Jack Antonoff is a man of many facets, a musical prodigy whose burgeoning net worth reflects his talent and hard work. Boasting a multitude of musical achievements, he is a maestro of production, the veneer of his celebrity coloured by a family tragedy that shaped decades of his songwriting. Like his constant collaborator and close friend Taylor Swift, whose 1989 song You Are In Love was inspired by his relationship with ex Lena Dunham, Jack Antonoff has mastered the art of writing about his feelings.
While his most famous friend and collaborator is the Taylor Swift of Eras tour fame, Jack Antonoff is a brilliant singer, producer, and songwriter in his own right. His list of musical accolades includes numerous Grammy nominations and wins; he is a festival founder, an accomplished musician whose talents encompass proficiency in an astounding five instruments. He’s an integral part of renowned American rock band Bleachers, for which he does lead vocals and plays drums — among other things. Just last month, the band released their fourth studio album, an eponymous offering that was preceded by four singles, Modern Girl, Alma Mater, Tiny Moves, and Me Before You.
Through his breathtaking carousel of events and busy work, Jack Antonoff has proven one thing: Art is the root of all healing.
If you’re a seasoned Swiftie, chances are that you’d have seen the steadfast figure of Jack Antonoff hovering by her side. From glitzy award shows to intimate Long Pond studio recording sessions, Antonoff has stood by Swift’s side through thick and thin, a place he has occupied since they first worked together on the latter’s fifth studio album,1989.
And while Antonoff’s contributions to Swift’s expansive catalogue of hits cannot be understated, his breadth of musical knowledge extends beyond them.
Who is Jack Antonoff?
Born to Jewish parents Shira Wall and Rick Antonoff on March 31 1984, Jack is the second of three children, raised in Woodcliff Lake and Milford, New Jersey, where he attended the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County for elementary school. An Arian native, Antonoff grew up sandwiched between his siblings: Older sister Rachel Antonoff, who is a fashion designer, and younger sister Sarah who tragically passed away of brain cancer when he was an 18-year-old high school senior.
She was just 13 years old.
Speaking to Today of the family tragedy, Antonoff reflected on how his sister’s diagnosis had impacted his home life, and most notably, his decades-long career. “My whole life, I had written about my sister,” he shared, adding after, “I kind of wrote pretty much about that loss through the lens of different ages, which is a really powerful place to write from.”
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Considering the physical, emotional, and mental turmoil of caring for a child with cancer, Antonoff’s parents employed a hands-off approach to their elder two children, who would commute to Manhattan to attend the Professional Children’s School over their teenage years. That’s not to say the musician-producer holds any resentment for the way things had turned out.
“My parents just felt like they were frying a bigger fish. Because she (Sarah) was sick — in a great way, they just didn’t care,” he mused. Asked about how this mindset translated to his decision to pursue music, Antonoff shared that they upheld that he could “do what he wanted to do”.
And so he did.
While Antonoff was unable to pinpoint a specific event that had sparked his lifelong love of music, he said that he had always written, and that he had always played. “It was when I was doing all of it that I could really recognise myself the best.”
Antonoff has since come a long way. Today, his name is synonymous with good music, and he stands as proof positive that art is a form of healing. He is frank and open about his struggles with depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder; he stands firm in his belief that talking about it is just as important as it is helpful.
Through the tragedies, the chaos, and the frenetic buzzing that accompanies compromised mental health, music has been his steadfast companion.
Speaking to Vulture in 2014, Antonoff shared that music is central to his life, as much a hobby as it is a means of expression. “I need a hobby, and I don’t want it to be basketball, I want it to be music. So, to get away from music, I do other music. If I’m producing someone’s song or writing with someone else, then doing a Bleachers song or a Fun song is an escape, and it keeps me creative and it keeps me locked into what I want to do,” he said. “If something’s making me crazy, I need to go somewhere else, and I don’t want that thing to be yoga.”
