• Andy Roy born in 1971 in Santa Cruz, California is a professional skateboarder with a net worth of over $10 million
• He turned professional and was sponsored by Santa Cruz Skateboards and Focus
• He became addicted to heroin leading him to crime and a 2 year imprisonment in a supermax prison
• After release, he returned to the professional skateboard scene, gaining popularity through his Instagram account
• He has since struggled with his heroin addiction and has a podcast entitled “Rip Ride”, which he uses to talk to other professional skateboarders.
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Who is Andy Roy?
Andy Roy was born on 6 July 1971, in Santa Cruz, California, USA, and is a professional skateboarder, best known for gaining fame during the 1990s when he turned professional, attracting various high profile sponsors. He was later imprisoned, after which he returned to popularity through skateboarding videos on his Instagram account.
The Net Worth of Andy Roy
How rich is Andy Roy? As of mid-2019, sources estimate a net worth that is over $10 million, earned through a successful career as a professional skateboarder; his fame has led him to numerous high profile skating events and competitions. As he continues his endeavors, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
Early Life and Turning Professional
Very little is known about Andy’s life before he turned to professional skateboarding. He hasn’t shared a lot of details regarding his family, childhood, and education, except that at a young age, he developed a strong passion for skateboarding, and spent most of his time developing his skills. It was a time when aspiring skaters spent most of their time at the skate park, bringing their sleeping bags, drinking beer, and barbecuing.
Eventually, he started gaining popularity as some of his skate videos were attracting attention. He began skating in competitions as well, and this led him to be sponsored by Santa Cruz Skateboards, turning professional along the way. The partnership went well at the start, but he was eventually kicked off his sponsorship as he disagreed with the sponsors wanting him to dress a certain way. Afterwards, he was sponsored by Focus, but things did not also get to a point that he expected. Despite that, he continued to push on with his career.
Injury and Imprisonment
Roy was injured as is normal for many professional skateboards, and he became a little frustrated at this point; this was when he started doing the drug heroin, which led him to become an addict. The drug originated in 1874 and is derived from morphine; it’s known for its euphoric effects, but is used in several countries for pain relief. It can be injected, inhaled, smoked, or snorted, and usually has rapid effects which last for a few hours. However, addiction to the drug has proven very dangerous, and often leads to numerous side effects. To treat the addiction, behavioral therapy and medication is often used.
Shit gets hella raw with Andy Roy on the mic at the premiere of the KOTR @VICELAND series. https://t.co/4NGM6jT47G pic.twitter.com/xQVrZoJ9Kp
— Thrasher Magazine (@thrashermag) April 21, 2016
His addiction led him to crime, and soon he was committing theft as well as other drug related offences due to his need for a high. He was imprisoned in the late 1990s in Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) which is a supermax prison in California. It is a 275 acre prison which takes its name from a shallow bay on the Pacific Coast. The prison is known for its presence of violent prisoners, who are often rigorously monitored in solitary confinement 22.5 hours a day, seven days a week. The prison also houses two maximum security units.
Return to Form
After two years in prison, Roy returned to the professional skateboard scene, and quickly got back on track. He signed with the company Anti Hero Skateboards, which began sponsoring him as he made his way back to popularity. While he remained low profile for the next few years, often travelling to go to skating events, he started to gain online fame when he launched his own Instagram account. Instagram is a video and photo sharing service owned by Facebook. It is one of the most popular services in the internet in recent years with over a billion in registered users and over 500 million daily users.
The service allows users to share photos and videos with the public or to pre-approved followers. Users can easily organize and edit their photos though filters, tags, and location information, contributing to its popularity. Andy posted a lot of videos showcasing his skills on the skateboard, which has helped him gain over 160,000 followers. His online fame has also led him to numerous opportunities, including creating his own podcast entitled “Rip Ride”, in which he talks with other professional skateboarders.
Personal Life and Social Media
For his personal life, it is known that Andy was married to Erin Roy, but they eventually broke up and filed for a divorce. He later started a relationship with Priya Khosla, who is also a known personality in the skateboard community. He has been open with his continued struggle with heroin addiction, and has gone into rehabilitation several times since his release from prison. According to him, his recent stint in rehabilitation in 2019 was the best one he’s had, as he took steps he’s never taken before. He has a therapist, counselor, and also does Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), which he attributes to saving his life.
He continues to upload consistent content to his Instagram account, though does not post as many skateboarding videos as he used to. He also has a personal website which is mainly used to promote some of his merchandise, including t-shirts and tote bags. He spends a lot of his time working on his podcas,t which has gained a bit of attention mainly from skating fans, as he’s invited various popular skateboarding personalities onto his show. He mentions that his experiences in prison were eye-opening, as he witnessed a lot of violence during his time inside.
