Dan Rather's Net Worth: The Legendary Journalist Is Worth More Than You Think

Dan Rather was known as the face of "CBS Evening News" from 1981 to 2004 (per Taddlr). The famed journalist got his start on "60 Minutes," and when the time came, he replaced Walter Cronkite as the anchor. After leaving CBS, he went on to host numerous other news programs and currently is hosting The News with Dan Rather on The Young Turks YouTube channel. 

Rather has covered some of the most important American history moments throughout his illustrious career. He reported live from Dallas, Texas, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on national TV (via Britannica). He also reported from behind the lines of the Vietnam War and spoke on the Civil Rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Families all over the United States trusted his face and his voice. As a result, Dan Rather has a sizable net worth, but at one point, he came close to almost losing it all.

The Richest lists Dan Rather's net worth at $70 million. But in 2004, Rather was knocked down from his pedestal after a report entitled Truth or Consequences found him in hot water regarding his journalistic integrity (via Texas Monthly). During the commentary, Rather reported that George W. Bush might have been given preferential treatment during his time in the Texas Air National Guard to help him avoid the Vietnam War. He shared six files, later called the Killian documents, that showed Bush had failed to show up for a flight physical, gone AWOL, and lost his flight status.

When the 15-minute segment aired, Bush was running for president, and his administration accused CBS and the journalist of using fake documents to throw the election. The network was forced to perform an independent investigation and found that the piece overlooked "fundamental journalistic principles." But it is important to note that the Killian documents were not ever proved to be fakes (via People).

The reporter pocketed a few coins thanks to his "New York Times" bestseller, "What Unites Us," which he released in 2017. Dan Rather also owns two homes. One is in Livingston Manor, a wealthy town in upstate New York, and the other is located in Austin, Texas (per Virtual Globetrotting). Since semi-retiring, Rather has been outspoken regarding the state of America and how it was "poorly led" by Donald Trump in an interview on WPR's The Morning Show. The former anchor is hoping to be someone who can reunite the country by getting people to talk to one another, saying, "That's the way we build back together with a more united country, in my opinion." 

He has now become rather popular on Twitter for his updates on current events. Instead of his 24-year sign-off of "Courage," he has now changed his last words to "Stay steady." The reporter felt his parting words needed updating and that everyone needed a bit of encouragement during these difficult times. Even though he may have a slight tarnish on his reputation, the national icon stands by all his reporting and looks forward to being a beacon of hope and fair news for his followers.