As of 2026, Jeff Kinney’s net worth is estimated at $80 million. That’s a lot of cheese. But he doesn’t act like a fancy author. He still lives in the same town in Massachusetts, and he drives a minivan. A minivan. With crumbs in the cupholders.
He also founded a bookshop called “An Unlikely Story” in Plainville, Massachusetts. It’s a cozy place where he holds events and sells his own books. Because why make money from Amazon when you can do it from a brick-and-mortar building that smells like old paper?
The best part? He hates the movies. Not really, but he’s admitted the animated films make him cringe. He says Greg’s voice in the audiobook is “nothing like I imagined.” But again, he’s probably just complaining into a pile of cash.
A Final, Weird Fact
Jeff Kinney is a huge fan of the TV show The Office. He watches it every single night to fall asleep. He claims it’s because “the awkwardness calms me down.” So, the man who invented middle-school cringe basically self-medicates with adult cringe.
Also, he can’t draw a straight line. Not even with a ruler. He sketches all his comics by hand, and if a line looks wonky, he just leaves it. He calls it “character.” I call it “pure luck.”
So next time you see a kid giggling over Greg Heffley’s diary, remember: it’s the work of a tall, college-dropout, minivan-driving, basement-dwelling genius who still can’t draw a proper circle. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. Wimpy forever.
