Carlson first earned his money as a journalist and fact checker
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While Tucker Carlson enjoyed a childhood in California and an education at a prestigious, private boarding school, he wasn’t handed a wad of cash as soon as he hit adulthood. As noted by Columbia Journalism Review, Carlson graduated from Trinity College in 1992, married Susan Andrews (who happened to be his high school girlfriend), and got a job in journalism. It wasn’t his first career choice — he was hoping to join the CIA, but he didn’t get far in the job application process.
“You should consider journalism,” Carlson’s father told him of the news industry as a profession. “They’ll take anybody.” In his early career, Carlson did what he needed to do to make a buck and support his growing family. He got a job as a fact-checker with Policy Review, telling the Columbia Journalism Review that he got the job because “the standards [were] so low.” Telling the outlet that he had no other options at the time — as he had children to support — Carlson continued to work, and even took freelance gigs on the side. “I think this is true of almost everybody, unless you happen to inherit a bunch of dough at a young age,” Carlson said of the hustle he showed in his early days in the news industry.
Carlson took his career to the next level as a political commentator
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This might come as a huge shock to readers, but Tucker Carlson got his first big break on television with CNN. Yep, that’s right — the network he now takes aim at on a regular basis once employed him for four years. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Carlson was the co-host of the CNN program “Crossfire” with Paul Begala. The show saw some heated confrontations, but nothing quite came close to Jon Stewart’s appearance in 2004. Carlson and “The Daily Show” star had a heated exchange.
“Here’s what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop. Stop hurting America,” Stewart said, before calling Carlson and Begala “partisan hacks” and asserting that the programming was dividing people more than it was presenting the facts. “You’re on CNN. The show leading into me is puppets making crank phone calls. What is wrong with you?” he continued. The interaction was so contested that Carlson announced his resignation from the show — but he claimed to have made the decision before the comedian joined him. “I resigned from ‘Crossfire’ in April [2004], many months before Jon Stewart came on our show, because I didn’t like the partisanship, and I thought in some ways it was kind of a pointless conversation … each side coming out, you know, ‘Here’s my argument,’ and no one listening to anyone else,” he said at the time, per Insider. “[CNN] was a frustrating place to work.”
Tucker Carlson has certain family expenses
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With his high profile and impressive income, it’s no wonder that Tucker Carlson has influence in political and academic circles. As aforementioned, he attended St. George’s School in Rhode Island — a prestigious boarding school that costs a pretty penny. It doesn’t come as a huge shock, then, to learn that his daughter Hopie Carlson also attended the institution.
As noted by The Washington Independent, Hopie — one of Tucker’s four children — gained a reputation for her impressive athleticism, particularly in swimming. Hopefully, the school boasts an immaculate pool and amazing coaching staff, because it costs $69,650 per year to attend (that’s if the student is living on the premises). For a regular school year, or a “day student,” the cost is $48,365 a year. No matter what, that price tag is more than what most colleges charge per year, let alone high school. Tucker’s worth doesn’t just extend to his finances, but to his influence as well. It just so happens that his son, Buckley W. Carlson, became a White House intern during Donald Trump’s administration, as noted by Legistorm. From there, Buckley joined Representative Jim Banks’ communications team, and now serves as the Indiana politician’s communications director.
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So how did Carlson become such a talking point — and one of the highest earners on cable news today?
What Tucker Carlson’s early life was like
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Carlson first earned his money as a journalist and fact checker
Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images
While Tucker Carlson enjoyed a childhood in California and an education at a prestigious, private boarding school, he wasn’t handed a wad of cash as soon as he hit adulthood. As noted by Columbia Journalism Review, Carlson graduated from Trinity College in 1992, married Susan Andrews (who happened to be his high school girlfriend), and got a job in journalism. It wasn’t his first career choice — he was hoping to join the CIA, but he didn’t get far in the job application process.
“You should consider journalism,” Carlson’s father told him of the news industry as a profession. “They’ll take anybody.” In his early career, Carlson did what he needed to do to make a buck and support his growing family. He got a job as a fact-checker with Policy Review, telling the Columbia Journalism Review that he got the job because “the standards [were] so low.” Telling the outlet that he had no other options at the time — as he had children to support — Carlson continued to work, and even took freelance gigs on the side. “I think this is true of almost everybody, unless you happen to inherit a bunch of dough at a young age,” Carlson said of the hustle he showed in his early days in the news industry.
“You should consider journalism,” Carlson’s father told him of the news industry as a profession. “They’ll take anybody.”
In his early career, Carlson did what he needed to do to make a buck and support his growing family. He got a job as a fact-checker with Policy Review, telling the Columbia Journalism Review that he got the job because “the standards [were] so low.” Telling the outlet that he had no other options at the time — as he had children to support — Carlson continued to work, and even took freelance gigs on the side.
“I think this is true of almost everybody, unless you happen to inherit a bunch of dough at a young age,” Carlson said of the hustle he showed in his early days in the news industry.
He made his first big news splash in 1999
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As Time noted, Bush “mimicked” Tucker’s “final plea for her life.” “‘Please,’ Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, ‘don’t kill me,’” Carlson wrote at the time, portraying the Republican candidate in an increasingly negative light.
Such coverage made quite a stir among conservative journalists, Slate noted, with the likes of George Will, Richard Brookhiser, and the Manchester Union Leader’s editorial staff calling out the candidate for his offensive behavior. While it certainly wasn’t a good look for Bush, the interaction put Carlson on the journalism map.
