Long before he became a Vine sensation, those around John Richard Whitfield knew from an early age that the young boy had the makings of a star. Born on May 2nd, 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia, Whitfield went on to adopt the moniker DC Young Fly while creating six-second videos on the since-deleted platform that led him to quickly grow a following of millions.

While he has an undeniable talent for making the world laugh, the father of three also went through a troubled phase in high school, at which time he was selling drugs and wound up in jail for assault and robbery. With age and perspective, Young Fly has been able to turn his life around, helping him build a healthy net worth to provide for his family.

Exploring DC Young Fly’s Career Timeline

2013 was the year when DC Young Fly’s videos began to take off on Vine. As he remained consistent there, he was eventually offered a casual spot on Wild ‘n Out in 2015 and was even named Rookie of the Year after his first season. Along with the TV exposure, the 31-year-old was hoping to gain fans with his musical skills too. He released two mixtapes – Supplyin’ Pressure and Fly Allegiance in that same year and somehow found time to launch The 85 South Show in collaboration with Clayton English and Karlous Miller too.

It’s obvious that Whitfield is comfortable in front of the camera, so it was only natural for him to expand his acting resume in the mids 2010s. He starred in and co-produced #DigitialLivesMatter in 2016 before nabbing roles in Hollywood Hearts and Almost Christmas. Around the same time, Young Fly became a father for the first time as he and co-star Jacky Oh welcomed their first daughter, Nova.

2017 was the biggest year of the comedian’s career so far, from his stint as the opening act on tour with Chris Brown to landing a short-lived gig as the host of MTV’s TRL revival. Between those Young Fly was faced with the shutdown of Vine, causing him to pivot to other platforms. Thankfully, co-signs from the likes of Kevin Hart and LeBron James kept his star rising higher as he appeared in shows like The New Edition Story, The Quad, Tales and In the Cut.

2018 to 2021: Instagram and Music

Instagram was Whitfield’s main platform once his old stomping downs closed its doors. While he continued acting in 2018 with a film called Armed and two episodes of Rel, the Atlanta native spent time in the studio working on his rhyming skills too. He gave us his Curb Music mixtape and Trap Soul followed before the decade came to a close. In 2019, Young Fly also appeared opposite Lil Yachty in How High 2 – one of the biggest roles of his career so far.

Other credits from this time include The Trap, Scream: The TV Series, I Got the Hook Up 2 with Master P, Grown-ish and The Grid. Whitfield has proven he has a talent for playing characters, but because his natural persona is so charming, he’s landed some noteworthy hosting gigs in recent years too, such as the BET Hip-Hop Awards, the network’s Social Awards and Quibi’s Floored game show. As he continued to shine brightly in the entertainment industry, Young Fly opened the DC Comedy Exchange club in Miami Beach, Florida in 2021, giving other aspiring comedians a place to share their jokes.

2022 to Now: Fatherhood, Jacky Oh and Plans for the Future

After welcoming their second daughter, Nala, in 2020, the Wild’n’Out co-stars became parents for a third time in 2022. This time they added a boy, Prince, to their family, and because Young Fly wasn’t working as much this year, he got to spend plenty of time at home in their company. Sadly, his other half passed away after undergoing a “mommy makeover” surgery in 2023, leaving Whitfield alone to raise their children. The circumstances are traumatizing, but the internet sensation is handling them with as much grace as possible.

New additions to Young Fly’s resume last year include the House Party remake, a BMF episode, Pretty Stoned, Da ‘Partments and Candy Cane Lane. As he continues to navigate life without Oh in 2024, the “No Weed” artist has been in two movies, Bosco and Outlaw Posse, with another project, Break the Cycle, currently in the works.

What Is DC Young Fly’s Net Worth?

According to CelebrityNetWorth, DC Young Fly is worth $2 million. When you consider how many movie and TV roles he’s nabbed in less than a decade, this number might seem low. However, it’s important to remember that most of the Southern creative’s roles have been smaller, supporting parts for streaming or direct to TV, meaning the paychecks are smaller.

In addition, while today’s TikTok influencers are making six figures with their content, Whitfield came up on social media at a time when it wasn’t so easy to secure the bag simply for having a platform. Vine gave the comedian the visibility he needed to launch his career, but it certainly didn’t offer the financial backing that would’ve made life easier when he was getting started. Regardless, Young Fly has always been one to overcome difficult circumstances and use his talents to keep the world smiling