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Broadcast journalism is one of the toughest jobs out there, and these female anchors are receiving some impressive compensation for their work. Networks have no problem shelling out the big bucks if it means holding the attention of their audiences. Take a look at some of the most recognizable women in the industry...
Megyn Kelly: $15M
Megyn Kelly began her broadcasting career as a political commentator on Fox News, where she hosted America Live, America's Newsroom, and The Kelly File until 2017. In 2019, the Oscar-nominated film Bombshell portrayed Kelly's career at Fox News, chronicling the events leading up to the resignation of Roger Ailes.
Kathie Lee Gifford: $60M
Kathie Lee Gifford established herself alongside Regis Philbin during her fifteen-year run on the talk show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee. In 2008, she joined the Today show as a co-host of Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda. Gifford and co-host Hoda Kotb earned a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host in 2019.
Kelly Ripa: $22M
Kelly Ripa's career in television began on the popular soap All My Children in 1990. Two years later, Ripa began hosting Live! with Regis and Kelly alongside Regis Philbin; she took over the show after his departure. In 2017, Ryan Seacrest joined the program as co-host. Ripa has been married to former All My Children co-star Mark Consuelos since 1996.
Katie Couric: $55M
Katie Couric has been a presenter at all of the Big Three television networks. She started off as an Assignment Editor for CNN, moving on to work for NBC News from 1989 to 2006, CBS News from 2006 to 2011, and ABC News from 2011 to 2014. Couric was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2004.
Rachel Maddow: $20M
Rachel Maddow was the first openly lesbian news anchor to host a major primetime program. Maddow has hosted The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC since 2008. Her talk radio show of the same name from 2005 to 2010.
Barbara Walters: $150M
Barbara Walters is one of the most famous female broadcasters of all-time. Walters began hosting television in the early 1960s, earning notoriety for her high-profile interviews, including an interview with Monica Lewinsky in 1999 that attracted the most viewers in TV history. She is best known for her time on Today, ABC Evening News, 20/20, and The View. Walters retired from broadcast journalism in 2015.
Connie Chung: $15M
Veteran broadcaster Connie Chung has served as an anchor on almost all major news networks, including NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC. Chung is known for her unique interview style. In 1995, she became the second woman in history to co-anchor a network newscast on CBS Evening News.
Diane Sawyer: $80M
Diane Sawyer has been a broadcast anchor since 1962. Sawyer has anchored major programs on two networks, including Good Morning America and ABC World News Tonight. She was the first-ever female correspondent on 60 Minutes. Currently, she works for ABC News as a documentary producer.
Trish Regan: $30M
Over the course of her prolific career as a newscaster, Trish Regan has worked for CNBC, NBC, and CBS. From 2015 to 2020, Regan anchored the conservative talk show Trish Regan Primetime. She was let go from the network after expressing her belief that the coronavirus was a hoax.
Lesley Stahl: $40M
Lesley Stahl is one of America's most well-known broadcast journalists. She first became a 60 Minutes correspondent in 1991 and has continued to work on the show ever since. Stahl's award-winning reporting earned her a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2003.
Ann Curry: $10M
Ann Curry has been a television personality for over 30 years. Curry has reported from all over the world, covering large-scale events of human suffering in Palestine, Syria, and Central America. Curry's coverage of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti is credited with helping to speed the arrival of humanitarian planes.
Robin Roberts: $25M
Before Robin Roberts began hosting Good Morning America in 2005, she worked as an ESPN sports reporter from 1990 to 2005. Her contributions to women's basketball led her to be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. Roberts was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare bone marrow disease, the same year; she earned a Peabody Award for her coverage of the treatments on GMA.
Ainsley Earhardt: $400K
Ainsley Earhardt began working as a local reporter for a South Carolina CBS new station, the Columbia, during college. In 2007, Earhardt began working at Fox News Channel, claiming that she "did not know the first thing about politics" before she was hired by Roger Ailes. Earhardt became the co-host of Fox & Friends in 2016.
Dana Bash: $6M
Dana Bash is best known for her role as a chief political correspondent for CNN. Bash's father, Stuart Schwartz, was an ABC News producer who served as the senior broadcast producer for Good Morning America. After graduating from George Washington University, Bash joined CNN as a producer of their weekend programming, working her way up through the ranks.
Poppy Harlow: $2M
CNN and Forbes.com reporter Poppy Harlow has been in the broadcast journalism business since college when she interned at CBS. Harlow joined Forbes.com in 2007 and CNN in 2008, serving as the anchor for CNNMoney.com. She is also a weekday relief presenter for CNN's New Day.
