Here's How Much Maury Povich Is Really Worth
America loves talk shows. They're on in the morning, the afternoon, late at night, on the weekend. They're on nearly every channel. Several of their hosts are named Jimmy. NBC's streaming service Peacock even created one for children called "The Kids Tonight Show." If there were a third thing certain behind death and taxes, it'd be talk shows. Despite the enormous amounts of talk shows, few are quite as wild as Maury Povich's eponymous talk show "Maury."
Since the early '90s, "Maury" has been on the air, bringing viewers the family drama they didn't know they needed, mostly paternity test results. "Maury" has basically become synonymous with paternity tests, though he does help resolve other family issues occasionally.
While he's most known for "Maury," Povich has spent his entire career in the entertainment business, hosting various popular television shows throughout. Now, at over 80 years old, the talk show host is worth an estimated $80 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. Aside from disappointing men when they learn they've indeed fathered a child, how did Povich earn his fortune? Here's what we know.
Maury Povich's career beginnings
Long before he made millions by reminding viewers that it can always be worse, Maury Povich worked in radio before transitioning to television. Per his biography, Povich became known in the television world for hosting the live news program "Panorama," where he covered historic events associated with the JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinations, as well as the Watergate scandal. Povich told Vice, "I started in the news business. I've always believed the best kind of news is storytelling."
Povich moved from hosting "Panorama" to anchoring news for WMAQ in Chicago, where he was paid $100,000 a year, according to The Washington Post. His "Panorama" salary was not disclosed, but his successor reportedly earned between $55,000 and $60,000 from the onset. Povich's time in Chicago was brief, as he left nearly nine months in due to a dispute over his time slot, per the Chicago Tribune.
Povich's final major television stint before beginning "The Maury Povich Show" was on "A Current Affair," which he hosted for nearly four years.
Inside Maury
In 1991, Maury Povich began hosting "The Maury Povich Show" on Paramount, per his biography, but changed the name to "Maury" when switching to NBCUniversal. The show quickly became popular, and has remained so despite criticism of exploitation. To that, Povich told Vice in 2017, "To sit in a rather antiseptic space and criticize what I'm doing when they have no clue about the lives of these people, it's classic elitism. I have a very hard time criticizing things if I haven't been there."
Even amidst some disapproval, "Maury" remains a big hit with audiences, and with that comes a major paycheck for Povich. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Povich's salary for his work on the daytime chat program is $14 million per year, which likely accounts for the majority of his income.
In 2021, Povich celebrated the thirtieth year of his show, and he doesn't plan on quitting any time soon. As he said in the aforementioned Vice interview, "I'll be there for as long as NBC and my audience want me. And frankly, the money is good." Hey, we wouldn't sneeze at that salary, either.
Maury Povich's other television ventures
Although he's found a home hosting "Maury," Maury Povich has ventured into other television opportunities, as the small screen star has been using his gift of gab since the beginning of his career.
In 1998, Povich and his wife Connie Chung were slated to collaborate on a talk show for Dreamworks, per The New York Times. While that show never took off, the two did co-host an MSNBC show called "Weekends with Maury & Connie," as reported by NBC News, although it only stayed on the air for one year.
In the early 2000s, Povich also tried his hand at hosting a game show, NBC's "Twenty One," per the New York Post, and was in direct competition with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" at the time of its broadcasting. Povich's salary for the gig was never revealed, but the late Regis Philbin made $20 million per season for hosting "Millionaire" at the height of its popularity, per Reuters. Povich's pay likely didn't compare with Philbin's, though, as his show was far less popular, only lasting one year.
Maury Povich's guest roles
Maury Povich is a cultural icon, and cultural icons get to do cool things, like make cameos in popular television shows. Prince popped up on "New Girl," Cher appeared in an episode of "Will & Grace," and Maury guest starred on "How I Met Your Mother." Povich's acting credits don't stop at the popular sitcom, though. He also had a role on "Madea's Big Happy Family," again playing himself as Madea's family took to "Maury" to resolve family drama.
Although the exact amount Povich earned for his cameos is undisclosed, Backstage reported in 2019 that guest stars on half-hour comedies earn $5,390 for five days of work, and TMZ reported in 2012 that Charlie Sheen earned $250,000 for his cameo on "Scary Movie," which only took him one day to film, so we're guessing Povich's paycheck for both gigs landed somewhere in between. Either way, they were lucrative opportunities for someone who already has a lucrative full-time job.
