What Is John King's Net Worth and Salary?
John King is an American journalist and producer who has a net worth of $7 million. John King is probably best known for his election night coverage on CNN. John is CNN's Chief National Correspondent, and he has anchored "Inside Politics" on the network since 2014. King previously hosted "State of the Union" (2009–2010) and "John King, USA" (2010–2012), and from 1999 to 2005, he was CNN's senior White House correspondent. In 2021, John served as a producer on "CNN Newsroom" and the documentary "Dreams of Daraa." He also appeared in the 2012 film "Safe House," and he guest-starred in one episode of Amazon Prime Video's "Alpha House" (2014) and three episodes of Netflix's "House of Cards" (2013–2016).
Early Life
John King was born John Carlton King on August 30, 1963, in Boston, Massachusetts. His heritage is Irish, and his ancestors came from Dún Locháin, Co. Galway. John studied at Boston Latin School, then he graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1985.
Career
In 1985, King began writing for the Associated Press, and in 1991, he was promoted to the position of chief political correspondent, which put him in charge of AP's coverage of the next two presidential elections. In 1991, he also won the Associated Press Managing Editors' Association's top prize for his coverage of the Gulf War. John joined CNN in 1997 and became the network's senior White House correspondent two years later. CNN named King its chief national correspondent in 2005, and he began anchoring "Inside Politics" in 2014. He has been a frequent guest on nightly news programs such as "Anderson Cooper 360°" and "The Situation Room," and he is known for his use of the Multi-Touch Collaboration Wall, which has also been referred to as the "Magic Map" and the "Magic Wall." The Multi-Touch Collaboration Wall was first used during the 2008 presidential election primaries, and since its debut, John has been called "the wall magician," "the map guy," and "chairman of the board."
In January 2009, King became the host of the four-hour Sunday talk show "State of the Union," but after Lou Dobbs resigned from CNN that November, John was tapped to take over Lou's former timeslot. In January 2010, King announced that he would be leaving "State of the Union," and in March, he began hosting the hour-long news program "John King, USA," which aired until June 2012. John was the CNN anchor who confirmed Osama bin Laden's death in May 2011, and two days after the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013, he erroneously reported that a dark-skinned male had been identified as a suspect, citing sources that were in law enforcement. In 2020, King earned praise for his coverage of the presidential election, with the "New York Post" saying that he "won the internet on Election Day." The "Los Angeles Times" called King the "MVP" because of his election day coverage, and he told the publication, "Overall, to me, it is more than anything proof of the high interest in the election, and the trust we have worked hard to earn with people at key moments. Corny, maybe, but I love elections and love seeing turnout up across the board. And I'm grateful for the trust CNN places in me to have this role."
Personal Life
John has been married twice. His first marriage was to Jean Makie, and they had two children, Hannah and Noah, together. King wed Dana Bash, a fellow CNN anchor, on May 25, 2008, and before the wedding, he converted to Judaism from Roman Catholicism. John and Dana welcomed son Jonah in June 2011, and they divorced in 2012. In August 2022, Bash wrote an essay about Jonah deciding to wear the Star of David as a way to show pride in his religion in the face of anti-Semitism, and she and King later spoke about it on "Inside Politics." During the episode, John told Dana, "You're going to be seeing me getting a little choked up here, this is what happens. But we are lucky to have an amazing young son who taught you a lot." He added, "I'm proud of it. He's a great kid."
During an October 2021 episode of "Inside Politics," King revealed that he is immunocompromised because he suffers from multiple sclerosis. He later said that he had been diagnosed 13 years previously, and he told "People" magazine in November 2021, "One of the reasons I've been reluctant to talk publicly about this is because I worry, 'There's that guy on TV. He has MS. He's fine. It must not be a big deal.' MS is viciously cruel to people who get aggressive, progressive multiple sclerosis. It takes them from dancing to a wheelchair, sometimes in a period of months. It's horrible. It impacts every hour of my life. But I am incredibly lucky because mine is not aggressive, and because I have great doctors and great medical care." John has said that the week of the 2020 presidential election was especially tough for him and that he "was having a lot of trouble functioning."
Award Nominations
King has earned two News & Documentary Emmy Award nominations. In 2009, "CNN Election Night in America 2008" received a nomination for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Breaking News Story – Long Form, and in 2012, "Anderson Cooper 360°: Unrest Escalates in Egypt" was nominated for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story – Long Form.