Shepard Smith Bio, Age, Family, Spouse, Education, College, CNBC Career

Shepard Smith Biography

Shepard Smith is a broadcast journalist from the United States working for NBC News and CNBC as a general news anchor and hosts The News with Shepard Smith, a daily evening newscast that premiered in late September 2020.

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How old is Shepard Smith?- Age

He is 57 years old as of 14 January 2021. He was born in 1964 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States.

Shepard Smith Family

Smith is the son of English teacher Dora Ellen Anderson and cotton merchant David Shepard Smith Sr. His parents divorced after he graduated from high school, and he moved to Florida with his mother.

Is Shepard Smith in a relationship? – Wife – Spouse

Smith married Virginia Donald, a classmate at the University of Mississippi, in 1987. In 1993, they divorced with no children. Smith revealed in 2017 that he is gay and has a long-term boyfriend.

What is Shepard Smith’s Net Worth? – Salary

He earns a salary of $10 Million Per Year. His net worth is estimated to be $25 Million.

Where did Shepard Smith go to college? – Education

He studied at Marshall Academy in Holly Springs. He majored in journalism at the University of Mississippi, but dropped out after two credits to work as a reporter in Panama City, Florida. On May 10, 2008, Smith delivered the university’s 155th commencement address.

Shepard Smith Photo
Shepard Smith Photo

Why did Shepard Smith leave Fox and go to CNBC?

His departure was largely motivated by his dissatisfaction with his former broadcast colleagues “who are smart enough and educated enough to know better” and who, he claims, were spreading false information.

Shepard Smith Career

Smith began his television career in Panama City Beach, Florida, with WJHG-TV. Smith became a correspondent for A Current Affair after working as a reporter for WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, WSVN in Miami, and WCPX-TV in Orlando.

Smith joined Fox News Channel in 1996 after working as a correspondent for Fox affiliate service News Edge. Smith covered the death of Princess Diana in 1997, President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1998, the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh’s execution in 2001, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Michael Jackson’s death in 2009.

Smith tied for second place with Dan Rather and Peter Jennings as the most-trusted news anchor on both network and cable news in 2003, with The Fox Report with Shepard Smith ranking third among the top five U.S. cable news programs. Smith signed a three-year contract worth $7–$8 million per year on November 19, 2007. On October 26, 2010, he extended his contract with Fox for another three years. He was named managing editor of Fox News’ breaking news division and host of Shepard Smith Reporting on September 12, 2013.

Smith enraged some Fox News viewers in November 2017 when he refuted claims that the Obama administration approved a deal allowing a Russian company to buy a Canadian company with mining interests in the United States in exchange for donations to the Clinton Foundation. Smith’s reporting put him at odds with Fox News prime time host and colleague Sean Hannity, who had backed Hillary Clinton’s claim. Smith signed a multi-year contract with Fox News on March 15, 2018. He announced his departure from the network on Shepard Smith Reporting on October 11, 2019.

CNBC, a business and economic news network, announced Smith’s hiring as a chief general news anchor and chief general breaking news anchor on July 8, 2020. Smith is the host of The News with Shepard Smith, a primetime general news program that premiered on September 30, 2020, and airs weekdays at 7:00 p.m. ET. The program “[aims] to go beyond financial markets, to tell rich, deeply reported stories across the entire landscape of global news,” according to a CNBC press release. From 2002 to 2004, CNBC aired a show with the same name, hosted by Brian Williams and later John Seigenthaler, in the same time slot.