How much money did Ronnie Coleman make in his career from Mr. Olympia?

Ronnie Coleman, aka the King of the bodybuilding industry, has dominated the Mr. Olympia stage more than any other bodybuilder. He won the Mr. Olympia title eight years in a row and etched his name in bodybuilding history. But have you ever wondered how much the eight-time Mr. Olympia earned from winning those titles?

Coleman has a net worth of $2 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth) and claimed that around half of it came from the Olympia winnings and endorsements.

Last year, the King was featured in an interview on the Iced Coffee Hour's YouTube channel, where he opened up about his earnings from the Mr. Olympia stage. he said:

"It was pretty close to a million dollars." [44:47]

Ronnie Coleman began his winning streak in 1998. He defeated Flex Wheeler and won a cash prize of $110,000. The cash prize remained the same until the 2003 Olympia. It was subsequently increased by $10,000 in 2004 and by $20,000 in the King's last Olympia win in 2005.

In 2006, the eight-time Mr. Olympia was the runner-up behind Jay Cutler and won $91,000. In 2007, after netting a total of $48,000, Coleman retired from bodybuilding, placing him in the top-five bodybuilders in terms of prize money. But this was nothing for the bodybuilding behemoth, as he highlighted:

"The prize money for winning Olympia, $100,000, that’s nothing, you know, I did use that to pay off my house." [44:17]

Ronnie Coleman discusses the main source of income in his career

Ronnie Coleman went on to reveal the main source of his income:

"The big money came from endorsements, you know, other stuff that I did, and like, I had a supplement contract, you know, uh clothing contract. I had a shoe contract, so all the money, all the real money, come from endorsements." [44:24]

Following his eighth consecutive win in 2005, Coleman signed contracts with companies like ABB, MetX, and Weider. By this time, Coleman had completely dominated the industry, and phrases like "Yeah Buddy" and "Lightweight Baby" became his signature.

The King also signed a multi-million-dollar contract with Bio-Engineered Supplements & Nutrition, Inc. (BSN) the same year. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Coleman was also featured in many iconic bodybuilding magazines, including Flex and Muscles. After years of competing and learning everything about supplements, the eight-time Mr. Olympia started his own supplement brand in 2011.

Coleman recently turned sixty and already has plans in place for old age. He said:

"I saved a lot and put in in retirement. Like I said, you know I'll be uh getting a retirement check, I think, at the end of this year." [45:19]

As a former police officer, Ronnie Coleman will receive a retirement check along with social security.