Liz Cho: $3M
Liz Cho has been a news anchor at WABC-TV since 2003 when she replaced Diana Williams during the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. time slots. Cho currently co-hosts Eyewitness News. She has been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People".
Yanet Garcia: $3M
Yanet Garcia has been hailed as the "hottest weather girl in the world." The Mexican model worked for Televisa Monterrey as a weather presenter until 2019, when she left the position to move to the U.S. with her partner. She has over 13 million Instagram followers.
Josina Anderson: $2.2M
Josina Anderson's sports news career began on the radio. From there, Anderson went on to host for CBS as a news anchor. She worked as a personal trainer for a period of time before landing her current position as a sports reporter for ESPN.
Rachel Nichols: $10M
Rachel Nichols launched her career as a sports journalist in the 1990s. She joined ESPN in 2004, becoming a regular fixture of SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, and Monday Night Countdown. She briefly left the network for CNN in 2013 until 2016, at which point she returned to ESPN to co-host The Jump.
Susan Li: $3M
Susan Li has been a business reporter all over the globe. Her career began at the CBC; she went on to present at Bloomberg Television, CNBC Asia, CNBC Europe, and CNBC US. In 2018, Li joined Fox Business Network as a news correspondent, interviewing high-profile guests such as Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Harris Faulkner: $6M
Conservative newscaster and TV host Harris Faulkner has received six Emmy Awards for her work as a broadcast journalist. Faulkner joined Fox News Channel in 2005, anchoring Fox Report Weekend from 2011 to 2017. She began hosting her own program, The Faulkner Focus, in 2021.
Samantha Ponder: $4.9M
Samantha Ponder is currently the host of Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN. The sportscaster replaced Erin Andrews on College Gameday. She was also the regular sideline reporter for ESPN's Thursday Night College Football from 2012 to 2014.
Catt Sadler: $3M
Catt Sadler is best known for her work on E! News alongside Jason Kennedy. In 2017, Sadler left the network upon learning that co-host Kennedy was earning double her salary. The Los Angeles Times named Salder one of the top ten up-and-coming broadcasters in entertainment.
Jackie Guerrido: $10M
Puerto Rican meteorologist Jackie Guerrido has served as the main weather forecaster for Primer Impacto on Univision since 2004. She is also the show's primary fill-in presenter. In 2010, Guerrido participated in Mira Quien Baila!, the Spanish-speaking version of Dancing with the Stars.
Nancy Grace: $3M
Nancy Grace hosted Nancy Grace from 2005 to 2016 on HLN, as well as Court TV's Closing Arguments from 1996 to 2007. Grace was formerly a prosecutor in Atlanta, Georgia. Her outspoken style and unique perspective have brought her both criticism and praise.
Bianna Golodryga: $3M
Originally from Moldova, Bianna Golodryga began her career as a producer at CNBC before becoming an on-air correspondent. Golodryga previously served as the news and finance anchor at Yahoo! News. She currently works as the senior global affairs analyst at CNN.
Joy Reid: $1.5M
Joy Reid is an award-nominated television host, political commentator, and MSNBC national correspondent. She is the author of Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons, and the Racial Divide, a recent history of the Democratic Party. Reid also hosts the programs AM Joy and The ReidOut on MSNBC.
Britt McHenry: $600K
Britt McHenry is a former ESPN personality who currently works as a commentator on Fox Nation. She is the host of a show on WTTG Fox 5 in Washington, D.C. The 34-year-old political commentator underwent emergency surgery in 2020 to remove a brain tumor.
Meredith Vieira: $40M
Meredith Vieira is best known as one of the first co-hosts of The View on ABC, where she worked from 1997 to 2006. She was also the original host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 2002 to 2013, as well as the co-host of Today from 2006 to 20111. She has been a contributor to a variety of other programs, such as NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC.
Greta Van Susteren: $35M
Greta Van Susteren is a former TV news anchor for CNN, Fox News, and NBC. Van Susteren hosted Fox News' On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren from 200 to 2016 before departing the network for ABC, where she hosted For the Record with Greta for only six months. Van Susteren has been listed as one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes.
Melissa Theuriau: $18M
French broadcast journalist Melissa Theuriau has been working as a reporter since 2002. The following year, she became an anchor for the French news channel La Chaîne Info, where she rose to fame. In 2006, Theuriau became the editor-in-chief of Zone Interdite on M6.
