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Public reporting puts Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity and Anderson Cooper among television news’s highest-paid personalities, but it does not support a verified, current ranking of exactly 10 anchors. The figures below are dated media estimates—not confirmed contract disclosures—and some may include work beyond television.
Why there is no reliable current top-10 ranking
News-anchor contracts are generally not publicly disclosed in a consistent way. The available reports offer a handful of estimates, often from industry sources, but do not provide comparable figures for ten people or a common method for ranking them. Assigning ten names an exact order would imply a level of certainty the reporting does not establish.
The clearest available comparison is therefore a set of reported figures with their dates and qualifications. These estimates should not be read as confirmed current salaries.
Reported pay figures for prominent TV news personalities
| Person | Reported annual figure | Publication and context |
|---|---|---|
| Rachel Maddow | $30 million | The Ankler reported this figure in February 2024. The Ankler, February 2024 |
| Rachel Maddow | $25 million | The Ankler described her salary at this level in December 2024, a later report that differs from the February estimate. The Ankler, December 2024 |
| Sean Hannity | $25 million | The Ankler estimated his annual take-home pay in February 2024. The report also notes his radio work, so the figure should not be assumed to represent television compensation alone. The Ankler, February 2024 |
| Anderson Cooper | $20 million–$25 million | The Ankler estimated his pay in February 2024 and noted his contribution to CBS’s 60 Minutes. The estimate is not established as CNN-only compensation. The Ankler, February 2024 |
| George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, Gayle King and Savannah Guthrie | $10 million–$18 million for the group; individual amounts not stated | The Ankler reported this range for the four morning-show anchors collectively, based on agents and other industry insiders. It does not assign a separate amount to each. The Ankler, February 2024 |
| Robin Roberts | $18 million | TheStreet separately reported an estimated annual salary; it is a media estimate, not an official disclosure. TheStreet |
What the figures do—and do not—tell you
Rachel Maddow’s reported salary changed between reports
The Ankler’s February 2024 report put Maddow at $30 million annually; its December 2024 reporting described her salary as $25 million per year. The difference is a reminder that reported figures can vary over time or by source. Neither number is a confirmed current contract amount.
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Some estimates may cover more than a TV role
Hannity’s reported estimate is described as annual take-home pay, and the report mentions his radio work. Cooper’s estimate appears alongside his work for CBS’s 60 Minutes. The sources do not establish that either figure is compensation from a single television program or employer alone.
The morning-show range cannot be turned into four exact salaries
The reported $10 million–$18 million range applies to Stephanopoulos, Roberts, King and Guthrie as a group. Separate reporting gives Roberts an $18 million estimate, but the evidence does not establish comparable individual amounts for the other three.
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How to interpret the numbers
- They are estimates, not disclosed payroll records. The reports attribute figures to industry sources; no named anchor or employer is cited as confirming these amounts.
- They are tied to publication dates. A figure reported in 2024 should not be presented as a current 2026 salary without newer confirmation.
- They may not measure the same thing. Annual salary, take-home pay and compensation that may include work across platforms are not necessarily equivalent measures.
- They cannot support an exact top-ten order. The available reporting does not supply ten individual, comparable amounts or a consistent tie-break method.
How these salaries compare with the broader occupation
TheStreet cites a Bureau of Labor Statistics average U.S. news-anchor salary of $60,280 for 2024. That is a broad occupational benchmark, not a like-for-like measure of compensation for nationally prominent network personalities. It describes a wider labor category, while the figures above are individual estimates reported by media outlets.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why anchor compensation can change
Recent industry coverage describes budget pressure, pay cuts and changing contracts. In February 2025, the Associated Press reported that Lester Holt was stepping down from NBC Nightly News and moving to a full-time role at Dateline. That transition illustrates why a salary list needs current role information as well as a dated pay estimate; it does not establish Holt’s compensation.
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The Ankler quoted an unnamed television-news insider familiar with salary negotiations: “The trend is to get rid of people with big salaries and replace them with people they can pay considerably less.” The comment reflects that source’s view of industry pressure, not a statement from a network or an explanation of any one anchor’s contract.
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