internet guesswork built on a partial fact (“mid-six figures”).
Context: Is This Big Money For Him?
To put the Taipei 101 payday in context:
- Various profiles and financial writeups estimate Honnold’s net worth at around $2 million before this event, mostly from sponsorships, films, books, and speaking.
- A single mid-six-figure check is therefore a meaningful boost , even if it’s not life-changing by entertainment or pro-sports standards.
- It likely ranks among his larger individual payouts so far, even if he’s unsure whether it’s the very biggest.
Imagine someone who’s been steadily earning and saving for years; a one-off half-million-style check is a huge bump, but it doesn’t suddenly turn them into a nine-figure superstar. That’s roughly where this climb seems to sit for Honnold’s finances.
Snapshot Table: What We Know vs. Guess
| Aspect | Information | Source / Status |
|---|---|---|
| Exact amount | Not disclosed publicly | Reported as undisclosed in major articles | [8][2][1]
| Reported range | “Mid-six figures” (hundreds of thousands of dollars) | Multiple outlets citing NYT reporting | [10][2][8][1]
| Fan/forum number | Common guess around $500,000 | Speculation on forums and social media, not official | [6][10]
| Honnold’s description | “Embarrassingly small amount” vs. big-league contracts | Direct quotes in interviews | [2][8][1]
| Would he climb for free? | He has said he would, if it weren’t a TV production | Interview comments about doing it “just because he can” | [8][2]
| Estimated net worth | Roughly around $2 million pre-event | Net worth articles and profiles | [5][3][7][1]
Bottom Line For “How Much Did Alex Honnold Make From Taipei?”
- The only solid public info is that Netflix is paying him in the mid-six-figure range for the Taipei 101 climb.
- Any specific number you see (like “$500k exactly”) is educated guessing , not verified contract detail.
- It’s a big check by everyday standards, modest compared to superstar athletes, and a strong but not transformative boost to his roughly $2 million net worth.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.