Some of the richest celebrities in the world are journalists. Throughout their careers, competent news anchors often have to establish themselves. Most newscasters and journalists build a career on knowledge, expertise, and ethics to land well-paying employment. The top 10 news anchors in the world by wealth as of 2023 are listed below.
#10 Shepard Smith - $25 million
Shepard Smith is the managing editor of Fox News Breaking News Division and the host of the program “Shepard Smith Reporting.” Shephard Smith makes $10 million annually and has a net worth of $25 million. Smith tied for second place with Dan Rather and Peter Jennings as the most dependable news anchor in a 2003 “TV Guide” poll. In 1964, Smith was born in Mississippi.
He worked in local television and news radio in Florida while pursuing his journalism degree at the University of Mississippi. He was employed in Los Angeles as a Fox News Edge correspondent for “A Current Affair.” As a Fox News correspondent, Smith covered important stories such as the passing of Princess Dianna, the Florida election controversy, and Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath.
Before hosting his current news program, Smith presented “Studio B” and “Fox Report with Shephard Smith.” Smith is a divorcee without kids.
#9 Megyn Kelly – $30 million
One of the highest-paid journalists in the business is Megyn Kelly. Her net worth is \$30 million, but after this year, it could increase. Megyn Kelly reportedly agreed to an $18 million yearly deal with NBC. In 1970, Kelly was born in Illinois. She earned a law degree from Albany University and a master’s in communication from Syracuse University.
Before deciding to become a journalist, she worked as an associate at a Chicago law company. Kelly started as a reporter for an ABC affiliate in Washington, DC, in 2003, and the following year she started working for Fox News. Megyn Kelly contributed to legal portions of “The Bill O’Reilly Factor” and “Special Report with Brit Hume.
Greta Van Susteren’s replacement in “On the Record” was her. Kelly hosted “America Live” and was a panelist on “Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld” in 2010. She moderated the previous presidential debates. Kelly presided over a Fox interview program in prime time in 2016.
Megyn Kelly changed networks to NBC after her contract expired. She conducted Sunday night interview specials, including Vladimir Putin of Russia. This fall, Kelly took over hosting duties for the “Today Show” for the nine o’clock period. Doug Brint and Kelly have three kids together.
#8 George Stephanopoulos – $35 million
The co-anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” George Stephanopoulos, makes \$9 million a year and has a net worth of \$35 million. In addition, he serves as a regional sub-anchor for “ABC World News Tonight.” Stephanopoulos was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, after being born in Massachusetts in 1961.
He worked as a sports announcer for the university radio station while studying political science at Columbia University. In addition, Stephanopoulos studied at Oxford University as a Rhoads Scholar and held a master’s degree in theology. In 1988, he contributed to Michael Dukakis’ presidential campaign and joined the Democratic Party as an advisor.
Stephanopoulos served as Communications Director of the White House under President Bill Clinton. He was also a Council on Foreign Policy member and the Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy. From 2002 through 2009, Stephanopoulos served as “ABC This Week’s” host.
#7 Robin Roberts – $35 million
The most affluent female news anchor is Robin Roberts. Her annual salary as co-anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America” is \$18 million, and she has a net worth of \$35 million. Roberts was raised in Mississippi after being born in Alabama. She attended Southern Louisiana University while participating in basketball and tennis in high school. Roberts was a sports anchor for regional radio and television programs.
She started working as an ESPN sportscaster in 1990. In 2005, she quit ESPN to join “Good Morning America,” whose ratings she helped raise. Roberts missed time in 2012 and 2007 due to myelodysplastic syndrome. She valiantly chronicled her medical care and healing for “Good Morning America.”
#6 Brian Williams– $40 million
Currently, MSNBC’s cable news division’s chief anchor is Brian Williams. He hosts the news station’s nightly program “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams.” From 2004 until 2014, Williams served as managing editor and host of “NBC Nightly News” for ten years. When it was discovered that Brian had made up stories about his coverage of the Iraq War in 2003, he was fired from NBC.
In 1959, he was born in New Jersey. Williams attended The Catholic University of America and George Washington University for his education. Before joining NBC in 1993, he held radio news positions in Kansas, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia.
He served as the station’s Chief White House Correspondent. Before replacing Tom Brokaw as the anchor of “NBC Nightly News” in 2004, Williams served as a fill-in. Williams and his wife of 30 years reside in Connecticut. Allison is the lead character in the HBO series “Girls.” Their son works as a sports reporter in New York City.
#5 Bill O'Reilly – $50 million
Fox’s conservative political analyst Bill O’Reilly is worth $50 million. He received $20 million annually for his Fox television program “The O’Reilly Factor,” which ran from 1996 until now. It was recently disclosed that O’Reilly paid $32 million to resolve one of several sexual harassment claims.
O’Reilly’s future as a journalist is still being determined. In his early years, Bill O’Reilly was a news reporter for regional television stations and ABC and NBC News. He was born in New York City in 1949.