Taylor Swift has now released the song credits for her upcoming 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department. Considering how deeply Antonoff’s masterful touch has been felt on Swift’s extensive catalogue, it is no surprise that he will once again return to delight our senses. Ahead of the April 19 release of TTPD, we get to know Jack Antonoff, his life’s work, his friendship with Taylor Swift, his relationship with ex Lena Dunham, his net worth, and more.
8 things to know about Jack Antonoff, his friendship with Taylor Swift, his rising net worth, and his ex Lena Dunham
He’s been in four bands
Antonoff started his first band, Outline, in November 1998 when he was in his sophom*ore year of high school. Through Lifetime Records, the band released a self-titled EP in January 2000 and a 6 Song Demo in summer later that year. In July 2001, the band released their first album A Boy Can Dream. When Antonoff was 15, his band went on a tour to multiple states including Florida and Texas, using his parents’ minivan as a mode of transportation. Of the experience, Antonoff reflects, “Half the time no one would show up or the equipment would be too f-ked up to play… but that’s when I fell in love with touring.”
By the time 2022 had rolled around, Outline was no more, and Antonoff went on to start Steel Train with his friend, Scott Irby-Ranniar; they later recruited drummer Matthias Gruber alongside Random Task members Evan Winiker and Matthew Goldman. The band enjoyed some success, securing a recording deal with Drive-Thru records and producing hits like Bullet and Turnpike Ghost. They would also go on to appear at festivals like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Coachella, and were even invited as musical guests to talk shows like Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Late Show with David Letterman.
In 2008, Antonoff teamed up with Nate Ruess and Andrew Dost to form yet another new band, Fun; the trio released their inaugural album Aim and Ignore in 2009. Their second album Some Nights was released in 2012, and it was this album that produced the band’s first number one hit, We Are Young. The song went on to snag the trio Best New Artist and Song of the Year at the 2013 Grammy Awards, cementing Fun’s place amongst musical greats.
That same year, Fun played alongside Queen at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, where Antonoff got his hands on Brian May’s guitar during rehearsal in what he has since described as the ‘most surreal experience ever’. As of February 4 2015, Fun Is currently on hiatus.
Come 2014, Antonoff was itching for a new challenge, and thus began his Bleachers era. The musician shared that the project had been 10 years in the making, with a name inspired by the ‘disconnected and darker side of suburban youth’ and John Hughes movies. The band’s debut single I Wanna Get Better was largely met with critical acclaim, with Antonoff later revealing that it was ‘all about finding a world where you can be kind to yourself in’.
Never one to shy away from hard work while already working hard, Antonoff also said that the Bleachers’ debut album was mostly written on his laptop in hotel rooms during breaks on a Fun world tour.
He has had more than one famous ex girlfriend
Jack Antonoff attended the Professional Children’s School in New York City, where he was classmates with one particularly Hollywood-famous name: Scarlett Johansson. The pair dated when they were 17, and even ended up going to prom together. Their relationship eventually ended, with reports suggesting that Johansson’s emergence in Hollywood had led to the split.
In honour of his heartbreak (Taylor Swift would be proud), Antonoff later wrote a song for her with the lyrics: ‘Scars are in her name / And she scars me with blame / Hey Scarlett, you’re not the same.’
His relationship with Lena Dunham inspired a love song
Jack Antonoff and Lena Dunham started dating in 2012; and while the couple inevitably parted ways in 2017, the gentle comforts of their love story remains eternal in song. Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel in 2014, Swift shared that she was inspired by the couple to write You Are In Love, which was expanded from instrumentals that Antonoff had sent her. “I wrote it as kind of a commentary on what their relationship has been like,” Swift said. “And so, it’s actually me looking in and going: This happened, then that happened, then that happened, and that’s how you knew, you’re in love.”
