Devale Ellis is a multi-talented celebrity who has a substantial net worth of an estimated $3 million. He is a former American footballer, a YouTuber, a brand influencer, and a famous actor.
His various career moves have helped him find different ways to put money in his bank account. All his career endeavors give Devale an appearance of a jack of all trades. This article focuses on the several ways through which the celebrity actor amassed his relatively small fortune.
Devale Ellis’s Net Worth
For someone whose football career ended before it even got started, Devale has managed to rise from the ashes of what had appeared to be a promising long-term career in the NFL. He has ventured into the entertainment industry and carved a niche for himself as an actor, YouTuber, brand influencer, podcaster, and all-around businessman to accumulate an impressive net worth of $3 million.
What Does Devale Ellis Do For A Living?
Devale Ellis has had an impressive career journey beginning from his days as a football player in the NFL through his acting career, social media responsibilities, and a thriving career as an actor. There is also the matter of the award-winning podcast where pertinent live issues are discussed. Simply put, the actor who is currently 40 years old understands the very wise concept of having multiple sources of income.
Devale Ellis Is A Former NFL Football Player
As a youngster, Devale Ellis had always been quite athletic and it was no surprise to anyone around the American celebrity when he became very invested in sports while he was in school. First, he was nicknamed ‘Showtime’ for his impressive displays as a student of James Madison High School where he played basketball and football for the school’s teams.
As a wide receiver, he was in the top ten for catches made and top ten for touchdowns, before going on to play in the PSAL All-Star game in his senior year. His impressive high school displays convinced Hofstra University to recruit him and this was where he teamed up with current New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston.
His time with Hofstra University increased his profile in the sense that while he was basically brought in as a backup to Colston in Devale’s junior year at college, an injury that took out the starting wide receiver for the season, gave Ellis the opportunity to step up and he definitely took it with both hands. He put up remarkable numbers and even led the University in receptions and touchdowns in his senior year at the university.
All the signs up to that point in his life pointed to a long-term career in the NFL, one that Devale looked forward to with eager anticipation. The disappointment that followed missing out on the 2006 NFL draft was quickly replaced by the excitement of being signed as a free agent by the Detroit Lions in September 2006.
However, by August 2008, it appeared that things with the Lions wouldn’t work out for Devale after he had spent so much time being on the periphery of the main team. At the start of January 2009, Devale started to fulfill the terms of a contract he had signed with the Cleveland Browns on 31st December, the previous year. His time with them lasted just 7 months and he was let go in July 2009, after a string of unimpressive displays.
It’s almost certainly clear that the financial particulars of the actor’s football career are currently not available to the public, but it would not be too far-fetched to say that they were quite lucrative and were worth Devale’s time in the NFL.
Devale Ellis Chose To Pursue A Career As An Actor
A combination of unmet expectations and the demands of his physical body forced Devale Ellis to retire from the NFL in 2010. He had to also make a choice about how to move on and what next to do with his life and professional career. Ellis ultimately made the decision to actively pursue a career in acting. Of course, things didn’t exactly just click into gear for him and he still had to, for lack of a better description, pay his dues to the movie industry, an obligation that Devale Ellis had no problems with fulfilling.
He started out by making a fairly good number of guest appearances in short film productions and TV series including Gotham, Power, Young Like Us, and The Mysteries of Laura. The big wigs in Hollywood were paying attention to the gradual progression of the ex-football star’s fledgling acting career and he got the opportunity to show what he could really do as an actor when the producers of Vish Merrick took the gamble of handing him the lead role in the series that premiered in 2017.
It was a gamble that paid off and soon other producers and filmmakers were beating down his door just for an opportunity to work with him. Having come into his own as an actor, Devale Ellis was handed roles in several other TV series such as Tough Love, Makeup X Breakup, The Blacklist, Stanhope, Full Circle and It’s Bruno. Arguably his most high-profile TV series appearance as an actor came when he was cast as Zac in BET’s Sistas.
