Whitney Way Thore Has an Estimated Seven-Figure Net Worth Thanks to Her TLC Show

Fans flock to TLC reality show My Big Fat Fabulous Life because of its bubbly star, Whitney Way Thore. Whitney first went viral in 2014 with her dance video, "A Fat Girl Dancing," which was posted on YouTube to promote body positivity. She soon struck a deal with TLC to star in her own show, and it's been on the air since 2015.

The show is now currently airing Season 10, and there's still no stopping Whitney. She's also kicked her philandering ex-fiancée Chase Severino to the curb and is now dating an unknown French guy. The two have been an item since 2021.

How much does Whitney Way Thore make per episode of My Big Fat Fabulous Life? Read on to find out her estimated net worth and salary.

Before being the lead on a reality series, Whitney first taught English to Korean students in the early '00s. After returning back to the U.S., she worked as a producer for the radio show Jared & Katie in the Morning on the North Carolina station, 107.5 KZL.

It was on this radio station's YouTube page that she first posted her "A Fat Girl Dancing" video, which then got her to viral fame.

While Whitney's exact salary from My Big Fat Fabulous Life is unknown, Cheat Sheet estimates that she makes anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000 per episode.

Terence Michael, a reality producer, told E News back in 2009 that TLC generally doles out 10 percent of its production budget to the cast of a show.

"If it's thought that a show is going to bring in more money for the business it's featuring, the producers get away with paying the star a lot less," he said about how some reality stars are paid less than that 10 percent. 

It's been reported that Ben Klein and Jen Arnold from The Little Couple make $25,000 to $40,000 per episode, while the Duggar kids featured on Counting On make a similar amount. These shows have more viewers than My Big Fat Fabulous Life, which is why Whitney's earnings are less.

Business Insider also confirmed in a 2016 report that reality stars aren't always making a killing on their per-episode paycheck.

"For those docu-ensembles, especially if they're nobodies, per episode it ranges from low-end, like $1,500 an episode, to $3,000 at the high end," a source told the site. "And then after three years of success, it can go up to $7,000 to $10,000 an episode. After that, you start moving into the Kardashian level." 

However, since Whitney is currently in Season 10 of the show, it's safe to say that she's brought in nearly a million dollars from episode appearances alone. After all, she's starred in over 100 episodes on the show at this point.

Though it may seem like the show is paying Whitney a mere pittance for her work, it has given her an invaluable platform and the publicity to promote other products and ideas. It is believed that those other ventures have also earned her a significant portion of her net worth.

Though her reality TV earnings are estimated to be a bit lower than many would expect (considering she's been starring on her own show for seven seasons), Whitney does have a supposed seven-figure net worth.

Whitney also has a company for plus-size exercise apparel, NoBS Active and she promotes companies on her Instagram page, including FabFitFun, Athleta, and FatGirlFlow. Whitney also does appearances for body positivity, like when she was a speaker at the 2017 CurvyCon.

She also has partnered with Cruises Only in 2019 for a No Body Shame at Sea course. She hosted dance classes, parties, and workshops for her cruise ship work, which she would have earned at least an appearance fee for.

With her estimated salary from the show, and her other business ventures over the years, TVShowsAce approximates that Whitney's net worth stands at $1.7 million. Not too shabby, sis!

My Big Fat Fabulous Life airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on TLC.