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Kevin Jonas has revealed that he lost "almost all" of his fortune during the Jonas Brothers' hiatus between 2012 and 2019. Speaking on Lewis Howes' The School of Greatness podcast alongside his brothers Joe and Nick Jonas, Kevin reflected on the financial turbulence he faced after the band's initial breakup.
"I've seen the beginning of the success to financial success not knowing what money really was and understanding it, to not having it, to losing almost all of it," Kevin, 37, told Howes. The eldest Jonas Brother admitted the downturn came about "nine years ago" due to "a bunch of property" investments and business partnerships that went south. "Sadly, it wasn't the right partnership," he added, before noting, "I can't really get too much into it."
When Howes asked if he truly lost nearly everything, Kevin confirmed, "Yeah, most of it, like, down to the one 10 percent left."
During the band's hiatus, Kevin pursued entrepreneurial ventures. He founded a real estate development company, JonasWerner, which specialized in building luxury homes in New Jersey. In 2016, he listed a mansion in Montvale for $2.6 million, which eventually sold for a $1 million profit in 2020. Additionally, he launched tech projects such as the food app Yood and partnered with the social media platform We Heart It.
Despite the setbacks, Kevin described the band's reunion in 2019 as a turning point. "Thankfully for life in general, like we had a second shot and bite at the apple with the band coming back together," he said. "I learned this lesson — never wanted to learn it, but I did. But then, at the same time, reevaluated how to approach life and ... look into the future."
The Jonas Brothers' comeback included the release of their chart-topping album Happiness Begins and a documentary, Chasing Happiness. According to Kevin, the film allowed the trio to "have real conversations and not hold back," comparing the experience to therapy.
Joe also reflected on the split, saying, "We call it a break-up, but we had no intent of getting back together. There was too much under the rug to roll up." However, trust and mutual respect eventually brought them back together. "We can all share the spotlight ... and we could all share money," he concluded.
