Margaret Jane Pauley, born on 31 October 1950, is an American journalist and author who became known for appearing in shows like “The Today Show” and “Dateline”, during a career which began in the early 1970s.
So how much is Pauley’s net worth? As of late 2016, bases on authoritative sources, it is reported to be $40 million, acquired from her years as a television journalist appearing in a number of shows and the sales of her books.
Jane Pauley Net Worth $40 million
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Pauley is the daughter of Richard Pauley, a travelling salesman who worked for the Wilson Milk Company, and Mary Pauley, a housewife. Pauley spent her younger years attending Warren Central High School, in which she actively participated in speech and debating competitions. Later on, she attended Indiana University, graduating with a degree in political science.
Right after finishing college, Pauley got a job at WISH-TV as a reporter. After three years working for the network, she decided to leave, and in 1975 she made history when she became the first woman anchor on the NBC affiliate network WMAQ-TV. Her early years in television, not only helped her career, but also her net worth.
After 10 months in WMAQ-TV, NBC tapped her to become part of “The Today Show” replacing Barbara Walters. At the young age of 25, Pauley became a favourite of the show’s followers, and it made her one of the most iconic television journalists of her generation. “The Today Show” not only catapulted her career to greater heights making her a household name, but it also tremendously increased her wealth.
In 1989, after 13 years in the show Pauley decided to leave, saying that she wanted to spend more time with her growing family. However, after being out of the limelight for one year, in 1990 Pauley came back to NBC with a new show entitled “Changes” that later on became “Real Life with Jane Pauley”. Unfortunately, the show only lasted for one season due to poor ratings.
In 1992, Pauley returned with a new show, this time a newsmagazine entitled “Dateline”. The show became a hit and a nightly addiction for many fans. With the success of her new show, Pauley decided to add one more show under her belt, entitled “Time and Again” airing on MSNBC. Her comeback to television also helped her wealth to increase.
In 2004, after the failure of another “The Jane Pauley Show”, Pauley decided to use her year to publish her first book “Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue”. The memoir showcased her life living with bipolar disorder, and became a best-seller and helped increase her net worth.
After years away from “The Today Show”, in 2009 Pauley returned to host the weekly segment “Your Life Calling”, featuring people aged 50 and up and how they are continuously reinventing their life. The segment later on became her inspiration for her second book “Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life”, which also became a best-seller, and added to her net worth.
Today, Pauley is still active as a television journalist, currently hosting the show “CBS Sunday”.
In terms of her personal life, Pauley has been married to Garry Trudeau, the creator of “Doonesbury” since 1980. Together they have three children.
