Tony Kornheiser Net Worth

What is Tony Kornheiser's Net Worth and Salary?

Tony Kornheiser is a television sports talk show host and former sports columnist. Tony Kornheiser has a net worth of $18 million. He is best known for his writing in the Washington Post from 1979 to 2001; his cohosting of ESPN's sports debate show "Pardon the Interruption"; and his hosting of the radio and podcast "The Tony Kornheiser Show." Additionally, he has appeared in the movies "Mr. 3000" and "Creed."

Tony Kornheiser Salary

Back in 2015, Tony's annual ESPN salary was $5 million. By 2019 his salary had risen to $6 million which made him one of the highest-paid personalities in ESPN history.

Early Life and Beginning of Writing Career

Tony Kornheiser was born on July 13, 1948 in Lynbrook, New York, the only child of Ira and Estelle. As a youth, he spent his summers at Camp Keeyumah in Pennsylvania, where one of his counselors was future NBA basketball coach Larry Brown.

Kornheiser went on to attend George W. Hewlett High School in New York, where he served as the sports editor of the school newspaper. While in school, he was also a member of the Young Democrats club. After graduating in 1965, Kornheiser enrolled at Harpur College, now called Binghamton University, where he studied English literature. While there, he also began his journalism career at the Colonial News. After graduating with his BA in 1970, he spent a brief period of time working with children with disabilities.

Kornheiser started his writing career in New York City, writing for Newsday between 1970 and 1976. He then moved to the New York Times, which he wrote for between 1976 and 1979. Following this, Kornheiser was recruited to join the Washington Post as a general assignment reporter in the Style and Sports section. In 1984, he became a full-time sports columnist for the publication. Later, in the 90s, Kornheiser typically wrote three columns per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. In 1997, he began working for ESPN Radio, and also started writing columns for ESPN The Magazine.

Further Writing Career

Due to his radio and television work, Kornheiser reduced his writing output to one column a week in the early 00s, with his final column being published in September of 2001. He later released three books that compiled his many Style Section columns: "Pumping Irony," "Bald as I Wanna Be," and "I'm Back for More Cash." In 2005, Kornheiser began writing short columns for the Post's Sports Section. Three years later, he reportedly accepted a buyout from the publication, although he later claimed he was fired.

Radio and Podcasting

In May of 1992, Kornheiser began hosting the sports talk show "The Tony Kornheiser Show" on the local Washington, DC station WTEM, known as Sports Radio 570. The original incarnation of the show ran through 1997, after which it was syndicated by ESPN Radio between 1998 and 2004. Subsequently, Kornheiser returned to WTEM between 2004 and 2006. He then signed with Washington Post Radio to relaunch the show in early 2007. In June of 2008, the station declined to renew the show due to falling ratings.

In June of 2016, Kornheiser announced that his show would be relaunched exclusively in podcast form. The first full episode of the podcast was released that September. Chris Cillizza and Gary Braun joined Kornheiser in the studio, while Michael Wilbon and Steve Sands became the first guests to join over the phone. Although the podcast show has gone through many permutations since its launch, it has maintained its wide-ranging focus on issues beyond the world of sports, including politics, entertainment, and general aspects of modern life.

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Television Career

Beginning in 1988, Kornheiser appeared on ESPN's "The Sports Reporters," on which he occasionally served as a guest host following the passing of host Dick Schaap. Additionally, he was a panelist on WRC-TV's "Full Court Press," and made several appearances on "Redskins Report." Kornheiser has also appeared on such ESPN productions as "SportsCenter," "Who's Number One?," and "SportsCentury."

Kornheiser began one of his most popular programs, the sports talk television show "Pardon the Interruption," in 2001. Cohosted by Michael Wilbon, it focuses on the top stories of the day in sports and other areas. The show is known for its humorous and frequently raucous tenor, as well as for popularizing the "rundown" graphic that appears on the side of the screen indicating the topics to be discussed. Kornheiser also served as a color analyst on "Monday Night Football," a position he began in 2006. However, he left the program in 2009 due to a fear of flying.

Other Projects

Elsewhere in the media, Kornheiser made cameo appearances in the sports films "Mr. 3000" and "Creed," as well as in an episode of the television spy series "The Americans."

Among his business endeavors, Kornheiser became part of a new ownership group for Chad's bar and restaurant in Washington, DC in 2017. A little later in the year, he announced that it would be renamed Chatter. In June of 2019, Chatter closed.

Personal Life and Controversies

With his wife Karril, whom he married in 1973, Kornheiser has two children, Michael and Elizabeth. He resides in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of Washington, DC, and also has a residence in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Kornheiser has drawn his fair share of controversy over the years. He is particularly known to be overly sensitive to criticism, often calling people out in petulant ways. For example, he called Washington Post writer Paul Farhi a "two-bit weasel slug" when Farhi criticized his color commentary in the paper. Kornheiser has also made several inappropriate remarks, including one in which he ridiculed his EPSN colleague Hannah Storm for her wardrobe.