O’Reilly presented the entertainment program “Inside Edition” from 1989 until 1995. For 16 years, “The O’Reilly Factor” was the most popular cable news program. From 1996 through 2011, O’Reilly was wed to Maureen McPhilmy. The pair has a son and a daughter.
#4 Matt Lauer – $60 million
The total wealth of Matt Lauer is $60 million. The “Today Show” co-anchor makes $23 million annually. Born in New York City in 1957, Matt Lauer attended Ohio University to study communication and media arts. In Huntington, West Virginia, Lauer started his media career as a producer of the neighborhood news program.
He served as a host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence, and Richmond. He worked for ESPN, co-hosted “Today in New York” with Jane Hanson, and co-hosted “Made in New York” with Jill Rappaport. In 1994, Lauer started reading the news on “Today.”
In 1997, he took Bryant Gumbel’s place as co-anchor of the morning newscast. Lauer won praise for his tense interviews, wit, and good looks when he was named the “Today Show’s” sole male co-host. He began the segment with “Where in the World Is Matt Lauer? ‘s” special series started in 1998 and continued until 2011. Additionally to hosting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and reporting on the Olympics for NBC, Matt Lauer.
Lauer also contributes to “Dateline,” NBC’s weekly news program. We cannot estimate Lauer’s net worth at this moment in light of the controversy surrounding him, his divorce, and his termination from NBC.
#3 Diane Sawyer - $80 million
Diane Sawyer is the richest female journalist and one of the most well-known news anchors in the world. She has had a tremendous and consistent career. She has an $80 million net worth. In 1945, Diane was born in Kentucky. She took home the title of America’s Junior Miss Scholarship in 1963. Following his graduation from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, she enrolled in the University of Louisville’s law school but later left to pursue a career in journalism.
She launched her media career as a weather forecaster for the nearby Louisville television station. She relocated to Washington, DC, where she was hired to work as Jerry Warran’s assistant. Warran is the deputy press secretary for the White House.
After President Richard Nixon’s resignation, she collaborated with the Nixon-Ford transition team. Sawyer started working as a correspondent for CBS News in 1978. Sawyer co-anchored the “CBS Early Morning News” within a few years. In 1984, she was the first female journalist for “60 Minutes,” In 1989, she moved to ABC News to co-anchor “Primetime Live” with Sam Donaldson.
She shared the “20/20” anchor chair from 1998 to 2000. Sawyer joined Charles Gibson as a co-anchor of “Good Morning America” the year before. In 2009, Sawyer started hosting “ABC World News.” Diane Sawyer has been doing illustrious interviews and programs for ABC since 2014. Mike Nichols is her husband, director, producer, and actor.
#2 Sean Hannity – $120 million
The second-wealthiest news anchor is Sean Hannity. His annual salary as an anchor and political pundit for the Fox News Channel from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and as the host of the radio program “The Sean Hannity Show” is $29 million. He has an estimated net worth of \$80 million.
In 1961, Hannity was born in New York City. Hannity held a chat show for the campus radio station at the University of California in Santa Barbara. Before being hired by Fox News Channel to co-host the point-counterpoint program “Hannity & Comles” with Alan Colmes, he worked in the news in Alabama and Atlanta.
Hannity is well-known for his conspiracy theories, including President Barack Obama’s birth legitimacy, voter fraud, an AIDS cover-up, and the email scandal involving Hillary Rodham Clinton. For his current pro-President Donald Trump commentary, Sean Hannity is well known. The spouse of Hannity is Jill Rhoads. They reside in Long Island, New York, with their two kids.
#1 Anderson Cooper – $200 million
As a news anchor, Anderson Cooper is the wealthiest. He currently has a \$200 million net worth. Being the son of an heiress helps, of course. Gloria Vanderbilt, an heiress and fashion designer, is Cooper’s mother. Conversely, Cooper did not have a golden childhood. In 1967, Anderson Cooper was conceived in New York City.
In 1978, during open heart surgery, his father died from a heart attack. In 1988, his older brother committed suicide. Anderson got motivated. Before pursuing journalism, Anderson worked as a young model for Fords, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Macy’s.
He attended Yale University and worked as a CIA intern. He worked as a fact-checker while spending a year in Vietnam. Anderson started working for ABC as a news correspondent in 1995; in 2001, he started working for CNN. Cooper launched “Anderson Cooper 360°,” a nightly news program, in 2003.
He covers political topics and travels to the scene of breaking news. From 2011 to 2013, he held a syndicated radio show. He hosted “Planets in Peril” and “An All-Star Tribute” in 2007. Cooper also started working as a “60 Minutes” correspondent.” Anderson Live was hosted by Anderson Cooper in 2010.
References
- Garrett Parker, The 20 Richest News Anchors in the World, retrieved from https://moneyinc.com/20-richest-news-anchors-world/
- Glusea, Top 10 Richest Journalists in the world, retrieved from https://www.glusea.com/top-10-richest-journalists-in-the-world/
- Web Post, Richest Journalists In The World, retrieved from https://successstory.com/spendit/richest-journalists-in-the-world