David Choe Net Worth

David Choe is an American painter, graffiti artist, muralist, podcaster and creative storyteller who has an estimated net worth of $300 million. Most of his enormous wealth does not come from direct art sales—but from a pivotal stock deal with Facebook in the early 2000s that turned his life into one of the most legendary “right place, right time” stories of modern art history.

Table of Contents

The Facebook Windfall

In the mid-2000s, Choe was commissioned by then-Facebook president Sean Parker to paint murals inside the social media company’s office in Palo Alto. Choe initially asked to be paid $60,000 in cash. Instead, he was offered compensation in company stock at the suggestion of Mark Zuckerberg.

Against all logic at the time, Choe accepted the stock.

That stock would later explode in value when Facebook went public in 2012. Choe’s equity stake was reportedly worth at least $200 million at the time of Facebook’s IPO. Given how Facebook’s (now Meta’s) stock moved in the years following, estimates of his total take have fluctuated between $300 million and $500 million at various points in time. He no longer holds a stake large enough to be listed in SEC filings—but the payout forever changed his life and career.

Early Life

Born: April 21, 1976, Los Angeles, California
Parents: Korean immigrants, devout Christians
Grew up in Koreatown, LA
Inspired by L.A. graffiti legends like Hex and Mear One
Dropped out of high school after family business was destroyed in 1992 L.A. riots
Hitchhiked across the U.S., Europe, Middle East, and Africa
Briefly attended California College of the Arts before dropping out to pursue art independently

David Choe Career

Choe became known for his distinctive, emotionally raw, sexually charged, and often controversial graffiti and figure paintings. Key parts of his art journey include:

Publishing graphic novels like “Slow Jams” (1999) and “Bruised Fruit”
Writing and illustrating for magazines such as Vice, Hustler, and Ray Gun
Appearing in the Vice travel series Thumbs Up! with Harry Kim
Subject of the acclaimed 2008 documentary Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe
Hosted the explicit and cult-favorite podcast DVDASA with adult-film star Asa Akira
Exhibitions in New York, London, Mexico, San Jose, Shanghai, and more
TV appearances in Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, The Mandalorian, Vice, and Better Things

Other Ventures & Media Work

Choe has painted murals for famous hotels and collaborated with brands, musicians, and filmmakers. He designed the album cover for Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s “Collision Course” and voice-acted in indie animated films. He’s also illustrated books and produced his own limited art editions that now sell for thousands.

His life was documented over 13 years in the film Dirty Hands (produced by his friend and documentarian Harry Kim), showing a chaotic life of travel, violence, art, fame—and eventual fortune.

Personal Life

Choe has had a turbulent life filled with legal trouble and controversy:

Spent time in a Japanese prison in the early 2000s after an altercation with an undercover security guard
Has spoken openly about his past addictions, depression, and extreme experiences
Faced backlash in 2014 for podcast comments describing a fictional assault scenario (he apologized publicly, stating it was fictional and regrettable)
Spends time working with charities like LIDÈ Haiti (co-founded by Rainn Wilson), working with at-risk youth through art programs

Real Estate

In 2010, David Choe bought a 6,500 sq ft mansion in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, for $3.1 million
In 2022, he listed that home for sale for $6.9 million

Summary of David Choe Net Worth

Category	Details
David Choe Net Worth	~$300 Million
Main Source of Wealth	Facebook stock (murals in early 2000s)
Other Income	Art sales, books, media appearances, murals
Notable Work	Facebook murals, Dirty Hands, Slow Jams, DVDASA
Major Asset	Los Feliz mansion (listed $6.9M)
Known For	Graffiti, figure painting, raw storytelling, unconventional life