Donald Newhouse Net Worth

What is Donald Newhouse's net worth?

Donald Newhouse is an American billionaire who has a net worth of $20 billion. Donald Newhouse is the richest person in New Jersey.

Donald Newhouse is one of the most influential yet least publicly visible figures in American media. As co-owner and longtime executive leader of Advance Publications, the Newhouse family's privately held media empire, he has helped steer a sprawling portfolio that includes Condé Nast, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Wired, Reddit, TurnItIn, and significant equity stakes in cable and broadband companies. While he has never courted the celebrity or public profile embraced by some media titans, Newhouse has shaped American journalism, magazine publishing, and cable infrastructure for decades through deliberate acquisitions, disciplined management, and a commitment to long-term ownership. His career has unfolded alongside enormous shifts in print, digital media, and entertainment, and his strategic decisions have quietly influenced the direction of some of the country's most consequential cultural institutions. Despite his preference for privacy, Newhouse has presided over one of the wealthiest and most powerful family-controlled media companies in the world, and his stewardship continues to define Advance's role in journalism, technology, and entertainment.

Early Life

Donald Edward Newhouse was born into the family media dynasty built by his father, Samuel Irving "S. I." Newhouse Sr., the visionary who founded Advance Publications in the 1920s and expanded it into a portfolio of newspapers, magazines, and broadcast assets. Donald grew up in a household deeply informed by journalism, publishing, and civic engagement. Alongside his older brother, S. I. Newhouse Jr., he was raised to understand both the business and editorial sides of media, even as the company expanded at a rapid pace.

He attended the Horace Mann School in New York and later Syracuse University, where he studied journalism and developed a deep appreciation for editorial craft. The Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse was later named in honor of his father, further cementing the family's legacy in the education of future journalists and media executives.

Rise Within Advance Publications

Donald joined Advance Publications in the 1960s and spent years learning the business from the ground up. During this period, Advance owned dozens of newspapers across the United States, including The Newark Star-Ledger, The Oregonian, The Plain Dealer, The Times-Picayune, and Staten Island Advance. Donald became publisher of several of the company's newspapers and quickly established a reputation for operational stability, editorial independence, and cautious financial management.

Where his brother Si was drawn to the glamour and complexity of magazine publishing through Condé Nast, Donald became the driving force behind the newspaper side of Advance. Under his leadership, Advance maintained a strong presence in regional journalism while expanding into new markets and investing heavily in local reporting. Over time, Donald assumed broader responsibilities across the parent company, eventually serving as co-president alongside his brother.

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Expanding a Media Empire

As Advance's newspaper revenues faced pressure from the rise of digital media, Donald helped guide the company's transformation. The company reduced print schedules at some newspapers and made early moves to emphasize centralized digital newsrooms. These decisions allowed Advance to redirect capital into higher-growth areas.

Several of Advance's most successful investments came under the broader Newhouse leadership structure. The company accumulated major holdings in cable systems that later contributed to a sizable position in Charter Communications. Advance also invested early in Reddit, years before it became one of the most trafficked websites in the world. These moves reflected Donald's pragmatic belief in diversification and long-term compounding over splashy acquisitions.

Leadership After S. I. Newhouse Jr.'s Death

When S. I. Newhouse Jr. died in 2017, Donald became the senior figure guiding Advance Publications. Although the company remains privately held and family-controlled, his leadership helped provide stability as the next generation — including his son Steven O. Newhouse and nephew Jonathan Newhouse — took on larger roles.

Under this multigenerational structure, Advance continued to evolve into a diversified media, communications, and technology holding company with deep investments across publishing, broadband, entertainment, and digital platforms.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stake

One of Donald Newhouse's most significant business positions emerged through the family's exceptionally large ownership stake in Discovery Communications. Advance was one of the company's earliest and most important investors, maintaining and expanding its position through Discovery's growth, its acquisition of Scripps Networks, and ultimately its 2022 merger with WarnerMedia.

When Warner Bros. Discovery was formed, the Newhouse family emerged as the largest individual shareholder, originally holding close to 200 million shares, representing more than 8% of the company.

A series of dramatic events has recently thrust that stake into the spotlight. After years of declining value and a collapsing share price, the family sold 100 million shares in June 2025 for $10.97 per share, generating approximately $1.1 billion. Months later, Netflix and Paramount triggered a bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, sending the stock price soaring to roughly $30 per share.

As a result, the Newhouse family's remaining ~98 million shares are now worth about $2.94 billion at the Paramount offer price. Combined with their June sale, the family stands to walk away with roughly $4 billion from their long-held ownership position, even after missing out on nearly $2 billion had they retained their full original stake.

Philanthropy

Donald Newhouse has long been involved in philanthropy, particularly in journalism, education, and medical research. He has supported institutions such as Syracuse University's Newhouse School, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and numerous cultural and civic organizations. His philanthropic approach mirrors his business philosophy: strategic, long-term, and centered on strengthening institutions rather than pursuing personal visibility.

Personal Life

Newhouse has remained intensely private throughout his life. He married Susan Marley Newhouse, who passed away in 2015, and they had two children, Steven and Michael. While many media executives have cultivated public personas, Donald has maintained a low profile, preferring to focus on stewardship of the family's holdings and oversight of its long-term strategy.

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