Brian Stelter net worth: CNN salary, fortune explained

Brian Stelter, a mainstay at CNN, is quitting after the show he hosted – Reliable Sources – has been taken off the air, following the merger between Warner Bros, CNN’s parent company, and Discovery. Stelter joined CNN in 2013 and before that worked for the New York Times. 

His contributions to the media industry and CNN have been lauded by many but the 36-year-old has not revealed any future plans after his CNN exit. Currently, Stelter lives in the Lincoln Park area of Upper West Side, Manhattan, leading many to wonder about the state of his finances. 

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Stelter is estimated to have a net worth of almost $10 million as of 2022. He had a contract with CNN worth $1 million per year. Apart from the Reliable Sources newsletter, Stelter had his own podcast and a show on the now-defunct CNN+. 

Part of his wealth also comes from the sale of two non-fiction books, Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV and Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth. 

Online and television buzz around the latter caused the book to be sold out quickly, forcing a rush reprint. However, in 2021, the Daily Mail reported that despite the book tour sales had overall tanked. 

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The former now serves as the inspiration for The Morning Show which stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Stelter acts as consulting producer on the Apple drama and has been an executive producer on HBO’s documentary After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News. 

As a student, Stelter was also the editor of the TVNewser, which he founded and eventually sold off to Mediabistro. 

Speaking of his exit from CNN, Stelter noted to NPR who broke the news, “It was a rare privilege to lead a weekly show focused on the press at a time when it has never been more consequential”.