Gretchen Carlson is a great TV personality who hosted various notable shows like Fox and Friends, The Early Show, and The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson in various channels like CBS News and Fox Friends in different periods.
She is an author as she has written two books named “Getting Real” and Be fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back.” Both books are bestsellers too.
Gretchen Carlson Quick Facts
Wiki | Biography |
---|---|
Full Name | Gretchen Carlson |
Nick Name | Gretchen |
Profession | Journalist, TV Host, Author |
Famous as | TV Personality, Miss America 1989, #MeToo Advocate |
Age | 59 years old |
Date of Birth | June 21, 1966 |
Birthplace/Hometown | Anoka, Minnesota, United States |
Nationality | American |
Sexuality | Heterosexual |
Gender | Female |
Ethnicity | Caucasian |
Religion | Christianity |
Sun Sign (Zodiac Sign) | Gemini |
Height (in feet) | 5 feet 3 inches |
Height (in centimeters) | 160 cm |
Weight (in pounds) | 106 lbs |
Weight (in kilograms) | 48 kg |
Body Measurements (in inches) | 34-26-35 (bust-waist-hips) |
Body Measurements (in centimeters) | 86-66-89 (bust-waist-hips) |
Shoe Size in US | 7 |
Tattoo Details | None |
Eye Color | Blue |
Hair Color | Blonde |
Parents | Lee Carlson (father), Karen Carlson (mother) |
Siblings | Kris Carlson Germain (sister), two brothers |
Relationship Status | Married |
Dating History | Casey Close (met on a blind date, dated before marriage) |
Partner | Casey Close |
Children | Kaia Close (22 years old), Christian Close (20 years old) |
Highest Qualification | Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Behavior |
School | Update soon |
Alma Mater | Stanford University |
Hobbies & Favorites | Playing violin, spending time with family |
Favorite Celebrities | Update soon |
Dream Holiday | Update soon |
Favorite Color | Update soon |
Interests | Advocacy against sexual harassment, music, journalism |
Net Worth | $18 million as of 2025 |
Salary & Earnings | $2 million/year (while at Fox News) |
@gretchencarlson | |
@gretchencarlson |
Gretchen Carlson: Miss America
People got to see Carlson’s enticing personality when she took part in the Miss Minnesota, a beauty pageant competition.
Carlson eventually won the title in 1988.
As the winner of every state gets to participate in Miss America, Carlson did as well.
The extremely talented and beautiful Gretchen Carlson won the competition and became Miss America, 1989.
Crowned as Miss America, Carlson appeared in various TV shows and which later paved her way to be a TV personality.
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Gretchen Carlson Married, Husband, Children
Gretchen Carlson is married to Casey Close, a sports agent by profession.
Carlson and Close’s love story started when they first met each other on a blind date.
In their first meet, something clicked, and their relationship started to be stronger as time went by.
After dating for a couple of years, Close decided to propose to Carlson. He did, and Carlson said yes.
Gretchen Carlson and Casey Close married each other in 1997.
During that time, her husband, Casey Close, was a baseball player. After retirement, Casey became a sports agent.
Carlson and Close have two children, a daughter, and a son.
Her daughter’s name is Kaia, while her son’s name is Christian.
Gretchen’s daughter Kaia is 22 years old and Christian is 20 years old.
They help each other and are good parents as they take out time to spend them with their children. They have nurtured their children well.
Their holidays are spent with their children, as she posted it on her Instagram account. She says:
“Nothing better than spending holidays with family and good food”
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How Old Is Gretchen Carlson? Age, Bio
Gretchen Carlson was born on June 21, 1966, in Anoka, Minnesota, United States of America.
Carlson is 59 years old.
Born on June 21, Gretchen’s zodiac sign is Gemini.
She had a love for music as a child. She even learned how to play violin and became quite good at it too.
Consequently, Carlson won lots of awards when she participated in violin competitions.
Gretchen even played on radio and television programs too.
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Carlson’s Parents
Gretchen Carlson’s mother’s name is Karen Barbara Carlson, and her father’s name is Lee Roy Carlson.
In her hometown, her father owned a General Motors auto dealership called Main Motors.
In 2010, Gretchen and her whole family redeemed their auto franchise which GM motors enlisted to terminate.
After talking with a lot of people and gathering media attention as well, GM Motors decided to let the Carlson family keep their franchise.
Does Gretchen Carlson Have a Sister?
