Kyle Rittenhouse’s net worth is $50k, and he made his money from working as a local policeman; this includes his brief work as a cook, janitor, lifeguard, and more. Important to note that Kyle only earned public attention for negative reasons after he killed two men and injured one in Kenosha, Wisconsin; he has never been a mainstream celebrity.
How Much Is Kyle Rittenhouse’s Net Worth Today?
The official net worth of Kyle Rittenhouse is pegged at US$50,000. The youngster, who is barely in his twenties, made his money by working as a local policeman, janitor, cook, and lifeguard for YMCA (Young Men Christian Association).
Important to note that there is nothing fantastic about Kyle’s net worth, as the youngster isn’t a celebrity. The only reason his name hit the airwaves was the Kenosha unrest shooting, where he killed two men and harmed one. When his trial judge discharged and acquitted him of formal charges with claims that he acted in self-defense, Kyle’s name became so popular, triggering different reactions from people. It also led to the launching of several businesses, video games, podcasts, social media memes, and more.
The Kenosha Unrest Shooting
During the Kenosha, Wisconsin unrest that occurred on the 25th of August 2020, the then 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot three people. This was an offshoot of the killing of the Black man, Jacob Blake, by the police. Armed with his AR-15 rifle, Kyle was part of some armed citizens who were parading themselves as protectors of local businesses.
The first man he killed allegedly came after him, grabbing his gun’s barrel. Pursued by a mob, he killed a second man who allegedly hit him with a skateboard in an attempt to grab his gun. The third man was reported to have pointed a gun at Kyle, which led him to shoot and wound him.
Following these shootings, Kyle Rittenhouse faced charges of homicide and attempted homicide, including reckless endangering for ending the lives of two men. In November 2021, the prosecution council argued that the boy be held accountable for his actions, but his defense team came up with the claim that Kyle only acted in self-defense.
After intensive evaluations, the jury found Kyle not guilty, and the incident attracted a lot of media coverage. It also triggered so much public opinion that was heavily politicized. In addition, the family members of his victims had a lot to say about the verdict.
Kyle Rittenhouse’s Prosecution Made Him Popular
Without any artistic talent, Kyle Rittenhouse became a popular figure overnight; this was solely because of the widespread coverage of his trial. He became like a hero and started attending events and occasions hosted by conservative individuals and organizations. This included a scheduled meeting with America’s former president, Donald Trump. He was featured on TV with celebrated political commentator Tucker Carlson and made guest appearances at a good number of Turning Point USA productions.
Soon, he garnered a huge number of fans who started using his likeness to sell products such as T-shirts, gun sales, and even video games. In 2022, Kyle Rittenhouse kick-started a fundraising effort in a bid to have enough funds to sue media establishments in civil court for allegedly defaming his character. He equally announced a video game called Kyle Rittenhouse’s Turkey Shoot, which was meant to be part of the fundraising effort for his legal defense.
An announcement came in February 2022 claiming that Kyle was set to launch TMAP (Media Accountability Project), designed to hold every media outlet accountable for whatever they report on gun issues.
The youngster was allegedly offered multiple internships by some Republican lawmakers. This was said to be a needed opportunity to help Kyle gain experience in the American political arena and be in a better position to further his mission of allegedly protecting the Second Amendment.
Commercialization and Use of His Image
During Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, he used images of Kyle Rittenhouse in one of his campaign videos which he tweeted after the presidential debate on 29th September. BBC carried the news saying the video didn’t appear to have evidence linking Kyle to White supremacists.
In response, Kyle stated that it was “actual malice and character defamation that they should link his image to White supremacists”.
Even “Proud Boys” adopted him as an informal mascot, and a picture of Kyle surrounded by the members of the group went viral on the day of his discharge and acquittal.
As if that was not enough, social media platforms got suffused with right-wing memes using Kyle’s image, and the memes were shared by prominent people like political figures, including the likes of Donald Trump Jr., Barry Moore, and many more. In March 2022, Kyle Rittenhouse even twitted the meme, saying it was all “thanks to a Joe Biden presidency”.
One week after Kyle’s acquittal, a Conroe, Texas-based gun shop went on to hold a “not-guilty” sale while the store owner posted an image of Rittenhouse brandishing a gun on their page on Instagram.
Speculations about a book deal started a while later, and Attorney Andrew M. Stroth, who was a former talent agent, said Kyle stands a chance of getting a book deal worth over $1 million.
Kyle Rittenhouse’s spokesman David Hancock wrote on January 2022 that the youngster was contemplating authoring a book to chronicle what he described as his “unorthodox journey into adulthood”, though the discussions were still at the teething stage.
In addition to all these, the youngster has been invited as a guest on several TV shows, podcasts, and more.
He Launched a YouTube Channel
On the 16th of October 2022, the youngster launched his own YouTube channel, which focused on the Second Amendment and guns. In his debut video, Kyle was seen firing an automatic rifle and a handgun. Included as a guest in the video was Brandon Herrera – a popular YouTube gun advocate. The management of YouTube obviously frowned at such a video as it was deleted almost immediately. Even the channel seems to have gone dormant since then, as Kyle has not uploaded any other videos.
Video Games Associated with Kyle
A Swedish game company known as Nordic Empire Games in March 2022 launched a new video game featuring Kyle Rittenhouse called Acquitted.
In the game, Kyle was depicted as a youngster under attack and was shooting his way through a crowd of zombies using 18 different weapons. The game, which was available for the price of $5, was launched on the Steam hosting platform.
Kyle’s own video game called Kyle Rittenhouse’s Turkey Shoot, which he launched in a bid to generate funds for his lawsuit, was also part of the video games that were triggered by his shooting and lawsuit.
In this game, Kyle was seen brandishing a gun in bright orange color and aiming it at turkeys which he said represented the media. While advertising the game via social media, the youngster said the media men are just a bunch of turkeys with no other job than to push what he described as their lying agenda and, in the process, destroy the lives of innocent people.
