Kyle Rittenhouse Net Worth 2024: Is the Right-Wing Poster Boy Broke?

The name Kyle Rittenhouse was spoken worldwide in the aftermath of Kenosha protests at the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2021. The then-teen shot three men during a protest and after a long legal battle and a lot of controversy, Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges, but he remains in the public eye to this very day.

As of 2024, Kyle Rittenhouse’s net worth is estimated to be between zero and $50,000.

The controversial figure wasn’t a public persona before the shooting incident. However, when he shot and killed two men and injured a third at just 17 years old, he was put in the spotlight, adding to the debate around the USA’s gun rights and laws.

Rittenhouse’s actions that day led to further protests and legal battles, and while he was acquitted, the question of how much he is worth today is subject to speculation. What’s more, there are at least two civil lawsuits against him pending, reportedly due to go to trial in the middle of 2024.

In this article, we’ll dig into his story, unravel those speculations, and tell you why we set his net worth at this sum.

6 Facts about the Right-Wing Poster Boy Kyle Rittenhouse

1. Early life: Born on January 3, 2003, in Antioch, Illinois.
2. Education: Dropped out of high school in 2018.
3. Shooting incident: Shot three men during the Kenosha protests in 2020.
4. Trial outcome: Acquitted of all charges in November 2021.
5. Civil lawsuits: Facing two civil lawsuits in 2024.
6. Public persona: Became a controversial figure and public speaker.

Kyle Rittenhouse’s Net Worth Breakdown:

The legal proceedings following the shooting ended with Rittenhouse being acquitted of all charges. He has since been dabbling in public speaking and authorship, and is a very popular person in political and certain social media circles.

Determining Kyle Rittenhouse’s net worth at this point is a challenging task due to the fluctuation in his expenses and income, seeing how he is still in the middle of several lawsuits.

While some media outlets set his net worth at around $50,000 or $55,000, his net worth has sparked debates all over the web. It’s important to note that his expenses are huge, but he is also earning a lot, so we might just see his wealth grow as a result of the public attention he is attracting.

Kyle Rittenhouse Net Worth: Early Life and Education

Kyle Howard Rittenhouse was born on January 3, 2003, in Antioch, Illinois. His parents are Michael Rittenhouse and Wendy Rittenhouse, who separated in 2014. Kyle also has two siblings, a younger and an older sister.

When he was a freshman in high school, Rittenhouse participated in the Grayslake Police Department’s Explorers program. He was also part of the cadet program at the Antioch Fire Department, pursuing his dream to work in law enforcement or become a paramedic.

Kyle Rittenhouse attended Lakes Community High School for one semester in 2017 but dropped out in 2018 and didn’t re-enroll in a different high school afterward.

He subsequently worked part-time jobs, including as a lifeguard at the YMCA in Lindenhurst, Illinois, as well as a fry cook and janitor.

Before the shooting incident, Rittenhouse maintained a very active presence on social media. In 2018, he started a Facebook fundraiser for a nonprofit called Humanizing the Badge. He frequently appeared on social media platforms, sharing posts about honoring the police, Blue Lives Matter graphics, and photos in support of law enforcement.

In January 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse attended a Trump rally in Iowa and was seated in the front row. He also attempted to join the US Marine Corps in the same month but was disqualified from serving by recruiters.

Kyle Rittenhouse Net Worth: The Story of the Most Controversial Figure of the BLM Protests

In 2019, after Kyle Rittenhouse dropped out of school, he and his father moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin. This is where the devastating shooting incident occurred, the one that would end the lives of two people and bring chaos into Rittenhouse’s life.

The Kenosha Shooting Incident

In late August, Rittenhouse, who was 17 years old at the time, traveled from Antioch to Kenosha to help protect local businesses during the protests after the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer.

On August 25, Rittenhouse killed two people and injured one during the George Floyd protests in Kenosha. He became a highly controversial figure from this point onward, being praised by some as a hero and judged by others as a vigilante.

Rittenhouse went to the place of the protests armed with an AR-15-style rifle. This led to a criminal trial held in Kenosha, ending in November 2021.

The Trial and Legal Defense

At the criminal trial, prosecutors argued that Rittenhouse was an active shooter who provoked the victims.

His defense lawyers, on the other side, argued that he acted in self-defense. The self-defense laws define this as using force that is necessary to prevent bodily harm or imminent death to the person – in this case, Kyle Rittenhouse.

The trial attracted a lot of attention and placed Rittenhouse in the national spotlight. Photographic evidence revealed that before the incident, he and others were cleaning graffiti from a high school near the Kenosha County Courthouse.

The defendant also took the stand. During his emotional testimony where he testified that he acted in self-defense, he broke down in tears talking about the chaotic night of the unrest.

Other evidence showed a man chasing Rittenhouse into a parking lot and grabbing the barrel of his rifle, after which Kyle fatally shot him. The name of the victim was Joseph Rosenbaum and, after the shooting, Rittenhouse fled and was pursued by other people.

