How Carson Daly Went From Jimmy Kimmel's Intern to Multi-Million Dollar Host
When it comes to famous television hosts, Carson Daly is up there with successful Hollywood figures like Howie Mandel, Alex Trebek, and Savannah Guthrie.
Not only is he racking in a multi-million dollar annual salary as Feature Anchor for Today, but he's a bonafide hosting multi-tasker as the host of NBC's The Voice and Last Call with Carson Daly which just finished filming last month after a 17-year run.
While his charisma and confidence behind the mic would lead you to believe that Daly has been hosting TV shows his whole life, the star didn't get his big break until the late '90s, after he landed the job as host of MTV's Total Request Live.
Before that? He was a radio DJ who grew up wanting to be a priest. It's safe to say he ended up on the right career path, as the star has a net worth of an estimated $40 million today. Here's how Carson Daly started making millions.
He lived in a motel as an aspiring DJ
Daly didn't start out dreaming of money. In fact, he was willing to scrape by just to be part of the music industry.
"I think when I entered my career and I was a radio DJ and I was fueled by my love of music, I was totally willing to be broke," he told Hoda Kotb on Today. "And I did. I lived in a Motel 6, I made 20 grand when I was like 25 years old."
Daly, who has been very open about his faith, said that he was called on by a "higher power" to pursue music. "I was willing to take an oath of poverty,'' he said. "I almost was gonna become a priest. I really thought about it."
But Father Daly it wasn't. A more traditional passion won out in the end: "I was literally was OK with having nothing," he said. "Not nothing-people really have nothing-but that was the life for me, I wanted to wake up and be around music."
He dropped out of college to intern with Jimmy Kimmel
Of course, being a DJ can be a full-time job (Calvin Harris, anyone!?). But Daly's stepfather had higher aspirations for him.
Despite receiving a golf scholarship at Loyola Marymount University, Daly dropped out in 1993. "My mom was like 'Shoot for the stars, shoot for your dreams,''' Carson told Today. "My dad was like, 'Dude get a job.'"
So he went ahead and did just that, getting an internship at Palms Springs radio station with none other than Jimmy Kimmel as his boss. Three years later, at age 23, Daly landed his first full-time, on-air job at KROQ radio station. "I think I made like $45,000 a year, and I bought a mattress, I bought a bed, and my parents were like 'All right, way to go! You're the man.'"
He's said that being on radio helped him with his generalized anxiety disorder, which he's had since he was a young kid.
He got a side gig at MTV, making $600 a day
In 1997, Daly picked up a second job at MTV, making an extra $600 a day appearing on-air. MTV soon offered him a full-time job as a host of MTV's Total Request Live (TRL), which immediately skyrocketed him to fame. He made $100,000 with a one-year contract.
Daly famously hosted the Miss Teen USA competition in 1999, and TRL continued to see success. The host remained on the show until 2003, but according to Forbes, he was still making $8 million from the MTV television network in 2005.
A post shared by Carson Daly (@carsondaly) on Aug 3, 2017 at 1:22pm PDT
He made his first million-dollar salary in 2001
After TRL, Daly became a big celebrity, and the jobs-and cash-came rolling in. In 2001 he signed a five-year deal with Premier Radio Networks to host his own show, Carson Daly's Most Requested. According to Forbes, the pay was a $1 million salary upfront plus half the show's profits. In his first year on the show, he made a cool $2 million.
Daly signed additional contracts in the early 2000s. In 2002, he started hosting his own late-night show, Last Call with Carson Daly, which just ended this past May after a 17-year run. "I’m really proud that Last Call has been on for over a decade-we had thousands of diverse guests it was great practice for Today," Daly told Today.
He also launched New Year's Eve with Carson Daly in 2003, which of course counted down to the New Year with the ball drop in Times Square.
A post shared by Carson Daly (@carsondaly) on Dec 30, 2017 at 6:04pm PST
He has a net worth of $40 million today
With reality music competitions like American Idol and X Factor being major hits, NBC decided to launch The Voice in 2011 with Daly as host. Daly still serves as host and producer for the show today, which just aired its 15th season in December 2018. He makes $5 million per year on The Voice.
He earns another $5 million from NBC as Feature Anchor on Today, bringing his total annual salary at NBC to $10 million. He also co-founded record label 456 Enterprise and Entertainment, but it's unknown how much he profits from that.
He owns at least $20 million in real estate
Today, Daly lives in, not-so-surprisingly, a large mansion in Santa Monica, California, with his wife Siri Pinter and three kids. He has previously owned luxury real estate across the U.S., like a $6.5-million-dollar home in Long Island, New York. In total, Daly owns at least $20 million in real estate.
A post shared by Carson Daly (@carsondaly) on Aug 6, 2015 at 7:34pm PDT
Stay updated on the latest science-backed health, fitness, and nutrition news by signing up for the Prevention.com newsletter here. For added fun, follow us on Instagram.
('You Might Also Like',)