The series which was written by Tyler Perry, who is also the executive producer, was premiered in 2019 and has positively and financially impacted Devale Ellis’ life and career as an actor, he agrees that the experience differs completely from his NFL experiences.
Devale Ellis Runs A YouTube Channel With His Wife, Khadeen
In addition to his now primary career as an actor, Devale Ellis runs a YouTube channel called The Ellises with his wife, Khadeen Ellis. This channel was birthed in the aftermath of Devale’s retiring from the NFL due to injuries and basically lacking a clear sense of direction. Khadeen, who once worked as an employee of a New York-based news outfit, convinced her husband and together, they created the channel on October 18, 2011.
The channel, which has 465k subscribers as of 2023, allows Devale, in collaboration with his wife, to showcase certain daily activities and generally reveal aspects of their family life to viewers and subscribers. The YouTube channel is one of many platforms that Devale Ellis uses to reel in sponsors, which essentially makes him a brand influencer.
Devale Ellis Has Hosted US President Biden On Their Podcast
Clearly not satisfied with the level of their reach and influence on the social media space of YouTube and Instagram, Devale and his wife started a podcast called Dead Ass with Khadeen and Devale Ellis. This podcast features conversations primarily centered on love, relationships, and marriage. They also delve into other culturally related conversations like the subject of black lives.
The podcast, which has seen over 10 million downloads since its launch, has seen its profile rise after it recently hosted US president, Joe Biden. The core of their conversation was centered on black society and the challenges it faces.
Below is a list of income sources that fund Devale Ellis’ net worth of $3 million:
- Ex-NFL Football Player
- Acting
- YouTube
- Podcasting
- Brand Influencing and Ads
Key Takeaways
- Early Life and Education: Devale Ellis was born on April 2, 1984, in Brooklyn, New York to parents Troy and Karen Ellis. He has a brother and a younger sister. Ellis attended James Madison High School where he showed promise in sports, particularly basketball and football, eventually choosing to focus on the latter.
- High School Football: Ellis played in the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) during his senior year and performed exceptionally well, ranking among the top ten wide receivers in terms of goals and catches, which led to him earning the nickname “Show Time”.
- College Football: Ellis’s talent in high school secured him a spot at Hofstra University where he played on the college’s football team, even playing alongside Marques E. Colston, who later became a New Orleans Saints wide receiver. Despite initially being a backup, injuries to Colston provided Ellis an opportunity to shine. His college football career was impressive, including 22 touchdowns and an average of 12.5 yards per catch.
- NFL Football Career: Ellis’s professional football career began in 2006 when he was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. He was signed to the team’s practice squad and briefly played in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Later, he joined the Cleveland Browns at the end of 2008, but was dropped in July 2009.
- Acting Career: After his football career ended in 2010, Ellis transitioned to acting. He initially took on small roles in shows and movies, including the 2013 movie “Full Circle”. He got his first lead role in the “Vish Merrick” series in 2017. Currently, Ellis plays a main role in the comedy-drama series “Sistas” and its spin-off “Zatima”.
- YouTube Channel: Alongside his wife, Khadeen Ellis, Devale created the YouTube channel “The Ellises” in 2011. The channel features family vlogs, funny skits, and glimpses into their everyday life. The channel had over 465,000 subscribers and a total of 82 million views.
- Podcasting: Devale Ellis, with his wife, Khadeen, hosts a podcast called “Dead Ass” which was established in 2019. The podcast covers a range of topics including marriage, love life, culture, politics, and business. Notable guests have included U.S. President Joe Biden.
- Social Media Influencing: Devale Ellis is also a social media influencer, with a following of over 1.9 million on Instagram.
- Author: Ellis, along with his wife, co-authored a book titled “We Over Me”, providing insights into their relationship and offering advice for millennial couples on how to build and maintain a healthy and happy family.
- Net Worth: Devale Ellis has a net worth of $3 million, primarily generated from his acting career, his time as an NFL football player, his YouTube channel, and his work as a social media influencer.