The resultant love song is a beautifully simple melody that serves as an evergreen reminder that love doesn’t need grand gestures to be real; sometimes, it’s just the simple act of sharing toast with your best friend over the breakfast table.
He got married last year (and Swift attended)
A newlywed, Antonoff tied the knot with actress Margaret Qualley on August 19 2023 in a New Jersey ceremony last year. They first began dating in the summer of 2021 and engaged in May of 2022, sparking rumours after Qualley was spotted with a diamond ring at the Cannes Film Festival.
As expected, their wedding was a star-studded affair, with celebrity guests the likes of Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Cara Delevigne, and Zoë Kravitz in attendance.
His first project with Taylor Swift was for a movie
Antonoff’s current relationship with Taylor Swift is one of deep respect, admiration, and loyalty — as it has been, since they first worked together in 2013. The duo wrote and produced Sweeter Than Fiction together for the motion picture soundtrack of One Chance: The Incredible True Story of Paul Potts. Swift later brought Antonoff onboard for her 1989 album, where he worked on Out Of The Woods, I Wish You Would, and You Are In Love.
In the years that followed, Antonoff collaborated with his longtime friend on more of her hit albums and songs, lending his inimitable production styles to Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights, in addition to Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and 1989 (Taylor’s Version). With the duo’s long history of collaborating, it makes sense to assume that he will have a hand in the upcoming The Tortured Poets Department. Beyond their bonds of friendship, Antonoff has been one of Swift’s staunchest supporters, and is open about his admiration for her songwriting chops and talent for performing.
Antonoff has won three Grammy awards for Album of the Year with Taylor Swift, owing to his work on 1989, Folklore, and Midnights.
He’s worked with other big names that aren’t Taylor Swift
Beyond his work with Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff has also proven his worth as a valuable producer through highly lauded musical collaborations with other industry names. His roster of famous friends and colleagues include Lorde, The 1975, Florence + the Machine, Lana Del Rey, Pink, Sara Bareilles, Troye Sivan, and Sia among others.
He’s won multiple Grammy awards
Jack Antonoff is the proud winner of 10 Grammy awards, three of which were for Album of the Year with Taylor Swift — 1989, Folklore, and Midnights. His work for American musician St. Vincent has also earned Grammy nods, winning Best Rock Song in 2009 for Masseduction and Best Alternative Music Album in 2022 for Daddy’s Home.
For his own body of work, Antonoff has received five Grammy awards. In addition to winning the Non-Classical Producer Of The Year Award three years in a row from 2022 to 2024, he also took home two Grammy awards in 2013: Best New Artist for Fun. and Song Of The Year for We Are Young.
He’s racked up a staggering net worth
Owing to his massive body of work for which he has received much well-deserved acclaim, Jack Antonoff has amassed a staggering net worth of USD 50 million. Having cemented his place at the head of the table with almost 30 Grammy Award nominations and 10 wins, Antonoff has well and truly ascended into the ranks of music royalty.
As a result of his expansive catalogue of productions, it has been reported that Jack Antonoff earns an estimated average of USD 2 million per year, no doubt contributing to his burgeoning net worth. And given his tenacity for creation and his zest for life and work, we’d wager we’ve more to see from him.
(Main and featured image: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– How much money does Jack Antonoff make?
Jack Antonoff has a net worth of USD 50 million, and is reported to be raking in an average of USD 2 million per year.
– Are Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff still friends?
Yes, Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff have been friends since they first worked together on Sweeter Than Fiction in 2013.
– Who married Jack Antonoff?
On August 19, 2023, Jack Antonoff and actress Margaret Qualley tied the knot in a New Jersey ceremony. The other famous exes of Jack Antonoff include actresses Lena Dunham and Scarlett Johansson.
– Who is Taylor Swift’s best friend Jack?
Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff have shared a close working relationship and friendship since they first collaborated on Sweeter Than Fiction in 2013. To date, they have worked on nine albums together, for which they have won three Grammy awards.
