Judge Jeanine Pirro has an estimated net worth of $5 million. (Getty)
Judge Jeanine Pirro is a Fox News contributor who has President Donald Trump‘s endorsement. She’s the host of Justice with Judge Jeanine, and frequently appears on other Fox News shows. After being with the network for over a decade, she has a net worth in the millions.
On March 25, Trump told his 27.1 million Twitter followers to watch her show. Hours later, the 65-year-old Pirro opened with the declaration that, “Paul Ryan needs to step down as leader of the House” after the Republicans weren’t able to pass their replacement for the Affordable Care Act on March 24. The bill was pulled before a vote could even take place.
Here’s what you need to know about Pirro’s net worth.
1. Pirro Has an Estimated Net Worth of $5 Million
Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Pirro has an estimated net worth of $5 million.
Pirro was born in Elmira, New York, which is close to Pennsylvania’s north border with the Empire State. She graduated from the State University of New York, Buffalo and earned her J.D. at Albany Law School of Union University.
In 1975, she married Albert Pirro. In June 2000, he was convicted of tax fraud charges and was sentenced to 11 months in prison. In 2007, the couple confirmed to the New York Daily News that they were getting divorced. The divorce was finalized in 2013.
The couple have two children together – Christi Pirro and Alexander Pirro. Christi is currently an associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
2. Pirro Tried to Sell Her Custom-Built Mansion for $4.75 Million
Jeanine Pirro at Trump Tower on November 17. (Getty)
In July 2015, LoHud.com reported that Pirro listed her custom-built mansion in Harrison, New York for $4.995 million. She has struggled to sell the property and re-listed it a year later. In June 2016, Variety reported that the asking price was lowered to $4.75 million.
The brick house was built in 1988 and it cost Pirro and her husband just $425,000 to have it built.
As LoHud.com notes, the home played a big part in Albert Pirro’s federal tax fraud case. He claimed that several major purchases he made for the homoe and himself were business expenses, including the $45,000 remote-controlled electronic driveway gates. He also claimed that $50,000 worth of custom woodwork on the home as business expenses.
The house has 12 rooms, including a family room with a fireplace, a library and a two-story entry hall.
According to Variety, the house was represented by Wendy Alpher at Sotheby’s, but it’s no longer listed on her page.
3. Pirro Also Hosted a CW Show Called ‘Judge Jeanine Pirro’ That Won an Emmy
Pirro hoped to run against then-Senator Hillary Clinton in 2005, but didn’t get the Republican nomination. (Getty)
Two years after she joined Fox News, Pirro began hosting a fdaytime court show called Judge Jeanine Pirro on The CW. The series only ran for three seasons, ending in May 2011 after poor ratings.
During its run, the show was nominated twice for the Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program Daytime Emmy, winning in 2011. Judge Mathis host Greg Mathis was an executive consultant for the show.
4. Pirro Got Her Own Fox News Show in 2011
Although Pirro has been a Fox News contributor since 2006, it wasn’t until 2011 that the network gave her a show. Deadline reported on Fox News’ plans in December 2010, just a few days before Justice with Judge Jeanine debuted on January 8, 2011.
The show only airs once a week – Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET. For most networks, Saturday night is a “dead zone,” but the series has done well in the ratings. AdWeek reports that the show saw double-digit growth in total viewers and in the 25-54 demographic during the third quarter of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015.
Fox has also picked Pirro to host You The Jury, a reality TV series that will debut on April 7 at 9 p.m. ET. It’s an unscripted series that gives viewers the chance to decide civil cases from home.
5. Donald Trump Donated $20,000 to Her Failed 2006 Bid to Become New York Attorney General
Pirro rose to prominence in New York politics through her career in Westchester County. First, she was an Assistant District Attorney in 1975. In 1990, she became the first woman ever elected to be a Westchester County Court Judge. In 1993, she became the first woman ever elected to be Westchester County District Attorney and held the position until 2005. During her legal career, she became well-known for her fight against domestic violence, eventually chairing Governor George Pataki’s New York State Commission on Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board from 1997 to January 2006.
After her husband was convicted on tax fraud charges in 2000, Pirro refused to resign as Westchester County D.A. According to the New York Post, the office earned her $137,770 a year in 2000. However, she led a lavish lifestyle thanks to her husband’s lobbying and business career.
During her last year as D.A., Democrats criticized Pirro for paying her security escort James O’Donnell $87,430 in overtime, notes the New York Times. The Journal News noted that O’Donnell’s regular annual salary was $101,460 at the time. The Journal News also uncovered that he made $64,227 in overtime in 2004 and $43,920 in 2003, even as Pirro gave pink slips to six prosecutors to cut the budget.
“She’s district attorney 24/7, and she’s called at all hours of the day or night, and she needs this security,” a spokeswoman for Pirro told the Times. “She’s responded to crime scenes at all times. There’s no time when she’s not district attorney.”
Pirro never achieved her dream of serving in higher office. In 2005, she ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator for New York, but her campaign was torpedoed by an infamous campaign announcement speech, where she misplaced a page of her speech. In 2006, she was the Republican nominee for the New York State Attorney General, but lost to Andrew Cuomo.
Her unsuccessful 2005 and 2006 campaigns had a famous donor: Donald Trump. As The Observer reported in April 2011, Trump donated $20,000 to Pirro’s 2006 A.G. campaign and later donated over $20,000 to Cuomo’s campaign to defeat her.