Lesley Stahl Net Worth

What is Lesley Stahl's Net Worth and Salary?

Lesley Stahl is an American television journalist who has a net worth of $40 million. Lesley Stahl is best known for her hosting and news reporting on the CBS program "60 Minutes." Before joining the show in 1991, she served as CBS News White House correspondent, and was also the moderator on the CBS News Sunday program "Face the Nation." Over the course of her journalism career, Stahl has reported on such major events as Watergate, the Gulf War, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition to her work as a correspondent for CBS News, she was also a moderator on "Face the Nation" from 1983-1991. She anchored "American Tonight" from the fall of 1990 to the spring of 1991. Additionally, she was the host of "48 Hours" from 2002-2004. She is most widely recognized as a correspondent for "60 Minutes". She has appeared on the show since 1991. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Salary

Lesley Stahl's annual salary for "60 Minutes" is $8 million.

Early Life and Education

Lesley Stahl was born on December 16, 1941 in Lynn, Massachusetts to Jewish parents Louis and Dorothy. Growing up, she was raised in Swampscott with her younger brother. For her higher education, Stahl went to Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, from which she graduated with a degree in history. She went on to pursue a graduate degree in zoology at Columbia University, but eventually dropped out.

Career Beginnings

Stahl started her career in television broadcasting as a producer and on-air reporter at Boston's WHDH-TV. She subsequently joined CBS News in 1971, becoming a correspondent a few years after that. According to Stahl, she was hired because of an affirmative action mandate issued by the Federal Communications Commission that sought to increase gender inclusivity. Stahl quickly rose in prominence as she covered a number of significant historical events, including the Watergate scandal. Notably, Stahl was the only television reporter to cover the early court appearances of the Watergate burglars.

CBS News White House Correspondent

Stahl became CBS News White House correspondent during the presidency of Jimmy Carter in the late 70s; significantly, she was the first woman to serve in this position. Stahl continued to serve as the network's White House correspondent during the presidency of Ronald Reagan and a portion of the presidency of George H. W. Bush. She covered numerous major events during this time, including the attempted assassination of Reagan in 1981 and the launch of the Gulf War in 1991.

Face the Nation

From 1983 to 1991, Stahl served as the moderator and host of the weekly news and morning public affairs show "Face the Nation." The first woman to hold this role, she soon became one of the most iconic news faces on television. During her tenure on "Face the Nation," Stahl interviewed a myriad of world leaders, including Boris Yeltsin, Margaret Thatcher, and Yasser Arafat.

60 Minutes

In 1991, Stahl left "Face the Nation" to become the host and lead correspondent of the television news magazine show "60 Minutes." Over the course of her time on the show, she has conducted many notable interviews and reported on a wide range of current events. Notable interview subjects have included Al Gore, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, and Donald Trump, the latter two of whom abruptly stopped their interviews before storming out in a huff. 

For "60 Minutes," Stahl has reported on numerous national political conventions and presidential elections. In the early 2000s, she trained much of her focus on the events surrounding the Iraq War, including the torture of suspected terrorists at Guantánamo Bay and the brutal autocratic regime of Saddam Hussein. Stahl also covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other tensions present in the Middle East.

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Other Television Roles

Among her other gigs on television, Stahl co-hosted the CBS News late-night show "America Tonight" with Charles Kuralt from 1990 to 1991. Later, from 2002 to 2004, she served as the host of news magazine program "48 Hours Investigates." In 2014, Stahl was a correspondent for the climate change documentary series "Years of Living Dangerously," which aired on Showtime. Beyond her journalistic positions, Stahl appeared as herself in a 1998 episode of the NBC sitcom "Frasier."

Books

As an author, Stahl published her first book, "Reporting Live," in 1999. She released her second book, "Becoming Grandma: The Joys and Science of the New Grandparenting," in 2016.

Accolades

Stahl has won a surfeit of awards over the years in recognition of her journalism. Her honors include the Dennis Kauff Journalism Award; the Golden Plate Award; the Gerald Loeb Award; the Edward R. Murrow Award; and the Paul White Award for Lifetime Achievement. Additionally, Stahl has won over ten News and Documentary Emmy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement honor in 2003. She has also been bestowed with honorary doctorates from Colgate University and Loyola College in Maryland.

Personal Life

In 1964, Stahl wed Jeffrey Gordon; the two divorced three years later. Stahl married her second husband, journalist Aaron Latham, in 1977. The couple has a daughter named Taylor.