Carlson took his career to the next level as a political commentator
Noam Galai/Getty Images
This might come as a huge shock to readers, but Tucker Carlson got his first big break on television with CNN. Yep, that’s right — the network he now takes aim at on a regular basis once employed him for four years. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Carlson was the co-host of the CNN program “Crossfire” with Paul Begala. The show saw some heated confrontations, but nothing quite came close to Jon Stewart’s appearance in 2004. Carlson and “The Daily Show” star had a heated exchange.
“Here’s what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop. Stop hurting America,” Stewart said, before calling Carlson and Begala “partisan hacks” and asserting that the programming was dividing people more than it was presenting the facts. “You’re on CNN. The show leading into me is puppets making crank phone calls. What is wrong with you?” he continued. The interaction was so contested that Carlson announced his resignation from the show — but he claimed to have made the decision before the comedian joined him. “I resigned from ‘Crossfire’ in April [2004], many months before Jon Stewart came on our show, because I didn’t like the partisanship, and I thought in some ways it was kind of a pointless conversation … each side coming out, you know, ‘Here’s my argument,’ and no one listening to anyone else,” he said at the time, per Insider. “[CNN] was a frustrating place to work.”
“Here’s what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop. Stop hurting America,” Stewart said, before calling Carlson and Begala “partisan hacks” and asserting that the programming was dividing people more than it was presenting the facts. “You’re on CNN. The show leading into me is puppets making crank phone calls. What is wrong with you?” he continued.
The interaction was so contested that Carlson announced his resignation from the show — but he claimed to have made the decision before the comedian joined him. “I resigned from ‘Crossfire’ in April [2004], many months before Jon Stewart came on our show, because I didn’t like the partisanship, and I thought in some ways it was kind of a pointless conversation … each side coming out, you know, ‘Here’s my argument,’ and no one listening to anyone else,” he said at the time, per Insider. “[CNN] was a frustrating place to work.”
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Tucker Carlson sold his share of the website The Daily Caller in 2020
And Carlson may have gotten out at just the right time. Just a week later, Salon exclusively reported that The Daily Caller had violated tax laws, with the Campaign for Accountability filing a complaint against the publication shortly after Carlson called it quits. The filing demanded that The Daily Caller’s tax-exempt status be revoked, as it had claimed to be a nonprofit but was not operating as one.
The TV host has published multiple books
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“I have long admired the Threshold list and am proud to be published alongside so many of my favorite authors,” Carlson stated in 2017, as noted by the Los Angeles Times. Threshold was responsible for publishing books by Donald Trump and Dick Cheney, to name a few.
Carlson kept to the deal and released two books: “Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution” in 2019, and “The Long Slide: Thirty Years in American Journalism” in 2021. His 2019 work became a New York Times No. 1 Best Seller, proving to be a “funny political commentary” on both the Democrats and Republicans holding office. Carlson’s 2021 work was far more on the serious side, providing readers with “new commentary and insight” into his three decades in the news industry.
Tucker Carlson been involved in lawsuits
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“She was more like a hippie, arty kind of person. I couldn’t ever imagine her being a mother,” Joan Quinn, who works for Interview Magazine, told Insider of Tucker’s mom, artist Lisa McNear Lombardi. “She was very nervous all the time. She was never satisfied with what was going on, in terms of being a person, of being with people. She was ill-content.”
Lombardi died in 2011 after battling cancer, and as the specifications in her will were enacted, Tucker and Buckley sought legal means to a more lucrative end. As noted by Celebrity Net Worth, the lawsuit is still ongoing.
He has purchased a few homes over the years
Tucker Carlson has certain family expenses
L.E.MORMILE/Shutterstock
With his high profile and impressive income, it’s no wonder that Tucker Carlson has influence in political and academic circles. As aforementioned, he attended St. George’s School in Rhode Island — a prestigious boarding school that costs a pretty penny. It doesn’t come as a huge shock, then, to learn that his daughter Hopie Carlson also attended the institution.
As noted by The Washington Independent, Hopie — one of Tucker’s four children — gained a reputation for her impressive athleticism, particularly in swimming. Hopefully, the school boasts an immaculate pool and amazing coaching staff, because it costs $69,650 per year to attend (that’s if the student is living on the premises). For a regular school year, or a “day student,” the cost is $48,365 a year. No matter what, that price tag is more than what most colleges charge per year, let alone high school. Tucker’s worth doesn’t just extend to his finances, but to his influence as well. It just so happens that his son, Buckley W. Carlson, became a White House intern during Donald Trump’s administration, as noted by Legistorm. From there, Buckley joined Representative Jim Banks’ communications team, and now serves as the Indiana politician’s communications director.
As noted by The Washington Independent, Hopie — one of Tucker’s four children — gained a reputation for her impressive athleticism, particularly in swimming. Hopefully, the school boasts an immaculate pool and amazing coaching staff, because it costs $69,650 per year to attend (that’s if the student is living on the premises). For a regular school year, or a “day student,” the cost is $48,365 a year. No matter what, that price tag is more than what most colleges charge per year, let alone high school.
Tucker’s worth doesn’t just extend to his finances, but to his influence as well. It just so happens that his son, Buckley W. Carlson, became a White House intern during Donald Trump’s administration, as noted by Legistorm. From there, Buckley joined Representative Jim Banks’ communications team, and now serves as the Indiana politician’s communications director.
