Mary Hart Net Worth

What is Mary Hart's Net Worth and Salary?

Mary Hart is an American television personality who has a net worth of $100 million. That's a combined net worth with her producer husband, Burt Sugarman. They are often seen sitting together behind home plate at Dodgers games, especially playoff games.

Mary Hart is best known for her nearly three-decade run as host of "Entertainment Tonight," where she became one of the most familiar faces in entertainment journalism. She began her career as a local news anchor and talk show host in South Dakota and Oklahoma before moving into national television. In 1982, Hart joined "Entertainment Tonight," quickly becoming its co-host and helping shape the program into the leading source for celebrity news, red carpet coverage, and Hollywood interviews. Her warm personality, polished delivery, and trademark legs—often showcased in glamorous outfits—made her a pop culture icon throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

During her tenure, she interviewed countless stars, covered the Academy Awards, and became a fixture at major entertainment events. Beyond "Entertainment Tonight," Hart made guest appearances on shows such as "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," "Seinfeld," and "The Young and the Restless," and she was frequently parodied in popular culture. She also pursued philanthropic work and was active in charity events, particularly in support of health and education causes. By the time she stepped down from "Entertainment Tonight" in 2011, Mary Hart had built a reputation as one of the most enduring and respected figures in entertainment broadcasting.

Early Life

Mary Johanna Harum was born on November 8th, 1950, in Madison, South Dakota. Raised in Sioux Falls, Mary also spent time in Denmark as a child. As a result, she speaks English, Danish, and Swedish fluently. After graduating from Augustana Academy, Hart attended Augustana College. She eventually graduated from college in 1972.

Career

An early moment for Mary came in 1970 when she was crowned Miss South Dakota. This led to her entering the Miss America 1971 pageant, and she reached the semi-finals. After leaving college, Hart taught English at Washington High School in Sioux Falls for two years. During this period, she also produced and anchored her own talk show on an NBC affiliate in Sioux Falls.

In 1975, Hart abandoned her teaching career to focus entirely on broadcasting. Her first full-time gig was at WMT-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but she quickly moved to another station in Oklahoma City. During her time in Oklahoma City, she co-hosted "Dannysday" with Danny Williams. However, her broadcasting career still wasn't enough to pay the bills, and Mary found herself working part-time as a sales rep for a company that sold school yearbooks.

By the late 70s, Hart had become disillusioned with journalism. She decided to pack her bags and move to Los Angeles. With savings of $10,000, she adopted a "make-it-or-break-it" attitude and started auditioning for acting roles. She experienced some success, booking roles on soap operas like "Days of Our Lives" and landing various commercial gigs. Unfortunately, these small acting roles were not enough to pay the bills, and she found herself with almost no money in the bank.

Faced with no other choice, she went back to journalism – but with a twist. This time, she was focusing on entertainment news. This new endeavor began when she co-hosted a televised version of "PM Magazine." This job quickly led to another co-hosting position in the early '80s alongside Regis Philbin on NBC. Unfortunately, this show was ultimately canceled after just four months. However, a new opportunity quickly arose – one that would come to define Hart's career.

In 1981, Mary Hart was interviewed by the producers of "Entertainment Tonight" on a special segment about how it felt to be canceled. This opportunity led to her becoming a new correspondent for the show. After about a year, she was promoted to co-host alongside Ron Hendren. Over the years, Mary Hart retained her position while her co-hosts were replaced one after another. It seemed like none of them could last much longer than a few years. Hendren was replaced by Robb Weller in 1984. Weller was then replaced by John Tesh in 1986, who was, in turn, ousted by Rob Goen in 1996. During this period, Hart remained a central part of the show. By 2004, Goen had been replaced by Mark Steines.

During this period, Mary worked extensively with her manager, Jay Bernstein. This led to a number of additional opportunities, such as brand endorsements, cameos at Wrestlemania, and much more. In 1988, Hart joined comedian David Brenner on stage in Las Vegas. Performing on stage professionally was one of her long-term career goals. During this period, she flew back and forth between Vegas and Los Angeles in a grueling schedule.

Getty

Brand Endorsements

Mary Hart's signature legs led to a contract with Hanes. Hart wore the company's line of pantyhose throughout 1987. She then had her legs insured for $1 million each.

Real Estate

Burt and Mary own at least $50 million worth of real estate around the United States, but mainly in Los Angeles and Montana.

In 2013, Burt Sugarman and Mary Hart bought a condo at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Downtown Los Angeles for $3.8 million. They sold this unit in 2018 for $6.7 million. That same year, they sold an 11,000-square-foot Beverly Hills home for $27 million.

In West Hollywood's Sierra Towers, they set a building price record with an $8 million purchase in 2015. They added a second unit off-market for $4.65 million in 2016. In 2018, they listed another Sierra Towers unit for $5.5 million. A closed sale price for that 2018 listing was not located in public reporting.

They have long maintained multiple properties in Montana. In 2014, they sold a lakefront house for $5.9 million. Within the Yellowstone Club, they listed a home for $7.9 million in 2014. No publicly reported closing price could be found. They also marketed their 160-acre Elk Horn Ranch inside the Yellowstone Club—first at $26.5 million in 2013, later reduced to $21 million and then $19.5 million by 2015–2016. There is no reliable public record of a completed sale.

In 2019, they sold another Ritz-Carlton (Downtown L.A.) residence—about 4,000 square feet, three bedrooms—for $6.3 million.

Who's Richer?

Mary
Hart

Compare!

Burt
Sugarman