How much does Joel Osteen make a year? Annual income and salary viral tweet sparks online scrutiny

Joel Osteen receives backlash for his luxurious lifestyle (Image via ABC)
Joel Osteen receives backlash for his luxurious lifestyle (Image via ABC)

Celebrity pastor Joel Osteen has garnered backlash yet again for his lavish lifestyle. A recently uploaded tweet that discussed his salary and Ferrari car resurfaced online, which left netizens stunned.

The viral tweet was posted on February 20 by platform user @mikcleere. He claimed that Joel Osteen pays himself a salary of $54,000,000 from “church profits.” He also claimed that he has a series of custom vehicles, including the Ferrari 458 Italia, which reportedly costs $270,000.

The tweet also read:

“In the New Testament, four different times Jesus tells his followers to always pay their taxes. Why is it in the United States that churches don’t have to pay taxes? The IRS figures if all churches paid their fair share of 15% taxes that it would total over $2 trillion a year. "

It continued:

"More than enough to solve the homelessness in this country, since it looks like these pastors would rather spend your donations on New Cars instead of feeding the hungry.”

For those unversed, Joel Osteen is an American televangelist, speaker, and author best known for his simple and positive sermons and best-selling books. His parents founded Lakewood Church in Houston in 1959. After his father, John, passed away in 1999, Joel took over as head pastor and turned the church into one of the largest congregations in the United States.

He expanded the church’s media presence by getting television airtime and targeting large media markets. Joel Osteen’s book Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential became a best seller.


How much does Pastor Joel Osteen make in a year?

According to the Indy Star, the Houston native should be earning an average salary of $200,000 annually. However, it has been revealed that he has not taken a salary for being a pastor at his church since 2005.

The Things reported that the celebrity preacher made massive earnings through his book career, speaking fees, and merchandise.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Joel Osteen boasts a net worth of $1000 million. His book sales, radio show, public speaking fees, and church collection garnered more than $70 million annually in total revenue.

When asked in the past about how he feels about the enormous wealth he possesses, he claimed that he does not feel guilty about his materialistic life.

It has been reported that Osteen, his wife Victoria, and their two children live in a 17,000-square-foot Houston mansion. They reportedly paid $10.5 million while buying the residence in 2010. Currently, the mansion is worth $14 to $16 million, according to Zillow.

This is not the only property they own. Their former Houston house is estimated to be worth three million dollars.

The author has dealt with immense public scrutiny due to his wealth. He has also been trending in the past for reportedly not paying taxes. However, in an interview with Insider, Ryan Burge, a pastor himself and an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, stated that:

“Joel Osteen pays lots and lots of taxes because his book sells.”

The publication revealed that Osteen and his wife paid $247,000 in property taxes in 2017. How much tax Osteen pays through his church remains unclear. However, it is popularly known that churches pay little tax in the United States.

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Netizens react to viral tweet that discussed Joel Osteen’s wealth

Internet users continue to be stunned by the wealth the pastor possesses. Many accused him of hypocrisy and wondered why a pastor needed to live such a luxurious life. A few reactions to the aforementioned viral tweet read:

At the time of writing this article, Osteen had not addressed the recent backlash.

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