He then fatally shot the second person, Anthony Huber, after he attempted to grab his rifle and struck him with a skateboard.

Finally, the third person who approached him was Gaige Grosskreutz, who came with a Glock pointed at him. However, Kyle Rittenhouse was faster and shot and wounded him first. Grosskreutz survived the shooting.

After the shootings, Rittenhouse was charged with multiple felonies:

• Attempted first-degree intentional homicide
• First-degree intentional homicide
• First-degree reckless homicide
• Two charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety

The jury weighed the charges, found Rittenhouse not guilty, and acquitted him of all charges in November 2021.

The Victims of the Shooting

On the night in question, Kenosha’s streets were filled with protestors following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man shot seven times in the back and his side by a police officer.

Joseph Rosenbaum

During the demonstrations on that day, Rittenhouse clashed with people gathered near a car dealership. Joseph Rosenbaum, who wasn’t armed, threw an object at Rittenhouse – later confirmed as a plastic bag – and missed. The videos that were played at the trial showed him throwing the plastic bag at Rittenhouse.

According to The Washington Post and the testimony of Rosenbaum’s fiancée, Rosenbaum had just been discharged from a hospital after a suicide attempt, and he was carrying socks, papers, a toothbrush, and deodorant in the plastic bag.

Several clips that were played during the trial captured the deceased chasing Rittenhouse in a dealership. They also captured Rittenhouse shooting four times in Rosenbaum at the parking lot.

When the victim fell to the ground, Rittenhouse called someone on the phone. The defense attorney, Mark Richards, argued that he feared for his life, but the prosecutor claimed that he provoked the shooting instead of just running away.

“When the defendant provokes this incident, he loses the right to self-defense,” he said. “You cannot claim self-defense against a danger you create.”

Anthony Huber

The second deceased in the incident was Huber, who was at the protest with his girlfriend. As Kyle Rittenhouse fled the scene after shooting Rosenbaum, Huber spotted him and ran toward him, while his girlfriend Hannah Gittings stayed behind.

“He pushed me out of the way and ran off. I tried to grab him,” Gittings shared during the subsequent trial.

Huber tried to grab the gun from Rittenhouse, holding his skateboard in the other hand, when the latter fired one round having pointed it at his body. Huber died from a single gunshot wound.

During the testimony, Rittenhouse said that Huber hit him with the skateboard in the neck and was going for a second hit.

In August 2021, Huber’s father filed a federal lawsuit accusing the authorities in Kenosha of deputizing the armed people who patrolled the streets.

Gaige Grosskreutz

The third person Kyle Rittenhouse shot that night was Grosskreutz, who approached him not long after Huber was shot and killed.

As the only survivor of the three, Grosskreutz testified at the trial, sharing that he was at the protest to provide medical care and was carrying medical supplies and a handgun as in every other demonstration.

He also shared that, on that night, he believed Kyle Rittenhouse was an active shooter, with people pointing at him and screaming that he shot somebody and was trying to run away.

When he saw him firing at Huber, he moved toward the defendant holding up his gun and his phone.

Grosskreutz has undergone several surgeries and treatments and lost 90% of his bicep.

“This has not been easy emotionally, physically. I’m in constant pain, like excruciating pain that just doesn’t go away – both in my arm, in my heart,” he shared

Civil Lawsuits

The trouble for Kyle Rittenhouse hasn’t finished yet. He has been named as a defendant in two civil lawsuits. One has been filed by the family of one of the deceased, Huber, and the other is by the surviving man, Grosskreutz.

Becoming a Right-Wing Pundit

Rittenhouse’s criminal prosecution attracted the attention of the nation, as well as widespread media coverage.

Following the defendant’s acquittal, he started attending events hosted by conservative figures and organizations, including his meeting with former president Donald Trump, and his guest appearances at Turning Point USA productions.

He has become the face used in the battle between political parties.

Images of Kyle Rittenhouse were used by both sides, turning him into a political tool, internet meme, and even showing up on commercial products.

At this point, there are also several proposed laws named after Rittenhouse. He appeared in one video game and was offered internships by Republican politicians including Matt Gaetz.

What Else Contributes to Kyle Rittenhouse’s Net Worth?

Kyle Rittenhouse wasn’t a successful businessman or earning a high salary before the shooting. His net worth at the time was unknown, but there is no reason to believe that he had a lot of funds before the shooting, especially since he was only 17 years old at the time.

The shooting changed everything and since it happened, Rittenhouse has been making money from crowdfunding, legal settlements, and book royalties.

Social Media Earnings

Following the incident, all of Rittenhouse’s accounts on social media platforms were deactivated, but when the trial was over, he became more active on social media than ever before.

Since the trial, the defendant has started and operated his own gun rights YouTube channel. Although he has nearly 80,000 subscribers, with only four videos posted, Rittenhouse won’t be making any money from the channel.

