What is Matt Drudge's Net Worth?
Matt Drudge is an American political commentator who has a net worth of $100 million. Matt Drudge is, of course the man behind the Drudge Report, an American news aggregator. Over the years, Matt has become a central figure in American political commentary, appearing on a number of television and radio shows. He has also written several books. In particular, Drudge is known for reporting on political scandals.
Earnings
According to a magazine interview in 2003, at that point in time Drudge's website was generating $3,500 per day in advertising revenues. That equated to about $1.3 million per year. It is estimated that the website was raking in around $800,000 in profit during this period. During this time, Drudge estimated that he was profiting about $1.2 million per year from both his website and his radio show. Today, it is estimated that Drudge Report generates tens of thousands of dollars per day in profit. Perhaps as much as $50,000.
Early Life
Matthew Drudge was born on October 27th 1966 in Takoma Park, Maryland. He was initially raised near Washington, D.C. by both of his parents, but he witnessed their divorce at the age of six. Matt then went to live with his mother, who is a former staff attorney for US Senator Ted Kennedy. Both of his parents are Democrats, and both worked for the federal government in some capacity. During his childhood, Drudge had only a few friends and passed the time by reading the news and listening to talk radio. He was not a particularly gifted student and at one point, joked that his educational qualifications made him best suited for a job at 7-Eleven.
Career
Generally speaking, Matt Drudge was completely unknown to the world until he started the news aggregation site, the Drudge Report. He had previously worked at 7-Eleven, McDonald's, and other similar jobs. In 1989, he relocated to Los Angeles and started working at the gift shop for CBS Studios. After becoming manager of the gift shop, he started to hear all kinds of gossip, which led to the creation of the Drudge Report. His father bought him his first computer in 1994, which he used to found the Drudge Report.
Originally, the Drudge Report was simply a set of email notes sent to his friends. Eventually, it began to expand, reporting on opinion-based stories and gossip for the most part. It then became a proper email newsletter before being posted on a Usenet forum. By the late 90s, the Drudge Report had begun to transition towards being a web-based news site instead of an email newsletter. During this period, Matt Drudge also gained a reputation for breaking a number of news stories before the mainstream media. This included news that Jack Kemp would be Bob Dole's running mate in 1996 and the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
During this period, Drudge also met Andrew Breitbart and became his mentor. Breitbart became involved in the operation of the Drudge Report until 2005 when he left under amicable terms. For many years, Drudge continued to run his operation out of a one-bedroom apartment in Hollywood, even when his website was achieving considerable success.
Evan Agostini/Getty Images
In the late 90s, Fox News Channel gave Matt Drudge the opportunity to host his own show called "Drudge." However, the show ended after approximately one year. Drudge and Fox disputed over a few issues, with Matt accusing the network of censoring him. The dispute reached a boiling point when Matt Drudge wanted to show images of an abortion surgery to highlight his pro-life viewpoint, but Fox refused to air the footage.
By the early 2000s, Matt had begun to focus mostly on his radio show and his website. This radio show started to gain momentum in the early 2000s when it was frequently referenced by Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Mark Levin on their own shows. In 2007, Matt Drudge left his position as a radio host. Over the years, Matt has also published a number of books. In 2020, he published "The Drudge Revolution: The Inside Story of How Talk Radio, Fox News, and a Gift Shop Clerk with an Internet Connection Took Down the Mainstream Media." He also co-wrote "Drudge Manifesto" with Julia Phillips, which became a best seller in 2000.
Political Views
Drudge has been described as a conservative populist. In the late 90s, Matt himself argued that he was a libertarian, "except for drugs and abortion." He has also argued for lower taxes, and he has bragged that he is "free from any corporate concerns."
(STEPHEN JAFFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Real Estate
In 2011, Matt Drudge purchased a $1.45 million "safari home" in Miami. The ranch-style residence sits on five acres and features 6,500 square feet of living space, a waterfall in the master bedroom, and a state-of-the-art security camera system. Around this time, he also sold a condo at the Four Seasons in Miami for roughly $1 million. In 2013, it was reported that Matt Drudge had expanded his Miami compound to more than 10 acres by purchasing an adjacent property. He reportedly purchased this additional property for $700,000. In October 2023 Matt listed his original five-acre Miami property for a little under $3 million. In January 2024 he lowered the price to $1.995 million. He ultimately accepted $1.6 million in April 2024.
In 2013, Drudge sold one of his Miami-based mansions for $1.575 million. He had owned this residence for many years before eventually offloading it to a FedEx executive named Don Colleran. The mansion features three bedrooms and 2,609 square feet of living space. He originally purchased this home for $1.4 million in 2003. In 2016, he gave a $700,000 Miami house to a man with whom he had lived for many years.
