Andrew Santino has quietly built one of the most diversified financial portfolios in modern comedy — and most people didn’t even notice it happening. While fans were laughing at his stand-up specials, tuning into Bad Friends, or catching him on Dave, Santino was methodically stacking income streams like a seasoned entrepreneur.
Dave, I’m Dying Up Here, Bad Friends, Whiskey Ginger
Instagram Handle
@cheetosantino
Partner
Jessica Michelle Singleton (reported)
Who Is Andrew Santino?
Andrew Santino is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcast host who has spent nearly two decades building a reputation for sharp, sarcastic, and deeply relatable humor. Known for his signature fiery red hair, blunt delivery, and self-deprecating storytelling, he has become one of the most recognizable names in modern comedy — both on stage and on screen.
He’s the kind of comedian who doesn’t chase trends. Instead, he built something durable: a loyal fanbase, consistent touring revenue, a string of acting credits, and two of the most downloaded comedy podcasts in the world.
Andrew Santino Biography
Andrew Santino Early Life
Andrew James Santino was born on October 16, 1983, in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in Section 8 housing, raised by his single mother, Elizabeth Margulies, in a working-class environment that shaped both his worldview and his comedic voice.
Financial hardship wasn’t a backdrop — it was part of daily life — and Santino has never shied away from referencing those roots in his material.
Growing up exposed to blunt, no-nonsense Chicago culture gave him something most comedians spend years trying to develop: an authentic voice. His humor feels lived-in because much of it is.
Andrew Santino Education
After graduating from Naperville North High School in Illinois, Santino enrolled at Arizona State University, where he studied acting and performance. That formal training gave him a foundation in craft that would later inform his ability to move naturally between stand-up, scripted drama, and unscripted podcast conversation.
He moved to Los Angeles shortly after college to pursue comedy full-time — a risk that, in hindsight, paid off enormously.
Andrew Santino Wife
Santino is famously private when it comes to his personal life. Reports and online sources suggest he is in a relationship with Jessica Michelle Singleton, a stand-up comedian in her own right, though neither has made detailed public statements confirming the relationship.
He rarely discusses romantic life on stage or in interviews — an unusual quality for a comedian known for confessional material — and it’s a boundary his fanbase has generally respected.
Andrew Santino Career
Comedy Career: The Foundation of His Fortune
Stand-up comedy is where it all started — and it remains the financial and creative backbone of everything Santino has built. He began grinding through open mics and small clubs in Los Angeles in the mid-2000s, slowly earning the kind of stage time that can’t be shortcut.
His major milestones in comedy include:
2017 — Homefield Advantage, his first Showtime special, brought him to a national audience and established his comedic voice on a major platform.
2023 — Cheeseburger, released on Netflix, showcased his evolution as a headliner and drew comparisons to contemporaries like Bill Burr and Tom Segura.
2025 — White Noise, his Hulu special, generated significant critical buzz and further expanded his streaming audience.
Live touring is one of Santino’s most consistent income streams. He regularly headlines theaters and mid-sized venues across the United States and has begun expanding internationally. A sold-out theater run with 1,000+ seats per night, at $40–$80 per ticket, generates meaningful revenue — and he tours frequently enough that this compounds over time.
Acting and Television Appearances
Santino’s acting career has developed in parallel with his stand-up work, giving him a secondary revenue stream and a broader public profile. His most notable roles include:
Project
Role
Network/Platform
Year
Mixology
Tom
ABC
2014
Sin City Saints
Ricky
Netflix
2015
I’m Dying Up Here
Bill Hobbs
Showtime
2017–2018
This Is Us
Recurring role
NBC
2016–2017
Dave
Mike
FX / Hulu
2020–2023
Beef
Supporting role
Netflix
2023
The Disaster Artist
Film role
A24
2017
Ricky Stanicky
Supporting
Amazon Prime
2024
His role as Mike in FX’s Dave — the fictionalized story of rapper Lil Dicky — is arguably his highest-profile acting credit to date, giving him three seasons of consistent screen time alongside a devoted audience.
His first credited film appearance came in Henry Poole is Here (2008), and he’s steadily accumulated credits across both comedy and drama ever since.
Podcasting: The Modern Goldmine
If stand-up is the foundation of Santino’s empire, podcasting is where the real scale lives. He hosts and produces two major podcasts, both of which rank among the most downloaded comedy shows globally:
Whiskey Ginger — His solo interview podcast, where he sits down with comedians, actors, and entertainers over drinks and has wide-ranging conversations about life, career, and the entertainment industry. The format is personal, relaxed, and often surprisingly candid.
Bad Friends — Co-hosted with Korean-American comedian Bobby Lee, this is chaos in podcast form — brutally honest, frequently outrageous, and wildly popular. Together, Santino and Lee have built a loyal international fanbase that bridges traditional stand-up culture and digital entertainment.
