Megyn Kelly recently made news for slamming Taylor Swift over her endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. election. The controversial lawyer, TV host, and conservative political commentator called the pop singer an “elite snob.”
“You can kiss your sales to the Republican audience goodbye, Taylor; [I] hope you enjoyed them while you had them,” Kelly said on her SiriusXM podcast.
Still, this isn’t the first time Kelly stirred the pot against Swift and other celebrities and politicians. Known for her fearless tirades and intense political convictions, the 54-year-old host has been quite the magnet for controversy.
However, for someone as recognizable as Kelly, many remain curious about her life outside the political stage.
In this post, I’ll share everything about Megyn Kelly net worth, life before fame, career history, and the string of issues that placed her under the public’s radar.
What Is Megyn Kelly’s Net Worth?
Despite the unrelenting career debacles, Megyn Kelly boasts quite a substantial fortune. At the time of this writing, Celebrity Net Worth estimates that the former Fox News correspondent’s net worth is $45 million.
Kelly’s primary source of wealth is her work as a TV host and political commentator. Although she also runs a successful podcast on YouTube, SiriusXM, with over 3 million subscribers and viewed 1.5 billion times.
Before becoming a media personality, Kelly was a successful lawyer and corporate litigator. However, after years in legal practice, she started questioning her career and quit in the early 2000s.
“I wanted to leave the practice of law. I hated the anger. [I] hated the hours. [I] hated what I’d become,” Kelly admitted in an interview. “Yes, I was making money. I had friends at the office. But I had to sacrifice everything else.”
With help from a friend, Kelly joined Fox News, became a Washington, D.C. news correspondent, and co-anchored America’s Newsroom alongside Bill Hemmer. It was there that she found her life’s calling.
Her biggest TV break came when she hosted The Kelly File. The show became one of the network’s most popular, with consistently high ratings and views.
Image source: Google
By 2013, Megyn Kelly would become one of the highest-earning employees on the network. Her salary peaked at $8 million per year, on par with many prominent and influential media faces at the time.
She’d later leave Fox News and join NBC to host her own daytime news program. With a three-year contract worth $69 million ($23 million per year), Kelly became the host of Megyn Kelly Today.
Who Is Megyn Kelly?
But let’s roll the tape back a little. Who was Megyn Kelly before becoming this hugely influential American media and political figure?
Early Life
Megyn Kelly was born in Champaign, Illinois, and was the youngest of three children. She spent most of her childhood in the neighborhood of DeWitt, New York before their family moved to Delmar.
Education
The young Kelly was quite a proactive student. She attended Bethlehem Central High School, was an athlete, and led the school’s cheerleading squad. She finished high school in 1988 and studied at Syracuse University.
Image source: Google
Kelly initially wanted to become a journalist and join the School of Public Communications but was unfortunately turned down. So, instead, she studied political science and earned her degree in 1992.
When she was 23, she enrolled at the Albany Law School and edited the school’s magazine, Albany Law Review. Megyn Kelly graduated with honors in 1995.
Debacle With Donald Trump
One of the highlights of Megyn Kelly’s career happened in 2015 when she challenged the then-presidential candidate, Donald Trump.
While she previously denied being a feminist, Kelly demanded that Trump explain past sexist comments, resulting in a heated back-and-forth.
Outraged by the host’s boldness, Trump fell back to name-calling and called Kelly “crazy,” “overrated,” and “a bimbo.”
Now with a common enemy to face, the two decided to set aside their long-time feud, chalking the incident “water under the bridge.”
As you know, Megyn Kelly has become one of Trump’s greatest supporters in the 2024 presidential election, and urged other women to vote for the man she called the real “protector of women.”
Image source: Instagram
‘Black Face’ and NBC Controversy
Megyn Kelly Today aired on NBC in September of 2017. One year later, the show got canceled and NBC allegedly paid Kelly a hefty sum of $30 million to “not do journalism there,” as media critic, Brian Lowry tweeted.
The reason for the show’s cancellation was a controversial comment made by Kelly.
In said comment, she questioned whether wearing “black face” costumes on Halloween can actually be considered racist.
Her remarks made their rounds on the internet and, despite the host’s public apology, NBC stopped airing Megyn Kelly Today two days later.
In 2019, she was fired by NBC for publishing racial discrimination.
Final Thoughts
Megyn Kelly’s journalism career was peppered with controversies. Yet, her no-BS brand of journalism is certainly a breath of fresh air for many.
With a net worth of $45 million and millions of online supporters, Megyn Kelly remains a force to be reckoned with in the political space.
Featured image source: Google
