FOX news host Megyn Kelly looks on during the Republican Presidential debate sponsored by Fox News at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa on January 28, 2016. (Getty)
Megyn Kelly is in demand.
With news that the Fox News anchorwoman is now jumping to NBC News, some are wondering: What are Kelly’s salary and net worth?
She was already one of television’s most sought after and highest paid broadcast personalities, a star that grew hotter after her feuds with President-Elect Donald Trump elevated her profile.
Although those feuds caused controversy, more people were talking about Kelly, 46, than before. In TV news, that can be gold.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Kelly Was Making Millions at Fox News
Kelly’s salary was supposed to rise to $15 million for the final year of her contract deal at Fox. The Los Angeles Times reported that her contract was up in July.
That figure placed her second only to Bill O’Reilly, whose ratings are the highest at the network.
Kelly had recently changed publicity teams and agents and made it clear she was up for grabs. The Wall Street Journal reported that her Fox show pulled in 2.7 million viewers.
2. Kelly’s New Salary at NBC News Is Believed to Be Similar to What She Made at Fox
Megyn Kelly attends the 6th Annual BGC Charity Day at BGC Partners, INC on September 13, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images)
Although NBC News has confirmed Kelly’s hire, how much she will make at the network was not disclosed. The Los Angeles Times reported through sources that it’s believed Kelly is making about the same as she made at Fox – $15 million.
So far, the salary has not leaked through sources, either. Of course, it’s early. News of Kelly’s switch to NBC was only announced the morning of January 3.
It’s likely that Kelly will make more at NBC than Fox, though, as she had sparked a “bidding war” among networks. However, the degree to which that was fact instead of perception was disputed; Vanity Fair reported that some networks weren’t seriously pursuing Kelly because they considered her salary costs prohibitive.
Some network executives were also concerned about fallout from her feud with Donald Trump.
3. The Murdochs Reportedly Offered Kelly Millions More to Stay
(Getty)
The Murdoch family, which owns Fox News, was willing to up Kelly’s salary by $5 million to $20 million a year.
However, she was lured by NBC’s promise of triple duties and perhaps better hours for her young family (Kelly is married with three children.)
New York Magazine reported that the final offer may have gone up to $25 million, although there is disagreement from sources as to whether Kelly requested it or the Murdochs offered it.
In a press release announcing Kelly’s hire, NBC said: “Kelly will become anchor of a new one hour daytime program that she will develop closely with NBC News colleagues. The show will air Monday through Friday at a time to be announced in the coming months. As part of the multi-year agreement, Kelly will also anchor a new Sunday evening news magazine show and will become an important contributor to NBC’s breaking news coverage as well as the network’s political and special events coverage.”
4. Kelly Has Enriched Herself By Authoring a Book
Kelly’s fortune has grown as her celebrity has risen. In addition to her hosting duties, she is the author of a new book. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kelly “received a reported $6 million advance from publisher HarperCollins (a 21st Century Fox subsidiary.)”
The book was called Settle For More, and it chronicled Kelly’s career as well as her sexual harassment accusations against former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes.
Most sites place Kelly’s net worth at about $15 million. However, that was when she was only earning $6 million a year at Fox, and it was before her book started bringing in royalties.
Kelly has a B.A. with honors in Political Science from Syracuse University and a J.D. with honors from Albany Law School, where she served as editor of the Albany Law Review, NBC News said in its statement announcing her hire.
The NBC statement says, “Before joining FNC, Kelly served as a general assignment reporter for WJLA-TV (ABC 7) in Washington, D.C. where she covered national and local stories of interest, including the 2004 presidential race and the D.C. sniper case. Prior to her career in television news, Kelly practiced law as a corporate litigator at Jones Day for seven years and was an associate in the Chicago office of Bickel & Brewer LLP for two years.”
5. Kelly is Among the Highest Paid News Anchors
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 16: Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie attend the NBCUniversal 2016 Upfront Presentation on May 16, 2016 in New York, New York. (Getty)
The average salary for a news anchor in the United States was $83,300 in 2015. However, that price tag jumps with the market.
At the national level, prominent news anchors make millions, although reports on their salaries sometimes contradict.
Matt Lauer has a salary of at least $25 million. Forbes says Bill O’Reilly earns $24 million. Page Six, though, put O’Reilly’s salary at between $15 and $17 million a year.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper reportedly earns at least $11 million with bonuses, but is worth $100 million.
Katie Couric made $10 million a year for Yahoo and $15 million a year at CBS News.
However, some reports say Savannah Guthrie only earns $500,000 a year.