Brian Kilmeade is a popular American television and radio personality and TV show host best known for his work at FOX network’s Fox News Channel where he serves as the co-host of the popular morning show ‘Fox and Friends’ alongside Ainsley Earhardt and Steve Doocy. He also serves as the host of ‘Kilmeade and Friends’ on Fox News Radio and occasionally hosts the show ‘The Five’ on Fox News Channel.
Kilmeade is also an author having written both fiction and non-fiction books on sports and politics. Some of his best-selling books include ‘The Games Do Count: America’s Best and Brightest on the Power of Sports’, pulished in 2004, ‘It’s How You Play the Game: The Powerful Sports Moments that Taught Lasting Values to America’s Finest’ in 2007, ‘George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring that Saved the American Revolution, published in 2013, and ‘Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War that Changed American History’ published in 2015.
Early Life and Education
Kilmeade was born on 7 May 1964 in New York City, New York, USA where he was also raised. He is the middle child of his father and his mother Marie Kilmeade and has two brothers. His older brother is named Steve Kilmeade while the younger one is Jim Kilmeade. Kilmeade has Italian and Irish ancestry and was raised as a Roman Catholic.
Kilmeade attended the public high school, Massapequa High School, New York where he was very active in sports and cultural activities, hosting several events. He graduated in 1982 and later enrolled into C.W. Post (Brookville, New York) from where he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Arts with a minor in Political Science.
Career Rise
Kilmeade started his career in the capacity of a correspondent at Channel One News, the national high school TV news program that airs daily. He later served as a host on Ontoria, California’s KHSC-TV. Kilmeade’s next job was as the co-host of Jim Brown on ‘The Jim Brown Show’ that aired on the all-sports radio network XTRA-AM, affiliated to FOX Sports, San Diego and in 1993, joined Brown on the announcing team of the inaugural UFC 1 (Ultimate Fighting Championship) event where he conducted interviews, post-fights. He later served as a play-by-play commentator in 1994 for both UFC2 and UFC3.
The 5 feet 10 inch Kilmeade opted for more freelance sports anchoring opportunities from 1997, beginning with serving as a sports anchor for the WVIT(NBC) network in Hartford, Connecticut. He later worked as MSG network’s side-line reporter covering major league soccer team New York/New Jersey MetroStars. He then served at Newsport TV as an anchor and feature reporter, hosting Newsport Journal and Scoreboard Central. Kilmeade Joined Fox News Radio in April 2006 and currently serves as the co-host of ‘Fox & Friends’, while also hosting ‘The Five’, frequently. He also hosts ‘Kilmeade & Friends’ on Fox News Radio.
Wife and Children
Kilmeade dated Dawn DeGaetano for several years until he finally married her in December 1993. Together they have three children; a son named Brian Kilmeade and two daughters, Kirstyn and Kaitlyn Kilmeade. The family currently resides in Massapequa, New York along with their Burmanese dog, Duke.
Kilmeade owned a home in Long Island, New York that was destroyed when Hurricane Sandy hit New York in November 2012, in which some of his neighbour’ homes completely exploded.
Brian Kilmeade – Salary and Net Worth
Kilmeade draws an annual salary of approximately$200,000 and has an estimated net worth of approximately $2.5 Million.