Carrot Top's $70 Million Prop Comedy Career Came as the Result of NASA Engineering

Since the 1990s, Carrot Top has been performing for sold-out shows with his prop-inspired standup comedy.

Carrot Top in spacePhoto bythe author via midjourney.com (image created using A.I. software)

And, despite an ongoing residence at the Luxar Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, dating back to 2005, and a reported $70 million net worth, the now 58-year-old is repeatedly the butt of the joke.

He's often depicted as the cheesy, unfunny prop comedian in popular culture, with cameo appearances on Family Guy, The Simpsons, and South Park.

But Carrot Top wasn't always a household name -- and, despite his on-stage character, wasn't bred to be an entertainer. Born and raised in Florida, Scott Thompson was born into a straight-laced household, playing the drums and being given the nickname Carrot Top by his swim coach, for his fiery red hair.

Although Carrot Top was a first-generation entertainer, his ingenuity for prop comedy was likely inspired by his father, a NASA engineer, closely involved in the design of the lunar rover-- as well as teaching astronauts how to drive it.

On an episode of Whiskey Ginger, Carrot Top outlines his distinctly differing career path, when compared to other members of his family:

"My dad [Pop Top] worked at NASA, rocket scientist. My brother [Garret Top] went to the Airforce Academy and became an F-16 fighter pilot... you know, how do you follow that? My brother is in the Airforce Academy in an F-16, and I'm strapping a dildo to a walker, 'Hey, look it's Tommy Lee's walker.'

Although Carrot Top hasn't sent a man to the moon and his inventions are admittedly impractical, he's created laughs throughout multiple decades.

And, despite his comedy stylings not being generally considered rocket science, his ingenuity has proven one thing. More often than not, the simplest ideas are what stand the test of time.

Hey, I'm Hudson! I write about social media, marketing, and modern entrepreneurship. Hit follow for more stories like this one.