Kriti Mehrotra
Widely considered to be the very first male supermodel in history, Hoyt Richards (also known by his given name John Richards Hoyt) has always been a dedicated individual and hard worker. It thus comes as no surprise that he has done absolute wonders in entertainment, but what many don’t know is that he was in a cult called Eternal Values during his initial years as a professional. That’s precisely what HBO’s ‘Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult’ explores, right along with the way he navigated his ambitions, his beliefs, his motivations, his revelations, and his successes.
How Did Hoyt Richards Earn His Money?
As one of 6 children hailing from a good family in New York, John Richards Hoyt knew from an early age that while he was proud to be part of a tribe, he also wanted to make a name for himself. The fact his mother wasn’t nearly as supportive as he had hoped only pushed him to keep doing better, according to the documentary series, resulting in his earning the title of student-athlete. His work ethic was actually so impressive that he even landed a scholarship to study abroad in England during his senior year of high school, following which he enrolled at Princeton University.
John was a top scorer as well as a football star when he started attending the Ivy League college in 1981, only for him to keep the momentum going despite the massive environment change. He was pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, but his priority was football if he had to choose, because he wanted to play professionally one day, as per his account in the production. But alas, everything turned upside down during his junior year as a persistent shoulder injury led him to see a specialist, who informed him that his playing days were sadly over for good.
That’s when John really began hanging out with Frederick von Mierers, a model, socialite, and self-proclaimed psychic from New York whom he had known casually since he was merely 16. According to the original, their conversations about the greater good, mysticism, and spirituality intrigued the then-youngster until it ultimately drove him to decide to follow in his footsteps. His core behavior reportedly changed so much in so little time that not only did his roommates approach their guidance counselor, but his family also held an intervention, yet to no avail.
John eventually moved into Frederick’s Upper East Side apartment upon graduating in 1985, which is where he met many seemingly like-minded people and was encouraged into modeling. He had never even considered delving into this side of entertainment, but Ford Models signed him almost immediately when he accompanied a friend to their offices because of the “it” factor. He had a great build thanks to his years as an athlete, undeniable charm through his blue eyes, and an overall All-American look, resulting in the start of his great career as a male model.
John changed his name from John Richards Hoyt to Hoyt Richards when he began his professional journey because he “didn’t like the fact that it (his first name) was such a common name.” Little did he know that everything – brand marketing tactics, global opportunities, his name, etc – would subsequently all come together to propel him into international fame and stardom. That’s how he became the very first male supermodel in history, securing almost as many deals and as much money as legendary icons like Brooke Shields, Cindy Crawford, and Naomi Campbell.
Hoyt admittedly landed a couple of shoots with globally renowned photographer Bruce Weber early in his career, which put him on the map in a way that no one could pull him down. According to records, he was soon perpetually booked for 300 days a year, as he was doing shoots for several big-name brands, starring in major commercials, and walking runways during fashion weeks. In fact, it has been reported that during the 15 years he served as a supermodel, he did over 200 advertisements, hundreds of commercial campaigns, and a myriad of magazine shoots.
Just some of Hoyt’s campaigns include Balenciaga, Burberry, Cartier, Dunhill, Gianni Versace, Givenchy, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, and Yves Saint Laurent, among countless others. However, things changed in the late 1990s as the supermodel suddenly stepped away from the industry for a while – it turns out he had done so after finally leaving Frederick von Mierers’ cult, Eternal Values. The entire ordeal was hard for him to come to terms with, but he thankfully had the support of loved ones – co-workers, friends, and family, even though the latter were initially estranged.
Hoyt had managed to relocate from New York to Los Angeles in 1999 with the help of fellow model Fabio Lanzoni, who gave him some time before encouraging him to get back to work. That’s when the former shifted gears from just dabbling in the world of films and television to diving headfirst into it, starring in ‘Six Days, Seven Nights’ as well as ‘Hit and Runway.’ Then, in the 2000s, he took on roles in ‘Get Money,’ ‘High Art, Low Life,’ ‘Transgressions,’ ‘Taxi Dance,’ and ‘American High School,’ followed by ‘Action News 5,’ ‘ Paradise Lost,’ ‘Showgirls 2: Penny’s from Heaven,’ ‘Continuity,’ and ‘Dumbbells’ in the 2010s. He is even a writer and producer in ‘Dumbbells’ since it was created under the banner of his 2010-established production company Tortoise Entertainment. As for his 2020s credits, they include ‘Caged,’ ‘Stakeout Gone Wrong,’ ‘Worm Girl,’ and ‘Censor Addiction,’ among many others.
Hoyt Richards Net Worth
With 15 years as a professional supermodel and a still ongoing career in television/film, Hoyt Richards is undeniably a self-made man with more than enough wealth for himself. However, he claims he doesn’t have a single penny from his extensive earnings as a model because he gave it all to Frederick and Eternal Values because he had believed in their message at the time. According to his accounts, whenever he received a cheque for an ad, campaign, or shoot, he kept only a small percentage for himself to cover his basic expenses before giving it all to the cult leader. In the years he was involved with the cult, he believes he became their primary funder, having given over $4.5 million.
Although Hoyt claims he was manipulated into handing everything he had to Eternal Values, he still had his portfolio, his reputation, and his work ethic, which enabled him to become an actor. From what we can tell, as per his demand, experience, and market value, his base salary in the late 1990s/early 2000s for a single project in the entertainment world was around $500,000. This amount likely rose quickly to $1 million before increasing again to at least a couple of million across the 2010s, and is now potentially around the multi-millions. Taking all these factors into account, along with the actor, filmmaker, producer, and writer’s current devotion to philanthropy as an advocate against cults and as a Board Member of Living Cult Free, we believe his net worth is approximately $8 million.
Read More: Frederick von Mierers Net Worth: How Rich Was the Eternal Values Leader at the Time of His Death?