Combined, these two podcasts reportedly pull in over one million downloads per week — a number that commands premium advertising rates. Sponsors like Squarespace, Shopify, FanDuel, and others pay top-tier rates for that kind of reach. Podcast ad revenue alone likely contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to Santino’s annual income.
Other Ventures and Investments
Beyond the core income streams, Santino has diversified in quieter ways:
YouTube — His channel, with over 400,000 subscribers, generates consistent ad revenue from comedy clips and podcast content.
Merchandise — Tour merch and branded products add supplementary income tied directly to his touring schedule.
Brand partnerships and endorsements — His social media following and podcast reach make him attractive to brands targeting comedy and entertainment audiences.
Golf content — An avid golfer, Santino has woven golf content into his YouTube channel and participated in events like Barstool Sports’ Internet Invitational, creating crossover appeal.
Andrew Santino Net Worth Vs Other Professionals
How does Andrew Santino’s financial standing compare to his peers in comedy?
Comedian
Estimated Net Worth
Andrew Santino
~$6 Million
Bobby Lee
~$2 Million
Tom Segura
~$12 Million
Bert Kreischer
~$14 Million
Bill Burr
~$14 Million
Shane Gillis
~$3 Million
Nikki Glaser
~$5 Million
Santino sits comfortably in the upper-middle tier of working comedians — well above the average, and positioned for continued growth as his podcasting reach and touring scale expand.
Lifestyle: Comfortably Successful, Not Flashy
Despite a $6 million net worth, Andrew Santino doesn’t live large for public consumption. He’s based in Los Angeles, travels for tour dates across the US and Europe, and by most accounts lives a grounded, private life. He’s spoken about simple pleasures — golf, friendships, good food — rather than luxury possessions or status signaling.
His Instagram handle, @cheetosantino, is itself a piece of brand identity: a nod to his recognizable red hair that’s become as much a part of his persona as his delivery. It’s self-aware without being self-important — which is very on-brand.
Andrew Santino Acting Roles
Here’s a quick-reference list of his most notable screen credits:
Dave (FX/Hulu, 2020–2023) — Mike, Dave’s roommate and manager
I’m Dying Up Here (Showtime, 2017–2018) — Bill Hobbs, a self-sabotaging comedian
Beef (Netflix, 2023) — Supporting role in the critically acclaimed drama
Mixology (ABC, 2014) — Tom
This Is Us (NBC, 2016–2017) — Recurring role as a sitcom producer
Sin City Saints (Netflix, 2015) — Ricky
The Disaster Artist (2017) — Supporting film role
Ricky Stanicky (Amazon Prime, 2024) — Supporting role alongside Zac Efron and John Cena
Friendsgiving (2020) — Supporting role with Malin Åkerman and Kat Dennings
Henry Poole is Here (2008) — First credited film appearance
Andrew Santino Social Media Presence
Santino’s digital footprint is modest but engaged:
Instagram (@cheetosantino) — Personal brand content, tour announcements, golf clips
Twitter/X — Active fan engagement and comedy commentary
Podcast platforms — Bad Friends and Whiskey Ginger available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube
His social media strategy is consistent with his overall approach: focused on substance over spectacle. He’s not chasing virality — he’s building a durable brand.
Conclusion
Andrew Santino’s $6 million net worth is the result of nearly two decades of unglamorous, consistent work. He didn’t blow up overnight. He ground through open mics, took small TV roles, built a podcast audience one episode at a time, and kept touring even when bigger names got more headlines. The result is a financial empire that doesn’t depend on any single project or platform.
From Section 8 housing in Chicago’s River North to sold-out theaters and million-download podcast weeks, Andrew Santino’s story is one of the more quietly impressive in modern entertainment. The red-headed comedian from Chicago bet on himself — repeatedly, patiently, and with real discipline — and the numbers speak for themselves.
FAQs
How does Andrew Santino make his money?
His income comes from multiple streams: live comedy tours, TV and film acting roles, podcast advertising revenue from Bad Friends and Whiskey Ginger, YouTube, and brand partnerships.
Who is Andrew Santino’s wife or girlfriend?
He is reportedly in a relationship with comedian Jessica Michelle Singleton, though neither has publicly confirmed full details of their relationship.
What is Andrew Santino’s most popular podcast?
He co-hosts Bad Friends with Bobby Lee, which accumulates over a million combined weekly downloads alongside his solo show Whiskey Ginger.
What TV show is Andrew Santino best known for?
He is best known for his role as Mike in FX’s Dave, the fictionalized series about rapper Lil Dicky, which ran from 2020 to 2023.
Where is Andrew Santino from?
He was born and raised in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, and later moved to Los Angeles to pursue his comedy career.
