Sally Jessy Raphael Net Worth -

What is Sally Jessy Raphael’s Net Worth and Salary?

Sally Jessy Raphael, the American talk show host, has a net worth of $40 million. She hosted her own program from 1983 to 2002, starting as a local half-hour show in St. Louis and eventually becoming nationally syndicated and expanded to a full hour. Raphael also hosted a daily radio show from 2005 to 2008.

Sally Jessy Raphael’s Lucrative Contracts

In September 1993, Sally Jessy Raphael signed a five-year contract with Multimedia Inc. worth $25 million, which, adjusted for inflation, amounts to $44 million. She signed one more contract that paid slightly less until the show ended in 2002. Over the course of nearly 4,000 episodes, Sally earned approximately $9 million per year before taxes.

Early Life and Education

Sally Jessy Raphael was born on February 25, 1935 in Easton, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Zelda, was an art gallery owner and her father, Jesse, was a rum exporter. She attended Easton Area High School and spent time in San Juan, Puerto Rico where her father worked. She began her media career at WFAS, a local radio station in Scarsdale, New York. Raphael went on to attend Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Puerto Rico, and Columbia University. She also studied under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York City.

Sally Jessy Raphael’s Career Journey

After college, Raphael worked as a news correspondent for the Associated Press and United Press International, covering Central American affairs due to her fluency in Spanish. She also did radio and television work in Puerto Rico and Miami, but struggled to find consistent work and was fired from 18 of the 24 stations where she worked. In 1981, she found success hosting a call-in advice show on New York City’s WMCA radio station.

Sally Jessy Raphael’s Career as Host of “The Sally Jessy Raphael Show”

Raphael gained fame as the host of “The Sally Jessy Raphael Show,” which premiered on KSDK in St. Louis in 1983. The show covered major topics like religion, family, and sexuality, and also included moments of comedy. It was one of the first issue-driven, audience-participation talk shows hosted by a woman. In 1986, it expanded from a half-hour to an hour-long show. From 1987 to 1989, it broadcast from WTNH’s studios in New Haven, Connecticut, before moving to Unitel studios in Manhattan. From 1998 to 2002, it broadcast from Manhattan’s Hotel Pennsylvania.

During the show, Raphael often invited drag queens to participate.

Sally Jessy Raphael’s Media Appearances

After the end of her TV show, Sally Jessy Raphael hosted a radio program called “Sally Jessy Raphael on Talknet” from 2005 to 2008. The show aired on AM stations across New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest, with its flagship station being Baltimore’s WVIE. It also aired on XM Satellite Radio’s America’s Talk channel starting in late 2007.

Raphael was a guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in late 2010, along with other former talk show hosts such as Montel Williams, Ricki Lake, and Phil Donahue.

Marriages and Children

In 1953, Raphael married Andrew Vladimir and had two daughters, Allison and Andrea, before divorcing in 1958. Allison died from a drug overdose in 1992. Raphael then married Karl Soderlund in 1962 and they had a son named Jason. The couple remained married until Soderlund’s death in 2020.