When Tony Snow appeared on The Tonight Show, Jay Leno joked that he may be “the poorest Republican in history” for citing financial reasons as his reason for stepping down as White House press secretary.
Snow is having the last laugh.
Sources say that Snow is getting $100,000 a speech on the lecture circuit, a surprising amount for someone defending an unpopular president. It’s also a big fee for someone who used to recite the same talking points in the White House briefing room every day—for free.
Snow’s speaking fees easily break all records set by his predecessors at the podium. Speakers’ agents say Marlin Fitzwater was bringing in about $5,000 a speech when he left the George H.W. Bush administration in the early 1990s but climbed to about $15,000 a speech. Mike McCurry, spokesman in the Clinton White House, is still pulling in about $10,000 to $15,000 a speech. After their days at the current Bush White House podium, Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan are each in the $15,000-to-$25,000 range.
Snow is represented by the high-powered Washington Speakers Bureau because, unlike the others, he was a radio-and-TV star before becoming press secretary in 2006. A plus: Snow’s battle with cancer helps him connect even more with audiences.
This article originally appeared in the November 2007 issue of Washingtonian magazine.
Tony Talks, But for Big Money
Former White House press secretary's speaking fees break records.
When Tony Snow appeared on The Tonight Show, Jay Leno joked that he may be “the poorest Republican in history” for citing financial reasons as his reason for stepping down as White House press secretary.
Snow is having the last laugh.
Sources say that Snow is getting $100,000 a speech on the lecture circuit, a surprising amount for someone defending an unpopular president. It’s also a big fee for someone who used to recite the same talking points in the White House briefing room every day—for free.
Snow’s speaking fees easily break all records set by his predecessors at the podium. Speakers’ agents say Marlin Fitzwater was bringing in about $5,000 a speech when he left the George H.W. Bush administration in the early 1990s but climbed to about $15,000 a speech. Mike McCurry, spokesman in the Clinton White House, is still pulling in about $10,000 to $15,000 a speech. After their days at the current Bush White House podium, Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan are each in the $15,000-to-$25,000 range.
Snow is represented by the high-powered Washington Speakers Bureau because, unlike the others, he was a radio-and-TV star before becoming press secretary in 2006. A plus: Snow’s battle with cancer helps him connect even more with audiences.
This article originally appeared in the November 2007 issue of Washingtonian magazine.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Former Fiola GM Convicted of Murder Is Now in a Netflix Docuseries
These 5 DC Traffic Cams Are Issuing the Most Tickets Right Now
Farewell to Crystal City Underground, the DC Area’s Strangest Mall
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2024
Inside the Urgent Effort to Preserve Black Newspapers
Maryland Has Renamed an Invasive Fish. Will It Matter?
Meet the 2024 Washington Women in Journalism Award Winners
In the Doghouse: Kristi Noem and 5 Other Canine Political Scandals