Christiane Amanpour: $12.5M
British-Iranian journalist Christiane Amanpour serves as the Chief International Anchor for CNN as well as the host of CNN International's nightly interview program Amanpour. She also presents Amanpour & Company on PBS. Amanpour earned a Peabody Award in 1998 due to her special reports for 60 Minutes.
Mika Brzezinski: $12M
The daughter of a diplomat and political scientist who served as an adviser to Jimmy Carter and Lyndon B. Johnson, liberal commentator Mika Brzezinski works as the co-host of MSNBC's Morning Joe alongside her husband Joe Scarborough. Brzezinski was formerly a CBS News correspondent, tasked with the challenge of serving as the network's "Ground Zero" reporter during the September 11 attacks.
Courtney Friel: $12M
News anchor and TV reporter Courtney Friel currently works for KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, California. She formerly covered entertainment for Fox's KTTV as well as other Fox News Channel stations. Friel released a memoir titled Tonight at 10: Kicking Booze and Breaking News about her struggles with addiction and recovery; it was announced in late 2020 that the autobiography would be turned into a biopic.
Natalie Morales: $8.5M
Natalie Morales is the West Coast anchor for Today on NBC, having replaced Ann Curry. She also appears on other programs such as Dateline NBC and NBC Nightly News. Morales has been named one of the "50 Most Influential Latinas" for her news coverage and reporting.
Hoda Kotb: $7M
Today co-anchor Hoda Kotb formerly served as a correspondent for Dateline NBC. The Egyptian American broadcast journalist started off her career at NBC News in 1998. She has published a number of books, including a New York Times bestselling autobiography, Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Cancer, and Kathie Lee.
Maria Bartiromo: $6M
Maria Bartiromo is the host of Mornings with Maria and Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street on Fox Business Network and Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo on Fox News Channel. Bartiromo has won a number of awards for her work at CNBC and CNN, including two Emmy Awards. Her prowess within the financial industry has earned her the nickname of "Money Honey".
Andrea Mitchell: $5M
Andrew Mitchell's broadcasting career has spanned over fifty years. The NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs & Chief Washington Correspondent is best known for reporting on the 2008 presidential election. She currently anchors Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC. In 2019, Mitchell earned a Lifetime Achievement Emmy for her work in the field of journalism.
Robin Meade: $4.5M
Formerly crowned Miss Ohio, Robin Meade is currently the lead news anchor for HLN's Morning Express with Robin Meade. Meade joined the network in 2001 after broadcasting with local Ohio stations. She has won a regional Emmy Award for her work. Meade also released country music albums in 2011 and 2013.
Abby Huntsman
The daughter of former Utah Governor Jon Hunstman Jr., Abby Huntsman rose to prominence as a host on both MSNBC and NBC News. She went on to become a general assignment reporter on Fox News Channel, later co-hosting Fox & Friends Weekend. From 2018 to 2020, Hunstman co-hosted The View. However, she left the show to serve as a senior advisor on her father's 2020 gubernatorial election campaign, which he lost.
Erin Burnett: $3M
This news anchor is currently the face of Erin Burnett Outfront on CNN. Burnett has hosted the show from China and Pakistan, as well as live the from the borders of Mali, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates. Joe Scarborough dubbed Burnett "the International Superstar" for her global work as a documentarian.
Elizabeth Vargas: $3M
Formerly an anchor of 20/20 and ABC News specials for 14 years, Elizabeth Vargas is currently the lead investigative reporter/documentary anchor for A&E Networks. She broadcast her first A&E Investigates series, Cults & Extreme Belief, in 2018. In 2006, Vargas was co-anchor of World News Tonight alongside Bob Woodruff, but departed in the midst of a difficult pregnancy.
Nancy O'Dell: $2M
Nancy O'Dell is best known for co-anchoring Entertainment Tonight from 2011 until 2019. Her career with Access Hollywood began in 1996, during which O'Dell covered a variety of ceremonies such as the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, and Golden Globe Awards. She appeared in minor roles in Charmed and played herself in Scream 2, Scream 3, and Scream 4.
Tamron Hall: $2M
Prior to debuting her self-itled syndicated talk show Tamron Hall, Hall was formerly a national news correspondent for NBC News, host of MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall, daytime anchor for MSNBC, and cohost of Today's third hour. Hall currently hosts Deadline: Crime on Investiation Discovery channel. She has been nominated for there Daytime Emmy Awards.
Savannah Guthrie: $2M
Savannah Guthrie has been the main co-anchor of the NBC News morning show Today since 2012. Guthrie joined the network in 2007 as a legal analyst and correspondent. Between 2008 and 2011, Guthrie served as a White House correspondent and co-anchor of The Daily Rundown on MSNBC.
