Joey Essex has done pretty well for himself (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
Joey Essex is currently grafting the ladies in the Love Island villa, but outside of the ITV show, he’s also been putting in a shift.
The 33-year-old has managed to build up a pretty impressive personal fortune off the back of the heyday of reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex, through trying his hand at a multitude of earners.
His success may have hit a slight stumbling block – there are reports he could be in hot water with HMRC for the alleged mismanagement of his company.
Joey’s firm, aptly called Joey Essex Management Ltd, is four years and three months late filing accounts, and therefore under threat of being struck off.
It is a criminal offence not to file accounts on time, which is usually nine months after the end of a business’ financial year, which can be punished with a fine or a criminal record.
However, it was reported by The Sun that accountants are satisfied that everything is in order. In the micro company accounts published in 2020 the total assets, less current liabilities, was listed at a healthy £485,788.
Joey is looking for love (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
While his total net worth is a reported £10 million, claim Celebrity Net Worth, so he can probably take or leave the £50,000 prize fund if he makes it to the dating show’s final.
But how exactly did Joey amass such a fortune? Let’s recap…
The Only Way Is Essex
Joey joined TOWIE in 2011 (Picture: ITV)
Joey joined ITV’s original unscripted structured reality TV show in the second series, and instantly stood out in the cast.
His charm, humour, and willingness to be a bit silly, endeared him to the young audience, who quickly began to buy what he was selling… quite literally!
He became a main character, partly thanks to his on/off relationship with Samantha Faiers dominating storylines, and so, although the series didn’t pay too well (around £100 per day, claims co-star Kirk Norcross), they were able to make it up in other ventures.
In 2011, reality TV stars, particularly the men, would find themselves touring the country appearing in nightclubs for a fee, and Joey was no different. Kirk has said the going rate at the time was around £4000 per evening, on Strugglers Language. Not bad for a night of side-stepping, selfies, and Smirnoff Ices.
Reem ventures
Fusey was located in Brentwood before its closure in 2016 (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)
After making a name for himself, Joey did the work to turn his personality into a brand, and brought out a variety of products.
He came up with the catchphrase, reem, which is a positive word he used to describe things he enjoyed, and launched a brand with the phrase.
If you used, D’Reem Hair, which included beach spray, styling wax, and extreme hold gel Joey promised you could get the ‘Marbs look’ or ‘wet look’, but mainly, you’d be… you guessed it, REEM!
You could look and smell like Joey (Picture: D’Reem)
Joey capitalised on his popularity by flogging a variety of products (Picture: John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images)
If replicating his hair wasn’t enough, you could also smell like Joey with his aftershave Fusey, and girls weren’t left out either with his perfume, My Girl.
He opened his own store Fusey in Brentwood, which sold his products, and Joey-approved clothes.
Sadly, none of his loot is available to buy now, so we’ll have to stick to less-desirable fragrance brands like Gucci, and Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
Short-lived music career
His catchphrase was turned into a song
Stars such as Wes Nelson, and The Countess Luann de Lesseps have gone on to use their reality TV fame to make a move into music, but let’s get something clear, Joey did it first.
He told listeners repeatedly ‘I wanna look reem, smell reem, be reem, reem’ over a dance music track, in a collaboration with girl band Miss Millionaire. At the time, it was reported by Daily Mail to be a six-figure record deal.
Leaving no stone unturned, he also released an autobiography called Being Reem at the grand age of 23.
Iconic collaborations
Joey had big brands knocking at his door (Picture: Instagram)
Many people have wanted a piece of Joey throughout his career, which has lead to adverts for McDonald’s, Jaffa Cakes, Batchelors Cup-a-Soup, and Volvic.
The big brands parted with their cash for a Joey endorsement, which was totally reem for his bank account. Crucially, he invested his money in an £1.6 million Essex mansion, which includes a swimming pool and palm trees, so visitors can feel like they are in Los Angeles, instead of Essex.
Reality TV King
Joey is no stranger to reality TV (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The devil works hard, but Joey Essex’s agent (Dave Read) works harder.
There is barely a UK reality show that Joey hasn’t tried his hand at, so make yourself a cup of tea, to read the list – Splash!, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here (both the UK and Australian versions), The Jump, Celebrity Ex on the Beach, Dancing on Ice, Five Star Hotel, Celebs Go Dating (twice), MTV Cribs, Celebrity Juice, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Win, and Celebrity Masterchef.
He also fronted his own series, Educating Joey Essex, and showed a more vulnerable side in documentary Grief and Me, where he opened up about losing his mum to suicide aged 10.
Joey won the second series of The Jump (Picture: PA)
Although, he’s never discussed the fees for his participation, he was paid a reported £211,000 for Australia’s I’m A Celeb in 2022, and £50,000 for Dancing on Ice so you can see how it all adds up.
Of course, he’s currently living it up in Mallorca, trying to forge a connection with a special someone on Love Island in his latest small-screen venture.
Although, he initially coupled up with Samantha Kenny, he’s since moved on with Grace Jackson, who he previously dated.
Contestants are said to receive around £375 a week for Love Island, but it’s unknown if Joey will get extra as a celebrity islander.
Metro.co.uk have contacted Joey Essex’s representatives for comment.
Love Island continues tonight on ITV2 at 9pm.
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