Cornel West has made a career teaching at Ivy League schools, delivering speeches, writing books and even appearing in movies. During his 30-year career, West is estimated to have earned at least $15 million.

His career started in the 1990s with his book Race Matters, which sold 500,000 copies. The book helped cement his status as a preeminent black intellectual.

West would also travel worldwide to deliver speeches and make $500,000 annually. Meanwhile, he would also lecture students at elite schools such as Princeton, Harvard and Union Theological Seminary.

At Harvard alone, West made about $220,000 per year.

Despite his substantial earnings over the years, West’s net worth is now close to zero. Federal filings and property records have confirmed this.

In 2002, West opened up about his financial struggles and blamed most of it on his, at the time, soon-to-be ex-wife’s spending habits. During that time, he was married to his third wife,...