Kimberly Guilfoyle is known for dating Donald Trump Jr., but she made a name for herself years ago when she was on Fox News. Dating the former president’s son had its perks like dining in the White House, flying on a private jet, or splurging on $1000-per-night hotels. However, she still could afford that on her own, given that Kimberly Guilfoyle’s net worth is at $25 million. Although it pales in comparison to her boyfriend’s $300 million, she has earned every dollar through hard work and determination. She credits her current wealth to her immigrant mentality, which advises people to keep a safety net to fall back on when times get rough – like after her marriage to California Governor Gavin Newsom ended. Here is everything you need to know about how Guilfoyle achieved her net worth.
Learning the Value of Hard Work
According to Irish Central, Guilfoyle’s father, Tony, left Ireland for America in his 20s. He went to work in construction in San Francisco before climbing the ladder to become a contractor. Tony had a love for politics, so he became a political advisor and still wanted to serve the country in other ways. Therefore, he became an Army Ranger for the US Army and was stationed in West Germany. Guilfoyle’s mother, on the other hand, was a special needs teacher.
Perhaps wanting his daughter to stay connected to her Irish roots, Tony Guilfoyle ensured that the former Fox News presenter went back to Ireland every summer from the age of five. When she was around 11, Guilfoyle helped by working in her family business, and she remembers being paid IR£10 per week. She confessed that the work enabled her to get a sense of responsibility. Life also had its cruel way of adding to her duties because her mother died when Guilfoyle was 11. Consequently, she had to take over the household duties, including cooking and caring for her little brother, Anthony.
Having already become used to working from a young age to make ends meet, Guilfoyle joined law school. She had always dreamed of being a prosecutor because the loss of her mother inspired her. Guilfoyle could relate to those who had also suffered a loss in any way, but she mostly preferred assisting violent crime victims. Since her mother died from blood cancer, which could not be vindicated, Guilfoyle wanted to be in a position where she could seek justice for victims of loss.
Law Career
She could not afford to pay for her college tuition. According to SFGate, as she worked at Clothestime, the former television host was approached by a talent scout who convinced her to become a model. She ended becoming Victoria’s Secret model, modeling clothing, lingerie, and swimwear, and it was worth her while because she made at least $300 per hour. She disclosed that besides helping to pay for her tuition, the modeling job taught her self-worth and confidence.
Although Guilfoyle clarified that modeling was a means to an end to complete her studies at the University of San Francisco, it also helped to open doors. During her studies at the law school, she became an intern at the District Attorney’s office in San Francisco. In 1994, she graduated with a Juris Doctor, worked as a teacher, and then joined a civil law firm before attaining her dream of being a prosecutor.
As an entry-level prosecutor, her salary could have ranged between $33,000 and $69,000. Unfortunately, she combined her work with politics and campaigned for the re-election of District Attorney Arlo Smith. When Smith lost, his successor, Terrence Hallinan, fired anyone who had supported Smith leaving Guilfoyle without a job. She had to move to Los Angeles and worked for three years before returning to San Francisco when Hallinan re-hired her. Of course, by then, her salary had gone up given her impressive work in Los Angeles; prosecutors with at least ten years of experience earn $80,000 annually. Having already been bitten by the politics bug, Guilfoyle got married to Gavin Newsom in 2001; he became San Francisco mayor in 2003. Her charming personality did not go unnoticed; hence she got job offers from New York where she was being invited to be a legal analyst for news shows. In 2006, Guilfoyle accepted an offer from FOX News, and unfortunately, the bi-coastal relationship with Newsom was affected. She filed for divorce in 2007.
Lucrative Television Career
Before even becoming a Fox News host, Guilfoyle had already become used to television through various roles. She starred in “Happily Even After” as a Public Defender in 2004 and was also was a host on Court TV’s “Both Sides.” In 2006, upon joining Fox News, she hosted “The Line Up” and “The O’Reilly Factor” before they were canceled. Although it is not clear how much she was being paid for her work, Cheat Sheet ranked her among the wealthiest Fox News anchors though she was only worth $5milion at the time. We can assume it was a very lucrative salary considering that Fox News host Heather Nauert was paid $485,000 and Bill Hemmer as of 2018 took home $400,000. Unfortunately, Guilfoyle’s time at Fox News ended after sexual harassment allegations were made against her. Her assistant claimed that Guilfoyle harassed her and offered her hush money, claims that the news host denied. Still, it was published that these allegations led to Fox News letting go of Guilfoyle and paying $4 million to the assistant to avoid dragging them into the mess.
Becoming a Presidential Campaign Senior Advisor
Guilfoyle was thrust back into politics when she started dating Trump Jr. Due to her experience, the former television host was appointed to be the presidential campaign senior advisor. It is reported that as of early 2020, Guilfoyle was making $15,000 per month from the campaign, and she was paid through Parscale Strategy, the campaign manager’s private company. Guilfoyle is reported to have been considered for the White House press secretary job. Fox Business published that former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany made only $183,000; hence Guilfoyle would not have made as much money as she did during her time at Fox News. Therefore, we can conclude that Guilfoyle’s net worth is from her time at Fox News.
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