Sinbad Net Worth

What is Sinbad's Net Worth and Salary?

Sinbad is a Michigan-born actor and comedian who has a net worth of $100 thousand. Sinbad first gained national attention when he beat fellow comic Dennis Miller on "Star Search" in the mid-80s.  The exposure he gained from "Star Search" led to a role on "The Redd Fox Show," as well as guest starring roles on such shows as "The Cosby Show" and "Keep on Cruisin'."  In 1987, he was cast in the role that would bring him widespread fame, as Coach Walter Oakes on "A Different World."  From there, he went on to star in multiple films, including "Necessary Roughness," "Coneheads," "Meteor Man," "Houseguest," and "Jingle All the Way."  He also guest starred on such television shows as, "Roc," "Cosby," "Ready to Run," "Moesha," "Resurrection Blvd." and "Slacker Cats."  He starred in his own sitcom, entitled "The Sinbad Show" for one season.  He has appeared in multiple successful stand-up comedy specials for HBO, among other channels, and he's released multiple comedy DVDs.

Financial Problems

Unfortunately, Sinbad has battled with the IRS over various tax issues for nearly a decade. In May 2013, he was forced to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. In the filing, Sinbad claimed that he had just $131,000 in assets and $10.99 million in debt. In total, he owed $375,000 to American Express, $30,000 to Bank of America, $2.3 million to the state of California, and $8.3 million to the IRS. The $8.3 million debt covered taxes owed for the years 1998-2006. As for his assets, Sinbad claimed his monthly income at the time was $16,000, and he still owned a 2007 BMW 750 and a 2010 Lincoln Navigator.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy means Sinbad's debts were reorganized, not completely wiped clean as would be the case with Chapter 7. Chapter 7 is much worse for an individual's credit and is only an option when the debtor has no assets or income.

Early Life

David Adkins, better known by his professional stage name Sinbad, was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, on November 10, 1956, to Louise and Rev. Dr. Donald Beckley Adkins. He grew up with his five siblings—Donna, Dorothea, Mark, Michael, and Donald—in Michigan and attended Benton Harbor High School. He graduated from high school in 1974 and continued his education at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado, from 1974 to 1978. While at college, he lettered two seasons for the basketball team.

After college, Sinbad joined the United States Air Force and served as a boom operator on KC-135 Stratotankers. He spent time assigned to the 384^th Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. While there, he frequently traveled to downtown Wichita and performed stand-up comedy. In 1981, he competed in the Air Force's Talent Contest as a comedian. He frequently acted out and would go AWOL and was almost dishonorably discharged for his behavior. Ultimately, according to him, he was eventually discharged from the Air Force for "parking [his] car in the wrong position." 

Career

He chose his stage name, "Sinbad," inspired by Sinbad the Sailor. Following his exit from the military, he tried to jumpstart his entertainment career by appearing on "Star Search." He actually was quite successful on the show, even beating out fellow comedian Dennis Miller to make it all the way to the finals. Ultimately, though, he lost to John Kassir. His time on "Star Search" helped him gain broader recognition, though, and he was eventually cast on the short-lived sitcom "The Redd Foxx Show" as the character Byron Lightfoot. Then, in 1987, he was cast on the show "A Different World" in 1987. Sinbad had previously made a brief, one-time appearance on "The Cosby Show" as the car salesman Davis Sarrette, but this time on "A Different World," he played the character Coach Walter Oakes. He stayed as a member of the cast from 1988 until 1991.

As his popularity grew, Sinbad earned the chance to premiere his own show on Fox. "The Sinbad Show" first aired in September 1993. The sitcom features Sinbad as the character David Bryan, a 35-year-old bachelor who decides to take in two foster children. Part of the storyline was inspired by his own personal life; around that time, in real life Sinbad had actually received joint custody of his two children, Royce and Paige, and was learning a lot about single parenting and fatherhood. Although "The Sinbad Show" earned him a nomination for the Favorite Television Actor Award at the 1995 Kids' Choice Awards, it was not renewed for a second season and was ultimately canceled in April 1994.

In addition to his television acting gigs, Sinbad has also acted in several films. He co-starred with Phil Hartman in the comedy "Houseguest" (1995), as well as the films "First Kid" (1996), "Jingle All the Way" (1996), "Good Burger" (1997), "Crazy as Hell" (2002), and "Stompin'" (2007), among others. He also ventured into the world of hosting when he hosted "It's Showtime at the Apollo" from 1989 to 1991 and again in 2005. He was also the emcee at the 2000 Miss Universe Pageant.

Outside of his acting pursuits, Sinbad continued to stay engaged in the world of stand-up comedy. In 1990, he filmed his first stand-up comedy special for HBO, "Sinbad: Brain Damaged." He followed this up in 1993 with his special "Sinbad – Afros and Bellbottoms," for which he won a 1995 Image Award. His other comedy specials include "Sinbad – Son of a Preacher Man" (1996) and "Sinbad – Nothin' but the Funk" (1998).

Personal Life

In 1985, Sinbad married Meredith Fuller. They divorced in 1992 but remarried ten years later in 2002. They have two children together.

Health Problems

In November 2020, Sinbad suffered a debilitating ischemic stroke caused by a blood clot that traveled from his heart to his brain. The chances of surviving this type of stroke are low, roughly 30%. Immediately after the stroke, he did not open his eyes, speak, or show other signs of life for weeks. He spent much of the next six months in full-time care facilities.

Two years after the stroke, in November 2022, Sinbad's family revealed that the stroke left him barely able to walk with "dead" limbs that are "fighting for every inch" to come back to life.

In a message, Sinbad's family explained that the two years of medical treatment had taken a significant toll on the comedian's finances.