David Shepard Smith Jr. was born on 14 January 1964, and is an American television news anchor, and managing editor of Fox News Channel’s Breaking News Division.
So just how rich is Shepard Smith, as of late 2017? Sources estimate that Shepard’s net worth is over $30 million, earned during his long career as television news anchor, now spanning more than 30 years, the real worth of which is evidenced by his current salary of over $10 million a year.
Shepard Smith Net Worth $30 Million
Shepard Smith was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi – his father David Shepard Smith, Sr., a cotton merchant, and his mother Dora Ellen Anderson an English teacher. He attended Marshall Academy, a K–12 private school, but after his parents separation he moved with his mother to Florida, where he completed his last year of high school. Smith then went on to study journalism at the University of Mississippi; although he didn’t actually graduate, he has since been asked to deliver the university’s commencement address.
His career started with WJHG-TV in Panama City, Florida, and for whom he then worked as a reporter in Gainesville from 1985, followed by periods as a reporter for WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, WCPX-TV in Orlando, followed by stints in Los Angeles, California and for WSVN in Miami. His net worth grew steadily during these assignments.
In 1996 Smith joined the Fox News Channel, and during his subsequent career as a reporter, has covered many important stories, such as the death and funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in the UK in 1997. During the US presidential election in 2000, he was sent to report on the Florida ballot counting controversy – this was a situation where the result was declared by the US Supreme Court prior to the completion of the count, thus giving the presidency to George W. Bush.
In 2001, Smith was one of the witnesses to the execution in Terre Haute, Indiana, of Timothy McVeigh, who was the perpetrator of the Oklahoma bombing in 1995. Also he reported on the events following Hurricane Katrina which struck New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005. He was clearly a valued reporter, and his trustworthyness was acknowledged by audiences in several surveys over these years. His growing net worth also reflected his standing.
In 2007 Smith signed a three-year contract with Fox TV at $8 million per year as reported by The New York Times. Fox renewed Smith’s contract for another three years in 2010, and again in 2013 Fox News announced the renewal of Smith’s contract. He has subsequently been the presenter of “Shepard Smith Reporting” since 2013, as well as being the chief news anchor for the channel.
As a sort of tribute, Shepard appeared in the 1997 film “Volcano” as himself, as happened again during sequences in “Fahrenheit 9/11”, portraying the Iraq war in 2003.
In his personal life, Shepard Smith married his university classmate Virginia Donald in 1987, but their marriage ended without children in 1993. Any further relationships have been kept private, however, in a speech in early 2017, Smith confirmed that he is gay, and in a same sex relationship.