Erin Andrews: $1.6M
This sportscaster rose to fame as a correspondent on ESPN after joining the network in 2004. Andrews joined Fox Sports in 2012 and has since served as the NFL broadcasting team's lead sideline reporter. In 2010, Andrews placed third on Dancing with the Stars, going on to become a co-host of the show from 2014 to 2019.
Amy Robach: $1.4M
Amy Robach is the current co-anchor of ABC's 20/20 alongside David Muir. She also serves as the breaking news anchor for Good Morning America. Robach was the subject of controversy in 2019 when a "hot mic" incident caught her discussing ABC's shutdown of her story on Jeffrey Epstein, which she had been trying to get out to the public for three years prior to his conviction.
Katy Tur: $1.3M
Author and broadcast journalist Katy Tur has been working as a correspondent for NBC News since 2009. Tur is an anchor for MSNBC Live and has reported for a variety of NBC News platforms such as Today, Meet the Press, and The Weather Channel. In late 2017, she published a book recounting her experience covering Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History.
Brooke Baldwin: $1.3M
Brooke Baldwin is best known for hosting CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin from 2008 until 2021 when she announced her departure from the show. Baldwin won a Silver World Medal for Best Investigative Report at the New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards in 2012 for her documentary To Catch a Serial Killer. She also covered both President Obama and President Trump's inaugurations.
Jane Pauley: $1.2M
Jane Pauley has been reporting and hosting since 1972. She first rose to prominence as Barbara Walters' successor on Today. She then moved on to Dateline NBC from 1992 to 2003. Since 2014, Pauley has hosted CBS Sunday Morning.
Deborah Norville: $1M
Deborah Norville has been the anchor of Inside Edition since 1995. She has also anchored for CBS News and co-hosted Today on NBC. Aside from broadcast journalism, Norville developed a line of yarns for knitting and crochet enthusiasts.
Martha MacCallum: $700K
Martha MacCallum is the host of The Story with Martha MacCallum on Fox News. Since joining the network in 2004, MacCallum has interviewed such notable figures as President Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, and Governor Chris Christie. She is a two-time recipient of the Gracie Award for Women in Journalism.
Paula Faris: $565K
Between 2014 and 2018, Paula Faris co-anchored Good Morning America Weekend; from 2015 to 2018, Faris joined The View as a co-host. Faris was first hired at ABC in 2011, debuting as the host of World News Now and America This Morning.
Ginger Zee: $500K
Ginger Zee is the chief meteorologist for ABC News. Zee is an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist. She rose to prominence after joining Good Morning America Weekend in 2001.
Charissa Thompson: $500K
Before landing her current role as the host of Fox Sports Live on Fox Sports 1, Charissa Thompson worked for ESPN, Versus, GSN, and the Big Ten Network. Thompson is also a presenter for Fox NFL Kickoff. Outside of sportscasting, Thopmson co-hosted Extra with Mario Lopez and Tracy Edmonds.
Melissa Francis
Prior to her role as an anchor and commentator for Fox Business Network on Fox News, Melissa Ann Francis worked as an actress. She starred in over 100 commercials throughout the course of the acting career. Francis departed from Fox in late 2020, but the circumstances surrounding her decision to leave the network remain unclear.
Rebecca Grant: $5M
Rebecca Grant began her career in television as the on-air host for the Buffalo Bills NFL Show on Empire Sports Network. Soon afterward, Grant was picked up as a correspondent for ESPN and Fox Sports World for the international soccer league. She soon rose from sideline correspondent to co-host of NFL Under the Helmet on Fox.
Jenna Lee: $1.2M
Jenna Lee formerly co-hosted Happening Now with Jon Scott on Fox News Channel. She had previously co-anchored Fox Business Network's early-morning show Fox Business Morning with Connell McShane. She announced in 2017 that she was going to leave the network to pursue other opportunities.
Katherine Timpf: $510K
Katherine Timpf is a comedian and reporter who frequently appears on Fox News Channel's The Greg Gutfeld Show. As of June 2019, she hosts Sincerely, Kat on Fox Nation. Timpf also co-hosts the weekly Fox News Radio podcast Tyrus and Timpf with professional wrestler Tyrus.
Carol Costello: $3M
Carol Costello is the former host of CNN Newsroom. She left the network in 2017 to join HLN, but HLN announced Costello's departure only one year later. Costello currently serves as first lady at Loyola Marymount University as a journalism professor.