Alex Honnold has not publicly given an exact dollar figure, but multiple reliable reports say he was paid in the “mid–six figures” for climbing Taipei 101 live for Netflix, which most outlets and industry sources peg at around 500,000 dollars for the event.

How Much Money Did Alex Honnold Make Climbing Taipei 101?

The Short Version

  • He called his paycheck an “embarrassing amount” compared to mainstream sports stars.
  • People with direct knowledge of the deal told major outlets it was mid–six figures.
  • Many reports and analyses now treat that as about 500,000 dollars for the Taipei 101 climb.

So if you’re looking for one concrete number: the best current estimate is around 500k USD , not millions, and he himself refused to state the exact figure on the record.

What Has Actually Been Reported?

Different outlets are all circling the same range:

  • A major entertainment outlet reports that Honnold was paid a “mid-six figures” fee for the climb broadcast live on Netflix.
  • A UK newspaper cites two people with direct knowledge of the deal who say it was mid–six figures , and notes he rejected a suggested figure of 10 million dollars as far too high.
  • Coverage summarizing those reports describes his pay as being in the mid–$100,000s to $500,000 range.

In parallel, finance and sports-business style commentary pieces and discussion threads are now flatly stating that he earned about $500,000 for Taipei 101.

Why People Say “$500,000”

Even though Honnold himself only goes on record saying “embarrassing” and “mid–six figures,” some pieces go further and put a specific figure on it:

  • A business/markets site headline directly frames it as a $500,000 Taipei 101 Free Solo fee that boosted his net worth.
  • A sports-business write‑up says, in plain language, that “Honnold earned ~$500,000 for Taipei 101” and contrasts that with tens of millions earned by other athletes on Netflix.
  • A popular Reddit post also repeats that he “got paid just $500,000 to climb the Taipei 101” , reflecting how that number has become the widely accepted figure among fans.

These pieces are all based on the same underlying “mid–six figures” sourcing; $500k is basically the clean, rounded number that fits that description and has now become the shorthand.

How He Feels About That Paycheck

Honnold’s own comments add a lot of color:

  • He told an interviewer that the amount was “embarrassing” , especially beside huge contracts in sports like Major League Baseball, where players he describes as relatively unknown can sign deals worth around $170 million.
  • When the interviewer floated a hypothetical $10 million payday, he immediately said “No!” , reinforcing that he was nowhere near that level.
  • He also stressed that he would have done the climb for free if it were just about the challenge and the chance to sit on top of the tower’s spire, saying the experience itself was incredible.

So even if ~500k is life‑changing money for most people, he sees it as small compared to what other elite performers in big-money sports earn for similarly high‑risk marquee events.

Money Context: Taipei 101 vs Other Athletes

Here’s a quick look at how this reported payday stacks up:

html

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Person / Event</th>
    <th>Reported / Typical Earnings</th>
    <th>Context</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Alex Honnold – Taipei 101 climb</td>
    <td>Mid–six figures, widely cited as ~$500,000 [web:1][web:3][web:8][web:9]</td>
    <td>High‑risk, one‑off live Netflix special [web:1][web:3]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>MLB players (example Honnold mentions)</td>
    <td>Contracts around $170 million for some players [web:1][web:3]</td>
    <td>Multi‑year deals, major US league sports economy [web:1][web:3]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Jake Paul vs Joshua fight on Netflix</td>
    <td>About $90 million event revenue, with Paul earning vastly more than Honnold [web:9]</td>
    <td>Boxing mega‑event, fighter also owns promotion company [web:9]</td>
  </tr>
</table>

The contrast explains why he frames his own fee as “embarrassingly small” in the context of big‑money sports, even though it’s a huge single‑event check by normal standards.

Forum & “Latest News” Angle

Because the climb was live‑streamed on Netflix and is so recent (January 2026), people are actively discussing the payday:

  • News threads and comments highlight how dangerous the free solo was compared to the size of the paycheck, with many surprised it wasn’t in the millions.
  • Some fans argue that producers and platforms likely made significantly more than Honnold from the broadcast, which fuels the “only $500k” narrative.
  • Others point out that for a climber, a mid–six‑figure payday for a single day’s work is still massive, especially on top of his existing income from films, sponsorships, and speaking.

So the trending take across news, finance blogs, and forums is: yes, roughly half a million is a lot of money, but relative to the risk, spectacle, and streaming reach, many people think he could have commanded more.

TL;DR

  • No exact official number, but credible reporting says mid–six figures.
  • Most “how much did he make?” coverage and discussions now treat that as about $500,000 for climbing Taipei 101 for Netflix.
  • Honnold himself felt the amount was “embarrassing” compared to what other top athletes earn, even though he also said he would gladly do the climb just for the challenge.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.