Gretchen is among the four children that Lee and Karen welcomed.
She has one older sister and two brothers. Her older sister’s name is Kris Carlson Germain.
Kris is a University of Minnesota graduate with a degree in sociology.
Karen Carlson, Gretchen Carlson’s sister, currently works as a part-time Patient Service Representative at Luong Plastic Surgery in Edina, Minnesota.
Previously, she served as an Event Purchasing Manager at One10 Marketing, formerly known as Aimia, Inc. and Carlson Marketing Group.
She also worked as a Sourcing Manager at BCD Travel in Chicago, Illinois.
Karen has held positions such as Senior Sales Planning Manager at Carlson Marketing, Planning Manager at Cargill Romsaas Associates, and Account Manager at Carlson Marketing in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Her career began as a Senior Account Coordinator at Carlson Marketing in Plymouth, Minnesota.
Kris is married to her husband, Mr. Germain and have a family.
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Where Did Gretchen Carlson Go To College?
Gretchen Carlson was a bright student as she studied organizational behavior at Stanford University and graduated as well.
Her initial plan was to go to law school after Stanford, but later she dedicated herself to pursuing journalism.
Gretchen Carlson Is Worth $18 Million
Gretchen Carlson has a net worth is $18 million.
While working at Fox, Carlson earned a massive salary of $2 million/year.
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What Happened to Gretchen Carlson?
While everyone thought that Gretchen was doing very well at her workplace, earning $2 million in salary every year, they did not know the demons she was fighting.
In July 2016, Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against former Fox News Chairman, late Roger Ailes.
In her initial filing, Carlson stated that Ailes fired her from her program because she did not cooperate with his “Sexual Advances.”
While Ailes bluntly stated the allegations were false, six more women came forward with a similar story to Carlson.
This is also where the “Me Too” movement started.
Carlson’s courage gave power to other women as well. Slowly, more women from different companies and industries came forward, voicing the injustice they were served.
Famous personalities like Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Harvey Weinstein have succumbed to the movement.
These men allegedly exploited their power and flouted women’s rights at their workplaces.
Here’s all that you need to know about Charlie Rose’s Rise and Fall.
Carlson spoke about all the sexual harassment she faced while at Fox in an interview with ABC news channel.
While reading the letters she received from the women who praised her for speaking on Sexual Harassment on her job, she became very emotional.
Her life on the Fox channel and the sexual harassment she faced was shown through a series called “The loudest voice” and a film called “Bombshell.”
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Gretchen Carlson Settlement
Exactly two months later, on September 6, 2016, 21st Century Fox announced their settlement with Gretchen.
The Fox News parent company, 21st Century Fox, settled the lawsuit with Carlson and agreed to pay $20 million in damages.
The company also released a public apology to Carlson,
“We sincerely regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve.”
Since then, Carlson joined People as a special contributor.
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What Is Gretchen Carlson Doing Now?
As a TV personality before, she is still active in it.
In the previous year, she joined as a special contributor in People (The TV Show).
Carlson also became the first-ever Miss America’s winner to elect as a chairwoman for Miss America Organization on January 1, 2018.
The first thing that Carlson did was, she removed the swimsuit competition from the pageant.
Instead of a swimsuit competition, Carlson put an on-stage interview in its place.
However, In June of 2019, Carlson stepped down from her position as chairwoman after the organization made a return deal with NBC.
As of now, Gretchen Carlson remains an advisor to the board for Miss America Organization.
Currently, Gretchen is a strong advocate against sexual harassment.
She is also the co-founder to Lift our Voices, a non-profit that moves against forced arbitration clauses and non-disclosure agreements in workplace contracts.
Gretchen Carlson Awards
Year | Milestone |
---|---|
1989 | Won Miss America, kicking off her public career. |
2002-2005 | Hosted The Early Show on CBS News, getting her name out there. |
2005-2013 | Co-hosted Fox & Friends on Fox News, building her rep. |
2013-2016 | Anchored The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson, growing her reach. |
2016 | Sued Roger Ailes, lighting the #MeToo spark. |
2016 | Settled for $20 million, got a public apology. |
2019 | Co-founded Lift Our Voices, zeroing in on workplace fairness. |
2022 | Pushed through the Ending Forced Arbitration and Speak Out Acts. |
2025 | Keeps fighting for the Protecting Older Americans Act, stays in the media mix. |