Jane Pauley Net Worth

What is Jane Pauley's Net Worth and Salary?

Jane Pauley is a television host and author who has a net worth of $40 million. Jane Pauley stands as one of America's most respected broadcast journalists, whose career has spanned over four decades of television excellence. Rising to prominence in 1976 when she was chosen at just 25 years old to co-host NBC's "Today" show with Tom Brokaw, Pauley quickly established herself as a trusted voice in morning television. During her 13-year tenure on "Today," she helped revolutionize the format and became known for her warm yet incisive interview style.

After leaving "Today" in 1989, Pauley co-anchored "Dateline NBC" for more than a decade, further cementing her reputation for thoughtful journalism. Her career has included hosting her own talk show, "The Jane Pauley Show," and authoring memoirs including "Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue," where she candidly discussed her bipolar disorder diagnosis.

In a remarkable career renaissance, Pauley became the host of "CBS Sunday Morning" in 2016, becoming only the third permanent host in the program's long history. Throughout her career, she has received numerous Emmy Awards and been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. Married to "Doonesbury" cartoonist Garry Trudeau since 1980, Pauley's enduring presence in American broadcasting represents a model of journalistic integrity and adaptability.

Contracts & Salary

Jane joined The Today Show in 1976 after Barbara Walters had been hired away by ABC with a then-groundbreaking deal that paid $1 million per year. Jane's first NBC contract paid significantly less than $1 million per year. However, by the late 1980s she was making $1 million per year from NBC.

In 1989, NBC's decision to bring in a younger newsreader, Deborah Norville, set off a highly public succession drama. Norville was given an expanded role on Today (seated alongside Pauley and co-host Bryant Gumbel) and signed to a five-year, $5 million contract. Rumors swirled that NBC was easing Pauley out, and Pauley herself grew unhappy with the situation. She ultimately asked NBC to release her from her contract early, a request the network initially refused. Because she was mid-contract, Pauley could not simply quit Today and immediately take a job at another network's morning show (NBC executives made clear they wouldn't "want her to take her ratings points to the competition" while under contract)​.

NBC negotiated a compromise to keep Pauley in the fold. In late 1989, NBC renegotiated Pauley's contract, agreeing to let her step down from Today in exchange for new assignments elsewhere at NBC​. The deal gave Pauley her own prime-time newsmagazine program (the series Real Life with Jane Pauley launched in 1990) and a slate of NBC news specials​. Pauley accepted this arrangement, and on December 29, 1989 she made a graceful on-air exit from Today, thanking NBC for "this incredible front-row seat for the last 13 years"​

Notably, Today's ratings slid after her departure, underscoring NBC's incentive to keep her under contract even as she left the morning show.

She became co-anchor of Dateline from its premiere in 1992, alongside Stone Phillips​. This new role came with a fresh contract. Dateline NBC started as a weekly program and expanded to multiple nights per week in the mid-1990s, becoming a linchpin of NBC's schedule. As the show's prominence grew, Pauley's salary climbed significantly. By 1998, she was reportedly earning on the order of $5 million per year – putting her among NBC's highest-paid news figures​. NBC extended her deal in 1998. In 2003, Pauley surprised NBC by declining another extension. She left NBC that year.

Early Life and Education

Jane Pauley was born as Margaret Jane Pauley on Halloween, 1950 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Mary and Richard. She has an older sister named Ann who she grew up idolizing. As a teen, Pauley went to Warren Central High School, where she was a speech and debate champion. She subsequently attended Indiana University in Bloomington as a political science major. Pauley graduated from IU in 1972.

Career Beginnings

Pauley began her broadcasting career at WISH-TV in Indianapolis; after three years there, she joined anchor Floyd Kalber at the NBC Chicago affiliate station WMAQ-TV. In the process, Pauley became the Windy City's first woman co-anchor on a major evening newscast.

"Today"

In 1976, Pauley was chosen to succeed Barbara Walters on NBC's "Today." For five years, she co-hosted the program with Tom Brokaw. Then, beginning in 1982, she co-hosted with Bryant Gumbel. Following in the trailblazing footsteps of Barbara Walters, Pauley became a symbol of progress for professional women generally and female journalists in particular; she also became a role model for working mothers when she had a highly publicized pregnancy in 1983.

