What is Katie Couric's Net Worth and Salary?
Katie Couric is an accomplished anchorwoman and journalist, holding a net worth of $110 million. Her prolific career in journalism includes high-profile news shows and hosting her talk show, Katie.
Salary History
Throughout the mid-to-late 1990s, Katie Couric earned a salary of $7 million per year, which equates to about $11 million today. In December 2001, following the notable coverage of the 9/11 attacks on the Today Show, Couric signed a groundbreaking 4.5-year $60 million contract, with an annual salary of $13 million ($19 million today). She transitioned to CBS in 2006 with a $15 million annual salary. In 2011, she inked a $40 million deal with ABC News. Couric was later recruited by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer to be Yahoo's Global Anchor, initially earning $6 million per year, which was increased to $10 million in 2015. She concluded her tenure with Yahoo in 2017.
Early Life
Katherine Anne Couric was born on January 7th, 1957, in Arlington, Virginia. Raised in a Presbyterian home by a Jewish mother and a father who worked as a news editor, Couric displayed early interest in journalism. She was a high school cheerleader and interned at Washington D.C.’s WAVA radio station. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 1979 with a degree in American Studies.
Early Career
After college, Couric joined ABC News, later working for CNN as an assignment editor. Her first reporting role was with a local TV news network in Miami, Florida. Katie then joined an NBC-owned station in Washington, D.C., earning an Emmy and an Associated Press Award.
NBC and The Today Show
The 1990s marked the rise of Couric’s career as she joined NBC News as a Pentagon correspondent and substitute anchor. In 1991, she became the permanent co-anchor of Today and later anchored Dateline NBC. She hosted various news specials and the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games starting in 2000.
CBS
In 2006, Couric moved to CBS, anchoring and editing CBS Evening News, and hosting multiple CBS reports. Although CBS struggled against competitors NBC and ABC, Couric significantly improved the network's ratings. At CBS, she covered major stories such as the 2006 presidential elections, the BP oil spill, the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, and the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. She conducted notable interviews with figures like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Michelle Obama, Daniel Radcliffe, and Justin Bieber.
Other Work
Couric returned to ABC News in 2011, contributing to Nightline, Good Morning America, and co-hosting The View. She launched the retrospective show The Year With Katie Couric with People Magazine and started her talk show Katie, which ran from 2012 to 2014. In 2013, Couric joined Yahoo! News, continuing her presence on Good Morning America segments until departing in 2017 after Verizon’s acquisition of Yahoo. In 2017, she returned to co-host Today on CBS briefly and has focused on her production company, Katie Couric Media, founded in partnership with National Geographic. She also executive produced Netflix’s Unbelievable.
D Dipasupil/Getty Images
Acting
Couric has appeared in many acting roles, including voicing Katie Current in Shark Tale and cameos in Austin Powers in Goldmember, General Hospital, Murphy Brown, Glee, Pawn Stars, and Will & Grace. She has also narrated or hosted documentaries like Fed Up, Under the Gun, and America Inside Out With Katie Couric.
Writing
Katie Couric has published children's books such as Brand New Kid and The Blue Ribbon Day. In 2011, she released a compilation of essays, The Best Advice I Ever Received: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives.
Personal Life
Couric married John Paul Monahan in 1989, and they had two daughters before his passing from cancer in 1998. Her sister passed from cancer in 2001. Couric has been deeply involved in cancer research and charity work throughout her life. In 2014, she married financier John Molner, a partner at Brown Brothers Harriman.
Real Estate
In 1998, Couric bought a 4,000-square-foot Park Avenue apartment in New York City for $3.6 million and sold it in 2018 for $7.8 million. In 2016, she and Molner purchased a condo on NYC's Upper West Side for $12.2 million. Since 2006, Couric has owned a 1.6-acre estate in East Hampton, NY, where she and Molner wed in 2014.
