Tucker Carlson Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Tucker Carlson’s net worth and salary details

In the United States, Tucker Carlson is recognized as a political commentator, author, and TV personality with a total wealth amounting to $50 million. During the years 2000 to 2005, Tucker served as a commentator on CNN. Subsequently, from 2005 to 2008, he hosted a program on MSNBC, and in 2009, he commenced his tenure at Fox News. The establishment of his nightly talk show “Tucker Carlson Tonight” dates back to 2016.

His dismissal from Fox News on April 24, 2023, shortly following Fox’s $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, created significant ripples in the media landscape. Coincidentally, the same day also saw the abrupt dismissal of Don Lemon from CNN.

Beyond his television work, Tucker contributed to the inception of The Daily Caller website and is an accomplished author and columnist. On May 9, 2023, Tucker revealed plans for a new program on Twitter, opting out of an estimated $25 million Fox News contract repayment. Further details surrounding his contracts are elaborated in the following section.

Tucker Carlson’s salary and Fox contract

At the time of his departure, Tucker was earning a considerable annual income of $10 million at Fox.

Following the shift from a weekend correspondent to assuming the previous prime-time 8 pm weeknight slot of Bill O’Reilly, Tucker’s earnings escalated from $2 million to $6 million yearly. While this increase may seem substantial, Bill O’Reilly had previously been drawing in $25 million. Tucker eventually surpassed O’Reilly in ratings significantly.

Up to February 2021, Tucker adhered to this contract until signing a 3-year extension enhancing his salary to $10 million. This extension expanded the deal to encompass a podcast consisting of show interviews and monthly original content under the title “Tucker Carlson Originals”.

Prior to his sudden exit, Tucker was engaged in negotiations for a contract extension prolonging his Fox tenure until 2029.

Looking ahead, potential scenarios involving Fox and Tucker suggest that Fox may have needed to demonstrate justifiable cause for terminating Tucker to avoid further financial obligations from his current contract ($10 million yearly for another 2-3 years). Alternatively, Fox may have aimed to retain Tucker under contract to prevent him from joining a competitor network during the remainder of his deal (2-3 years). Essentially, Tucker could have opted to sustain the $10 million yearly income as per his prior agreement, albeit forfeiting opportunities to appear on rival networks or disparage his former employer.

Answers to these speculations surfaced on May 9, 2023!

Tucker’s decision to renounce his Fox contract in favor of independently pursuing a new venture on Twitter meant passing on a guaranteed $25 million over the remaining 2.5 years of his Fox contract.

Tucker’s Early Life

Hailing from San Francisco but raised predominantly in Southern California, Tucker’s father, Richard Warner Carlson, was an LA news anchor and ambassador to the Seychelles. Tucker’s upbringing, marked by his parents’ divorce and subsequent marriage of his father to Patricia Caroline Swanson, the heiress of the Swanson frozen foods dynasty, shaped his childhood.

His academic journey led him to Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he graduated with a degree in history in 1991.

Tucker Carlson’s Career Journey

Embarking on a print journalism career, Tucker’s work surfaced in publications like Policy Review and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He ventured into being a columnist for outlets such as Reader’s Digest, New York Magazine, and various newspapers and magazines like Esquire, The Weekly Standard, and The New Republic. Besides his print endeavors, Tucker gained prominence as a host on CNN’s Crossfire panel, notably advocating conservative viewpoints.

One pivotal moment during his time at CNN was a confrontational interview with comedian Jon Stewart, seen as a catalyst for Crossfire’s subsequent cancellation. Transitioning across networks led Tucker to MSNBC and eventually Fox News.

Known for his conservative perspectives and trademark bow tie, Tucker’s ascendancy at Fox News began with taking over Bill O’Reilly’s prime-time slot in 2017. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” swiftly emerged as Fox News’ highest-rated program, garnering an average nightly viewership surpassing his counterparts at CNN and MSNBC combined.

On April 24, 2023, Tucker’s abrupt exit from Fox News, effective immediately, startled the industry.

Tucker’s Literary Contributions

Corresponding with his trajectory at Fox News, Tucker secured a substantial book deal. This deal, valued at $15 million, encompassed multiple publications. Notably, his works “Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News”, “Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution” (2018), and “The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism” (2021) reflected his diverse literary output.

The Daily Caller

In 2010, Tucker co-founded DailyCaller.com with Neil Patel, presenting a right-wing news and opinion platform positioned as a conservative counterpart to The Huffington Post. Tucker’s eventual divestment in June 2020 involved the sale of his 1/3 stake to Patel for an undisclosed sum.

Tucker’s Personal Realm

Since 1991, Tucker has been wedded to Susan Andrews, with their union originating at the chapel of St. George School in Middletown, Rhode Island. The couple’s family expands to four children, with Tucker’s distinct features of being left-handed and dyslexic shaping his individuality.

Engulfed in a prolonged legal dispute regarding their estranged mother’s estate, Tucker and his brother Buckley have been entangled in contentions over a substantial oil and gas partnership inherited from their late mother, Lisa Vaughn. Initially valued at a modest sum, this estate ultimately revealed holdings amounting to a minimum of $2.5 million. The drawn-out legal battle remains unresolved as of present.

Tucker’s Residential Endeavors

Splitting their time between a Florida residence and a property nestled within Tucker’s ancestral domain in Maine, the Carlsons’ lifestyle embodies a blend of locales.

In the Washington D.C. neighborhood of Kent, they downsized from a $4 million home to a $2 million home and sold the latter for $2.04 million in November 2017.

Again in Kent, in July 2017, they purchased a new house for $3.895 million. They listed this property for sale in July 2020 at $3.95 million, slightly higher. The house sold at the asking price within a month. Reportedly, they decided to sell the home after encountering protestors on the driveway and at their door.

Earlier in 2020, Tucker acquired a $2.9 million home on Gasparilla Island in Florida. By mid-2022, another residence on Gasparilla was purchased for $5.5 million, with both properties situated side by side in the Boca Grande community.