However, on X, formerly Twitter, his account is a lot more active.

Kyle Rittenhouse’s profile has over 1.2 million followers and with a blue tick, it is likely he is earning at least some money from his posts.

Each post he makes receives tens of thousands of impressions and sometimes thousands of engagements, so this isn’t likely to be a significant direct income source.

Video Games

In 2022, the Swedish company Nordic Empire Games launched Acquitted, the video game featuring Rittenhouse.

The game shows him shooting his way through zombies using different weapons. The details of the contract allowing Nordic Empire Games to use Rittenhouse’s image have not been disclosed yet.

That same year, Rittenhouse himself announced a video game he called Kyle Rittenhouse’s Turkey Shot, which Mint Studios developed. He reportedly created this game to raise money for future media defamation suits.

Authorship

Rittenhouse has also announced the release of a book titled Acquitted, where he shares his story about the shooting. It’s sold for $22.99 for a normal copy or $59.99 for a signed copy.

In its first week of release, it was ranked #9,569 on Amazon’s Kindle chart.

Public Speaking

In 2021, Rittenhouse enrolled at Arizona State University, but dropped out of school a few months later after ASU students held a rally called “Killer Off Campus”.

After announcing he would attend Texas A&M but the college denied he was attending classes in June 2022. Although he later submitted an application to Blinn College, the institution says he has yet to enroll in classes.

He now works as a conservative speaker and commentator.

After being found not guilty, he spoke at America Fest 2021. He has also been interviewed by political media outlets and personalities like Charlie Kirk, Tim Pool, and Tucker Carlson, among others.

He reportedly charges a speaking fee between $2,500 and $25,000.

Media Appearances

After his acquittal, Rittenhouse had many media appearances and even attended conservative events people described as a “publicity tour”. His publicist during the tour was Jillian Anderson, a former The Bachelor contestant.

Against the advice of his lawyers, he allowed a film crew for Fox Nation and Tucker Carlson to follow him during the trial for a documentary. He also did an exclusive interview with Carlson of Fox News following his acquittal, where they spoke about a wide range of subjects.

In addition to this, Rittenhouse has been a guest on podcasts including You Are Here by Blaze Media, as well as on The Jenna Ellis Show.

Kyle Rittenhouse’s Financial Situation Today

At one point, Kyle Rittenhouse appeared on Fox News pleading for donations to cover his legal expenses. It has been reported that he has raised $250,000 to pay for lawyers for the upcoming civil cases.

Despite the infamy and evidently, his growing wealth, Rittenhouse’s lawyer has shared that his client has lost all of his money since the acquittal due to legal costs.

“He is working, he is trying to support himself. Everybody thinks that Kyle got so much money from this. Whatever money he did get is gone. He’s living, I don’t want to say paycheck to paycheck, but he’s living to support himself. Obviously, as his lawyer and somebody who I want to do well, I hope he does re-engage in his studies. But right now he is working full-time, he is living a law-abiding life and he is doing something that he enjoys,” said lawyer Richards told Court TV.

However, Rittenhouse’s defense was paid by donations with enormous sums being paid by people like Ricky Schroder.

In a hearing in 2022, Judge Bruce Schroeder approved two deals for Rittenhouse to agree to. One was to destroy his rifle, and the other one was to divvy up his $2 million bail with the non-profit organization led by lawyer Lin Wood, and actor Ricky Schroder, both of which invested the biggest sums into his defense.

Schroder reportedly got the $150,000 he contributed, and $920,000 was paid in trust to the law firm Richards & Dimmer. Another $925,000 went to the #FightBack Foundation.

This would mean that Rittenhouse doesn’t really have any legal expenses concerning the criminal case, so he most likely has some money saved from his public appearances, books, and other activities.

According to his Twitter profile, he is currently the Outreach Director at TexasGunRight.org.

He also filed to create a non-profit in Texas called The Rittenhouse Foundation in August 2023. Co-founders included well-known gun rights advocates in the state. However, there seems to be little or no activity in the foundation and financial records are yet to be filed nor a website created.

What Can We Learn from Kyle Rittenhouse’s Story?

Kyle Rittenhouse’s story offers several lessons on multiple levels.

For starters, it teaches us about the complexities of self-defense laws and how they are interpreted in court. The jury’s decision to acquit Rittenhouse on the grounds of self-defense teaches us the importance of understanding the legal definitions and hiring a good representative when facing such charges.

However, even though he has been acquitted, he is most likely facing a lifelong battle against the demons of his past, with legal battles continuing to this day.

This story also teaches us about the impact of extensive media coverage and how it can shape public opinion. Public figures can easily become symbols in other societal debates or, in this case, about gun rights and self-defense.

Rittenhouse’s story has been used by various political groups to support their agendas, teaching us how individual cases can become part of larger political battles. What’s more, the responses from different organizations and communities – both oppositional and supportive – reflect the varied values and perspectives within society.