Duane Martin is one of those actors who disappears and reappears like a Maxwell album. You know he’s “in the lab cookin” and will pop out when he feels like it. On Election Day, he asked men to fight for women’s rights. Then, after not-so-subtly hinting at his presidential pick, he stepped out of the limelight again. Still, when his fans want to see him, it’s not hard to find him in Bel-Air, The New Edition Story, The Seat Filler with co-star Kelly Rowland, Deliver Us from Eva, Out All Night, Any Given Sunday and his longest-standing project as Robert James Sr. on All of Us. But while he’s playing the background right now, his fans may still wonder what is Duane Martin’s net worth?
Martin’s Ties To Will Smith
Martin and rapper-actor Will Smith have been seen together on more than a few occasions. They’re not just co-stars or business partners. They’re also friends. Even in Jada Pinkett Smith‘s book Worthy, the actress told a comical story about a couple’s trip to Jamaica. After having a spat with Smith, her idea of making up was to climb a ladder onto the roof of a building and shout “I love you” as she plummeted into a pool. Smith was none the wiser about what his now-wife of 27 years was up to and was stewing in a lounge chair by the water. When Martin saw her climbing that ladder, he scrambled up to his room so he could see if Pinkett Smith actually went through with her plan, laughing hysterically when he found out she had pretty good aim.
This is one of many memories these three have shared together. In addition to working on Smith-affiliated projects Bel-Air and All of Us, he’s also been on two episodes of the TV sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was a guest on Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk online podcast and was featured in the 1999 music video for “Will Smith: Will 2K.” During Martin’s legal woes, Smith even loaned him $1.5 million.
From The TV Set To The Courtroom
Martin is no stranger to a courtroom. After 22 years of marriage, he and his wife Tisha Campbell divorced in 2018. The two also filed for bankruptcy for approximately $14.5 million of debt, including $300,000 in personal and real estate property; $65,000 on a Los Angeles home; three cars; and five motorcycles. While Campbell and Martin briefly tried being restaurateurs, their North Hollywood restaurant called Xen Lounge was not profitable. The two also had debt of more than $14 million in unpaid taxes, loans, car leases, credit card bills and other government debts.
A year later, he settled a lawsuit accusing him of fraud and hiding a home in his bankruptcy under a company named Roxe LLC. Martin and the trustee presiding over his bankruptcy agreed to sell off a five-bedroom, six-bathroom, 9,200-square-foot mansion located in Chatsworth, California for $2.45 million. From that purchase, Smith would receive a $1.5 million loan reimbursement to his company TB Properties LLC, and the rest was used to pay back rent and creditors.
Martin’s Short-Lived Basketball Career
Although Martin has a resume full of TV shows to his name, the Brooklyn, New York native didn’t initially intend to go this professional route. He played college basketball at New York University and was signed to the NBA’s New York Knicks as an undrafted free agent in 1989. However, he was cut and never did get to play in the NBA. He may have been reliving his basketball dreams on the set of the 1992 film White Men Can’t Jump, along with participating in the “18th Annual A Midsummer Night’s Magic Weekend All-Star Basketball Game” at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Martin’s Net Worth Nowadays
Although a divorce, real estate legal battles and loss of property has certainly left a dent in his wallet, Martin is rumored to still be worth $500,000. While it’s not clear where his current earnings are coming from, he may have residual funds coming in from pre-pandemic work on 26 episodes of L.A.’s Finest, a few episodes of Bel-Air in 2022, and 59 of his own episodes in the syndicated version of Kevin Hart’s Real Husbands of Hollywood and then the TV miniseries in 2022. He’s also confirmed his role in a full season of BET+ Angel, along with two new cast members Tyler Lepley and Richard T. Jones.
