Joe Keery is an American film and music star who has established himself uniquely in modern pop culture due to his twofold achievement in films and music. Keery was born to international recognition thanks to his role as rising star actor Steve Harrington in the cultural phenomenon Stranger Things on Netflix.
Initially portrayed as a supporting part, it developed into one of the most popular characters of the show, revealing the versatility, charisma, and emotional facet of Keery. Alongside his work as an actor, he has gained significant recognition as a musician under the name Djo, combining psychedelic rock, synth-pop, and indie to create a sound that has captured the attention of customers worldwide.
Joe Keery Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real Name: | Joseph David Keery |
| Birth Date: | April 24, 1992 |
| Age: | 33 Years |
| Birthplace: | Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA |
| Height: | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Girlfriend: | Maika Monroe |
Early Life
Joe Keery was born on 24th April, 1992, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to David and Nina Keery. He was brought up in a well-knit family as the second child among five siblings and had four sisters. With a nurturing and imaginatively stimulating background, Keery was interested in the arts, especially music and performance, at an early age.
He was a student at Newburyport High School, where he was involved in school theater performances and local acting programs. It was his interest in performance that grew stronger in these youthful days and led him to seek formal training.
Joe Keery subsequently joined The Theatre School of DePaul University in Chicago, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting in 2014. Not only did his stay at DePaul make him a better technical artist, but he was also introduced to the lively indie music scene in Chicago, which would subsequently inform his future musical work.
Joe Keery Career
The initial steps of the professional journey of Joe Keery started with commercials and minor roles on TV, such as a guest on Chicago Fire or Empire. His break came in 2016, when he joined Stranger Things as Steve Harrington. The character was originally an archetypal antagonist of high school, but through the subtlety of Keery, he developed into a dramatic figure.
Joe Keery was made a series regular by Season 2, and Steve Harrington became a fan favorite, who received critical acclaim due to his emotional development and his surprising heroism. In addition to television, Keery continued to add to his film resume. He has appeared in the dark satire Spree (2020), where he received attention playing a disturbing yet convincing lead role.
He emerged as an actor in Free Guy in 2021, with Ryan Reynolds, ensuring further popularization. His appearance on Season 5 of FX’s Fargo (2023) showed that he was able to cross into a more brutal and complicated dramatic realm.
Besides acting, the musical career of Keery has been no less important. He was a founding member of the psychedelic rock band Post Animal out of Chicago, starting as a guitarist until he left in 2018 to pursue solo work.
Joe Keery released his first album, titled Twenty Twenty, in 2019, and then decided to release his second album, titled Decide, in 2022 under the name Djo. With soulful lyrics and vintage synth sounds, his music received critical acclaim and a cult following.
In 2024, the song End of Beginning by Djo became viral worldwide, with the help of social media and success in the charts. It was then followed by the publication of his third studio album, The Crux (2025), which marked the new heights of creativity in his music-making career.
Personal Life
Joe Keery has generally kept his personal life out of the limelight. The only long-term relationship he publicly confirmed was with actress Maika Monroe, with whom he dated between 2017 and 2023. They got to know each other during a movie project, and over the years, they have appeared on red carpets many times together.
Keery has not yet officially dated anyone else since their separation. Although there have been some rumors at times, none of them have been confirmed by official pronouncement, and as of the mid-2020s, he seems to be unmarried and keeps a strong division between his personal life and work life.
Social Media Presence
Joe Keery has a robust but well-edited online presence. His Instagram profile, @djotime, has more than 5 million followers and mainly showcases his music works, concerts, and some behind-the-scenes insights into his life. Keery employs social media as part of his artistic persona rather than through regular personal revelation, which supports his persona of a private and genuine, but public, person.
Joe Keery Net Worth
As of 2025, the net worth of Joe Keery is estimated to be around $4 million. This fortune indicates his continued prosperity in various creative sectors, such as prime television assignments, feature films, music sales, tour income, and brand endorsements. Having ongoing acting projects and a burgeoning music career under Djo, it is largely anticipated that his financial status will continue to increase over the years.