Following protracted negotiations, Pauley announced her departure from "Today" in October of 1989. Her absence was immediately felt, as the show lost 10% of its audience after she left. From February of 1989 to February of 1990, "Today" had a ratings slump of 22%. So beloved on the show was Pauley that she received over 4,000 letters of support after her exit; moreover, she appeared on the covers of various magazines in the ensuing months, and was the subject of the primetime special "Changes: Conversations with Jane Pauley." The huge success of "Changes" prompted five further specials in the summer of 1990, as well as a Sunday-night series called "Real Life with Jane Pauley."

"Dateline NBC" and "Time and Again"

In 1992, NBC launched its new reality newsmagazine show "Dateline." For 11 years through 2003, Pauley co-anchored the show with Stone Phillips. During this time, she also anchored the half-hour program "Time and Again" on the nascent MSNBC.

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"The Jane Pauley Show"

After deciding to end her contract on "Dateline," Pauley was offered her own daytime talk show on NBC. The syndicated program, aptly called "The Jane Pauley Show," premiered in 2004. Although it failed to gain an audience and was ultimately canceled after just one season, the show was deeply meaningful to Pauley, who called it the "hardest and proudest year" of her professional life.

"Today" Return

Pauley made her return to "Today" in 2009 as a contributing host to the weekly segment "Your Life Calling." Sponsored by AARP, the segment profiled individuals across the nation reinventing their lives in their advanced ages. "Your Life Calling" proved hugely popular, and ran through 2013.

"CBS Sunday Morning"

In 2014, Pauley appeared for an interview on "CBS Sunday Morning"; the audience response was so positive that she was subsequently hired on the show as a correspondent and occasional substitute host. Following the retirement of Charles Osgood in 2016, Pauley took over as host on "CBS Sunday Morning," giving her her first regular morning news program anchoring job in over 25 years. Beyond this gig, Pauley has also occasionally anchored "CBS Evening News," filling in for Scott Pelley.

Other Television Appearances

Outside of her regular appointments hosting news programs, Pauley co-hosted the 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards in 1990 with Jay Leno and Candice Bergen. She also served as a substitute anchor on "NBC Nightly News." In 2008, Pauley led a half-hour discussion on PBS's "Depression: Out of the Shadows."

Career as Author

As an author, Pauley penned her bestselling memoir "Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue" in 2004. In the book, she made public her struggles with bipolar disorder. Pauley also wrote an autobiography entitled "And So it Goes."

Awards and Honors

Pauley has earned numerous accolades throughout her career. Among her honors are the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism; the Radio and Television News Directors Association's Paul White Award for Lifetime Contribution to Electronic Journalism; the Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding Achievement; and the Association for Women in Communications' inaugural international Matrix Award. Additionally, Pauley won Daytime Emmy Awards in 2015 and 2019.

Personal Life and Business Activity

In 1980, Pauley wed "Doonesbury" cartoonist Garry Trudeau; together, they have three children and two grandchildren.

On the business side of things, Pauley sits on the board of directors of the Children's Health Fund in New York City, and is also on the board of directors of the Indianapolis educational advocacy nonprofit the Mind Trust. In 2009, Pauley gave her name to the Jane Pauley Community Health Center, which serves local communities in Indianapolis.

Real Estate

Jane Pauley and Garry Trudeau have navigated a dynamic real estate journey, marked by significant transactions that mirror their evolving lifestyle. Their prominent Central Park West duplex in Manhattan, once a sprawling 13-room co-op with iconic park views and celebrity neighbors, was sold in 2005 for around $13 million, signaling a shift from lavish city living. Soon after, they acquired a more modest Beekman Place co-op for roughly $1.6 million in 2005, representing a strategic downsizing. Expanding beyond New York City, they owned a private island home on Governor's Island in the Thimble Islands, Connecticut, which was quietly sold in 2017. Their Hudson River retreat, affectionately known as the "House in the Woods" in the Palisades, was purchased in 2015 for $2.3 million and later sold in 2020 for an impressive $6.3 million, showcasing a profitable investment. In 2017, they also secured a Lenox Hill co-op for $2.2 million on Manhattan's Upper East Side, which remains part of their current portfolio, underscoring their enduring connection to New York.

Key Transactions:

• 271 Central Park West Duplex: Sold in 2005 for ~$13M
• Beekman Place Co-op: Purchased in 2005 for ~$1.6M
• Governor's Island Home (Thimble Islands): Sold in 2017 (price not disclosed)
• Hudson River Retreat ("House in the Woods"): Bought in 2015 for $2.3M; Sold in 2020 for $6.3M
• Lenox Hill Co-op: Purchased in 2017 for $2.2M (currently owned)

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