Brand deals to number ones: Inside the unhinged net worth of Squid Game Thanos actor T.O.P

South Korean rapper T.O.P, real name Choi Seung-hyun, has quickly become the marmite of Squid Game season two, with some people loving him and others hating his grating personality.

The 37-year-old actor has worked in the music industry for most of his adult life, which coincidentally, inspired his Squid Game character Thanos. Though the purple-haired drugged-up rapper has now met his maker, he is still a topic of debate as people question why he was cast.

Now, I don’t want to add more fuel to the fire, but T.O.P.’s confusing net worth should definitely be Twitter’s next topic of discussion because there are so many conflicting reports. Let’s see if we can settle it.

How did the Thanos actor make his money?

T.O.P had his start in South Korea’s underground music scene before being picked up by YG Entertainment in 2006 to join BigBang, a five-piece band that would go on to acquire the mantle of “Kings of K-pop.” Other members included Seungri, Daesung, G-Dragon, and Taeyang.

Throughout his tenure with BigBang, the band secured 11 number-one singles on South Korea’s Gaon Digital Chart and a total of 51 weeks on top of the Melon charts. They were also named as one of the most influential musical acts in the world by Forbes in 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2016. Alongside his continued work in the band, T.O.P had a successful solo career by launching tracks such as I Only See You, Hello, I’m Sorry, and Turn It Up.

Despite the looming controversies that followed him, he later branched into acting with lead roles in Nineteen, 71: Into the Fire, Iris: The Movie, Out of Control, and Tazza: The Hidden Card.

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But it doesn’t stop there, as with nearly 18 million followers on Instagram and a recognisable face in South Korea, T.O.P has also been the recipient of countless brand deals, endorsements, fashion projects, and his own wine brand. When it comes to his endorsements, the South China Morning Post reported that he charges about $500k for a six-month deal or about $1 million for a year. Previous brand deals have included Millet, Nongfu Spring, Calvin Klein, and Reebok.

Following the success of Squid Game 2, I’m betting he’s going to remain booked and working for the foreseeable future.

Some reports suggest T.O.P has a net worth of $40 million

Now, here’s where things get complicated. As is the case with most celebrity net worths, financial information is not always readily available and is almost always somewhat sketchy.

Back in 2016, before T.O.P left BigBand, Forbes listed their combined net worth as a massive $44 million. But now, just eight years later, numerous online reports list T.O.P’s net worth alone as $40 million. In contrast, Celebrity Net Worth reported that he is worth approximately $12 million.

Though it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting a concrete answer to the burning question, his broad spectrum of projects and years of endorsements do suggest his net worth is closer to that $40 million figure. Furthermore, he was sighted with a Hyundai Black Card, a premium credit card that requires the user to have at least a net worth of $16 million and a yearly spend of $120,000.

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Featured image: Netflix