He's still involved in journalism
Maury Povich makes a handsome sum of money hosting "Maury," but he's still invested in news and journalism. Literally. Povich and his wife Connie Chung started the Flathead Beacon, a newspaper in Montana, in 2007, as the two have owned a home there for many years.
As Povich noted to the outlet, "We come from a journalism family, so it was very important for us to learn about our community, but we thought that there was something lacking in the news coverage in the area." He also noted his business associates looked down on the idea, but Povich and Chung proved them wrong, and shared with CNN, "After nine years, we're almost breaking even."
Povich has also invested in journalism by donating money. As told in the biography provided on his website, Povich gifted $1 million to the University of Pennsylvania in 2011, "specifically to the school's Kelly Writers House, to establish the Povich Fund for Journalism Programs." The fund, along with another one he started prior, supports writers, particularly aspiring journalists, at the school.
Inside his other investments
With his millions, Maury Povich has diversified his portfolio, adding several investments in a wide range of industries. As noted by Forbes, Povich owns a production company, a clothing company, promotion companies, and is a publisher. Povich said to the outlet, "I almost like to think that I am a mini version of someone like Mel Brooks. ... He had all these interests. I have never been one to live my life as just the host of 'The Maury Show.' I have to justify myself in other ways."
One of those ways, his clothing company, was a large investment for Povich. Per the Boston Globe, Povich put $2 million into Mother Freedom, but hinted that he's not in it for profit. "The show is the mother lode. I'm not into counting money," he said. We wouldn't either.
Povich is also part owner of Chatter, a bar in Washington, D.C. As he told The Washington Post, in further confirmation that his investments aren't necessarily meant to be profitable, "it's just another stupid investment and my kids' inheritance will go down some because investing in restaurants is never a good thing."
Maury Povich's wife is rich, too
Maury Povich isn't the only wealthy person in his family. His wife, Connie Chung, is a journalist who shares an $80 million net worth with Povich, per Celebrity Net Worth. The two met while both working in Washington, D.C., but didn't begin dating until reconnecting years later.
Chung has worked for a variety of major news stations, including MSNBC with Povich, as previously mentioned. In a 2020 interview with People, Chung noted, "We've always respected each other's careers and we've always respected each other's values," allowing them to maintain a decades-long marriage, which is nearly unheard of in the entertainment industry.
Although their net worth is a combined estimate, both contribute to the total, and both spend. As noted in a piece by The New York Times, Povich offered to shell out for a set of candleholders, but Chung made the purchase instead, saying, "No, this is household, so I pay." We love to see it.
He has many homes
Maury Povich and Connie Chung own homes all over the United States. As he noted to Us Magazine, the two own a ranch in Montana, and they've bought and sold properties in various places along the East Coast.
In 2009, Povich and Chung purchased a seven-bedroom home in Washington, D.C. for $8 million, per the Washingtonian. Povich said of the purchase, "It's like a new adventure in an old neighborhood." Chung noted that Povich had "been angling to move back to Washington for years."
The pair also owned a home in New Jersey for a time, and in 2017 listed it for $2.3 million, per Patch. The home boasted four bedrooms and a guest house, as well as a pool.
Arguably the most interesting living space in Povich and Chung's real estate history is the New York City apartment they owned in a building where Judy Garland, Gilda Radner, Joe Namath, and Lauren Bacall once lived, too. The building, called the Dakota, is also the site of John Lennon's murder, per The Hollywood Reporter. Imagine if those walls could talk.
Maury Povich has an expensive hobby
When he's not hosting the most dramatic show on television (sorry, "The Bachelor"), Maury Povich is perfecting his golf game. And we're serious when we say perfecting — the man is very good. As he told Global Golf Post, "I have a handicap that is probably between 3 and 4 and I can remember when I had a handicap that was close to scratch." For those unfamiliar with the sport, the average handicap for a male golfer in the United States is around 16, per Golfweek.
In 2017, Barstool Sports shared an Instagram snapshot supposedly taken by someone caddying for Povich. In the foreground of the image is a Titleist club with the inscription "You are not the father." As Golf Digest put it, "If these are actually Maury Povich's golf clubs, they're amazing." If this set of clubs does indeed belong to the talk show host, we can't say for certain how much the engraving cost, but we do know the price of Titleist gear. It varies from club to club, but all retail for at least $143, and drivers cost $549 each.
Although he's a great golfer with a lot of money, Povich got it right when he told Vice, "I'm going to be remembered for two lines: 'You are the father' and 'You are not the father.'" Just like it says on those clubs.