What is Elizabeth Gilbert’s Net Worth?
Elizabeth Gilbert, an American journalist and author, gained fame for her 2006 memoir “Eat, Pray, Love,” which has sold over 12 million copies and was adapted into a film featuring Julia Roberts. Gilbert’s net worth is estimated to be $20 million. She has published multiple memoirs and novels, including “The Signature of All Things” and “City of Girls.”
Early Life and Career
Elizabeth Gilbert was born in 1969 in Waterbury, Connecticut. She grew up in Litchfield on a Christmas tree farm with her family. Gilbert attended New York University and moved to Philadelphia after graduation to work as a waitress and bartender to save money for travel. She was inspired by the early career of Ernest Hemingway, believing that stories are best found through exploring the world.
Gilbert’s Breakthrough and Career in Journalism
Elizabeth Gilbert had a breakthrough with her short story “Pilgrims,” published in Esquire magazine in 1993. This led to a successful career in journalism, with Gilbert freelancing for national magazines including GQ, Allure, SPIN, and Travel + Leisure.
Gilbert wrote several notable articles for GQ, including “The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon” in 1997, which served as the basis for the 2000 feature film “Coyote Ugly.” Her memoir of bartending at the first Coyote Ugly table dancing bar in New York City was well-received. In 1998, she wrote “The Last American Man,” and in 2000, she published “The Ghost,” a profile of Hank Williams III.
Early Writing Career
In 1997, Gilbert published her first book, “Pilgrims,” a collection of 12 short stories that won the Pushcart Prize and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. The book featured her well-known story “Pilgrims” that was previously published in Esquire magazine.
Following the success of “Pilgrims,” Gilbert released her first novel, “Stern Men,” in 2000. Two years later, a biography based on her GQ article “The Last American Man” was published. The book focused on Eustace Conway, a woodsman and naturalist, and received a National Book Award nomination in the non-fiction category.
“Eat, Pray, Love” catapults Elizabeth Gilbert to international fame
In 2006, Elizabeth Gilbert achieved global recognition with the release of her memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.” The book documents her travels overseas following her divorce, as she sought to find spiritual and personal growth. Gilbert received a $200,000 advance from her publisher to fund her travels, and the resulting book became a massive success, spending 88 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List. It has sold over 12 million copies and has been translated into more than 30 languages.
The success of “Eat, Pray, Love” led to a film adaptation starring Julia Roberts, which was released in 2010.
Elizabeth Gilbert’s Literary Works
Elizabeth Gilbert is a renowned author who has written several best-selling books. In 2010, she released “Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage,” a memoir that explores marriage as an institution. The book spent 57 weeks atop the New York Times Best Seller List for paperback nonfiction. In 2012, Gilbert republished a 1947 cookbook written by her great-grandmother, entitled “At Home on the Range.” The next year, she released her second novel, “The Signature of All Things,” which follows the spiritual journey of a botanical explorer’s daughter over the 19th century.
Gilbert’s third memoir, “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear,” is a self-help book that provides advice for tackling self-doubt and setting reasonable agendas. It includes sections devoted to the themes of courage, permission, trust, persistence, enchantment, and divinity. In 2019, Gilbert published her third novel, “City of Girls.”
Personal Life and Philanthropy
Elizabeth Gilbert has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Michael Cooper, whom she met while working at the Coyote Ugly Saloon. The couple divorced when Gilbert started seeing another man. Gilbert later married José Nunes, a Brazilian man she met while traveling in Bali. The couple ran an Asian import store in New Jersey before separating amicably in 2016. Gilbert then entered a relationship with her female friend Rayya Elias, who passed away from cancer a year after their commitment ceremony. Gilbert began dating photographer Simon MacArthur in 2019 but they broke up in early 2020.
Gilbert has been involved in philanthropic endeavors, including fundraising efforts for Syrian refugees and supporting the BlinkNow Foundation, a nonprofit that operates a school and children’s home in Nepal.
