Brian Kilmeade Net Worth and Salary

May 22, 2024

Brian Kilmeade has an estimated net worth of $10 million, thanks to his successful career which fetches him an annual salary of not less than $4 million, and his several other endeavors outside Fox.

Brian Kilmeade’s Current Contract With Fox News Earns Him a $4 Million Salary Per Year

Fox & Friends is one of the most popular programs on Fox News. It premiered in February 1998 and has become known for supporting the Republican Party. Its ratings soared in 2017 with an estimated 1.7 million viewers following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the president of the United States. As of April 2021, Brian Kilmeade co-hosts the show with Steve Doocy and Ainsley Earhardt.

Given that Brian has been a part of the show since 1998, it is only natural for one to expect that he gets a huge check for his service. Based on what several platforms have reported, he pockets $4 million every year. It is a huge amount that has contributed most to his $8 million net worth. But the media personality has not always commanded such a huge amount as his salary.

Many years ago (in 2008), Fox News signed and renewed the contracts of its personalities like Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly. It was reported that Hannity inked a multi-million, multi-year contract while O’Reilly was signed to earn over $10 million every year. This reportedly inspired Brian Kilmeade to demand higher pay among other things. Fox News executives had to shut down negotiations which left Brian with little option but to accept what the network offered. He may not be among the most paid on-air personalities at Fox News but he has come a long way from what he used to earn.

His Salary Ranged from $45,000 to $78,000 Yearly At The Early Stage of His Career

Brain Kilmeade schooled at Massapequa High School in New York and thereafter, he proceeded to the Long Island University (LIU Post) from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. Inasmuch as we would all come to know him for his role in Fox News, it was not there that he began his career.

It all started for him with Channel One News where he worked as a correspondent before moving to work with KFTR-DT. He also worked with XTRA-AM where he was a co-host of “The Jim Brown Show”. As he progressed, he became an announcer for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC 1) alongside Jim Brown; and would later work for UFC 2 and UFC 3 as a play-by-play announcer.

More so, Kilmeade got to work for WVIT, a television station owned and operated by NBC. All of these lasted for over a decade, spanning from the late ’80s to the late ’90s. Details of what he earned are not known but it has been estimated that his yearly salary ranged from $45,000 to $78,000.

Brian Kilmeade’s Salary When He Joined Fox News Was Around $100,000 Per Year

Having worked with different media outfits, he joined Fox News in 1997. It was a big break for Brian and he wasn’t going to take it for granted. He put in a lot of work and was so dedicated that he received a significant promotion the following year. It was in 1998 that he became the co-host of Fox & Friends, a show known as one of the most popular news/talk programs in the United States.

As the show is known to be one of Fox News’ most successful, it is no surprise that it has seen Brian Kilmeade’s salary grow from $100 thousand to a massive $4 million. He co-hosts the show on weekdays and has been doing so since 1998. Because of that, people have come to wonder if he’s the highest-paid host of Fox & Friends. Yes, he is: his yearly salary of $4 million is the same as Steve Doocy’s who anchors the show.

What He Earns Compared to Other Hosts of Fox & Friends

Fox & Friends has been airing on Fox News since February 1998 and has seen several hosts come and go. Some of its most notable former hosts include Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Gretchen Carlson, E. D. Hill, Dave Briggs, Abby Huntsman, and others.

Currently, Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, Janice Dean, Jillian Mele, and Brian are the weekday hosts of the program. The weekend hosts are Jedediah Bila, Pete Hegseth, Will Cain, and Rick Reichmuth.

Below is a quick look at Brian Kilmeade’s salary in comparison to other hosts of the show.

Brian Kilmead Salary – $4 Million Yearly
Steve Doocy Salary – $4 Million Yearly
Ainsley Earhardt Salary – $2 Million Yearly
Janice Dean Salary – $1 Million Yearly
Jillian Mele Salary – Undetermined
Jedediah Bila Salary – $200 Thousand Yearly
Pete Hegseth Salary – Undetermined
Will Cain Salary – Undetermined
Rick Reichmuth Salary – Undetermined

Other Avenues Through Which Brian Kilmeade Accumulated His $8 Million Net Worth

Based on the foregoing, it is clear that Brian’s career as a media personality is the major source of his wealth. He commands a $4 million salary per year and the amount is bound to increase in the future if his career continues in its upward trajectory. Being a smart fellow, he has capitalized on the fame and relevance his career brought him and has made money through other means like the books he has published.

The Political Commentator Has Made Millions From His Books

More than just a TV and radio show host, he is also a writer who has thus far published six books, out of which at least two were New York Times bestsellers. For a book to attain that status, it must have sold anything from 5,000 to 10,000 copies in a week. Now let’s assume that the average price of the bestsellers was $8 apiece (Brain sells personalized copies for $15); it means he has made at least $160,000 from only two of his books.

The Games Do Count: America’s Best and Brightest on the Power of Sports was published as his first book in 2004, followed by It’s How You Play the Game: The Powerful Sports Moments That Taught Lasting Values to America’s Finest in 2007. In 2013, he published George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution, and in 2015, he co-published Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History with Don Yaeger. 2017 came and he published yet another book with Yaeger titled Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: The Battle That Shaped America’s Destiny. In 2009, he dropped Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers: The Texas Victory That Changed American History.

Kilmeade Has Also Earned from Stand-up Comedy

Surely, some things are yet to be learned about Brain Kilmeade. For many, it includes the fact that he pursued a career in stand-up comedy. Yes, during the early years of his career, Brain worked as a stand-up comedian for about 10 years.

What he made through this is best known to him but considering he spent as much as a decade in the field, it wouldn’t be out of place for one to suggest it was a significant amount. Also, it possibly laid the foundation for the media personality to accumulate his wealth as it was his earliest source of income.

A Look At His Net Worth Over Time

From his salary at Fox News to his other sources of income discussed above, Brian Kilmeade has earned every bit of his status as a multi-million. He once disclosed that he is typically on air for at least 6 hours a day and 5 days a week. Just as his salary grew from five to six figures and then seven, his net worth has also increased over the years as shown below.

1993 – $100,000
1995 – $180,000
1997 – $250,000
2000 – $380,000
2003 – $750, 000
2005 – $1.5 Million
2008 – $2 Million
2010 – $3.8 Million
2012 – $4.2 Million
2015 – $5 Million
2017 – $5.5 Million
2019 – $6.5 Million
2021 – $8 Million
2022 – $10 Million

Comparing His Wealth to Other Hosts of Fox & Friends

Considering the fact that Brian Kilmeade’s career as a media personality is not the only source of his income, one shouldn’t be surprised he is richer than most hosts of Fox & Friends as shown below.

Brian Kilmead Net Worth – $8 Million
Steve Doocy Net Worth – $11 Million
Ainsley Earhardt Net Worth – $6 Million
Janice Dean Net Worth – $4 Million
Jillian Mele Net Worth – Undetermined
Jedediah Bila Net Worth- Undetermined
Pete Hegseth Net Worth – Undetermined
Will Cain Net Worth – $1.5 Million
Rick Reichmuth Net Worth – Undetermined

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