One of Lou Dobbs' biggest claims to fame is being an early promoter of the false "birther"
conspiracy, and sadly, that wasn't the first — or last — time the conservative commentator
got himself into hot water.
Here's the truth about Lou Dobbs.
When you've been on television for a long time, it's more than likely you've built up
an impressive net worth.
So, just how rich is Lou Dobbs?
Let's break it down.
After graduating with a business degree from Harvard University in 1967, Dobbs moved to
Arizona, where he worked as a local reporter.
After that, he moved around, eventually landing an anchoring spot in Seattle where he was
poached by Ted Turner to join CNN.
He was at CNN for over a decade before joining Fox.
By that time Dobbs had built an impressive fan base thanks to his time at CNN, his radio
shows, and the books he'd released.
Fox took all of that into account when they offered him a lucrative contract for joining
the network, per Celebrity Net Worth.
So if we add that all together, what do we get?
Well, despite leaving Fox in 2021, Dobbs is still worth an estimated $20 million.
How exactly does he spend all that dough?
If his Instagram is any indication, mostly on travel and horses.
These days, Dobbs is easing into retirement by working less and enjoying his time on his
300 acre New Jersey horse farm, and taking the occasional road trip with his wife.
If you know one thing about Lou Dobbs, it's that he's super tight with former president
Donald Trump.
"Does it ever seem to you that President Trump has done more than any president in modern
history in just 16 months?"
As soon as Trump landed in the oval office, Dobbs was on speed dial offering his two cents
on immigration and international policy initiatives.
In general, Trump broke with tradition by maintaining an exceptionally close relationship
with key members of the press, however his connection with Dobbs was something special.
Speaking to The Washington Post in 2019, Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, had
this to say:
"While the president and Lou are friendly, it's not like his relationship with a lot
of other people in the media who like him.
This is about policy.
They're completely in sync on immigration and trade and what that all means for wages
and how the Republican elite has failed."
The relationship between the two men has played out in more ways than just policy advising.
Insiders told the outlet that Dobbs had essentially converted his Fox Network show into Trump
2020 propaganda.
Trump, for his part, has spoken openly about his admiration for Dobbs, telling The Washington
Post,
"Lou has a very strong opinion on the border, and I do listen to that opinion.
I think he respects what I'm doing, and I respect the job he does.
He really gets the word out.
There's no question about it."
Lou Dobbs came to fame after joining CNN in 1980.
"Hi, I'm Lou Dobbs.
I anchor CNN's economic news program 'Moneyline' each weekday evening."
By 2010, though, both he and the network were ready to part ways for the final time.
This time, it was Dobbs' political beliefs that caused the riff.
According to Dobbs, the September 11th terrorist attacks drastically altered his politics.
Over the years, he became increasingly radicalized until he was too far to the right, and too
divisive to remain at CNN, per NPR.
Things deteriorated to the point that Dobbs was apologizing on air for offensive comments
about the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and coming under fire for misreporting facts about
disease spread related to illegal immigration.
By 2010, Dobbs was firmly behind the birther movement, and as far as CNN was concerned,
it was time for Dobbs to go.
So he departed CNN, and began looking for a platform where his populist ideals would
be more welcome.
Long story short, he landed at Fox, where producers were more than happy to promote
Dobbs' more radical views.
During his heyday at CNN, Lou Dobbs came under fire for misreporting facts regarding illegal
immigrants.
Dobbs claimed on-air that between 2004 and 2007, there were around 7,000 new cases of
leprosy in the US.
He further alleged that the increase in leprosy cases was directly related to an increase
in illegal immigration from Mexico.
When outside parties started checking his stats, though, it became clear that Dobbs
was grossly misinformed.
Dobbs appeared on CNN where he was questioned about the report, which the interview stated
seemed to cite little to no evidence to back up the claim.
When confronted, though, Dobbs doubled down, telling 60 Minutes,
"If we reported it, it's a fact."
It turns out, however, that it was not fact.
In fact, as far as facts go, Dobbs couldn't have been more off base.
According to the outlet, between 2001 and 2007 national leprosy cases had only increased
by 76 percent, which according to experts, is not significant.
Dobbs would not apologize.
When confronted once again by The New York Times, he curtly replied,
"You've raised this to a level that frankly I find offensive."
For someone as well versed in politics as he is, it's no surprise that Lou Dobbs once
considered getting more involved himself.
After leaving CNN in 2009 and before joining Fox in 2011, some thought Dobbs might not
return to television and might instead run for office.
At the time, Dobbs wielded nearly unparalleled political power.
Democrats and Republicans were vying to get his backing on various legislation.
Senator Chuck Schumer told The Wall Street Journal in 2010,
"If he likes our bill, it would be a real shot in the arm."
Some New Jersey locals were hoping Dobbs would take it a step further and actually run for
office in 2010 against incumbent Senator Bob Menendez.
Dobbs told the New Jersey Monthly:
"A number of groups [...] have tried to persuade me to get involved in various campaigns.
What I want to do right now is focus on dealing with the two basic public policy issues that
I think are really important: the economy and job creation, and illegal immigration
and border security."
As for a 2012 run, Dobbs wouldn't explicitly rule it out, saying simply,
"I don't leap at things.
I make careful evaluations and I make grown up, responsible decisions."
As much as Lou Dobbs loved Donald Trump, that's how much he hated Barack Obama.
Dobbs was one of the original leads of the "Birther Movement" — a right-wing smear
campaign against the former president in which his political opponents alleged that Obama's
birth certificate was fake, that he was not born in the U.S., and was therefore unqualified
to be president.
Obviously, the allegations were meritless, but they were nonetheless click-baity.
"Why doesn't he show his birth certificate?"
Despite openly talking about how there was reportedly ample evidence Obama was not born
on U.S. soil, Dobbs backtracked when confronted with questions about his problematic views.
On one episode of Lou Dobbs Tonight, the host suggested it was Obama's fault for not releasing
his birth certificate.
Dobbs told his audience:
"Seemingly the questions won't go away because they haven't been dealt with."
Dobbs doubled down the following day, claiming,
"All [Obama] has to do is produce the original birth certificate."
Dobbs' attacks on Obama continued long after he left office.
Dobbs jumped at the chance to criticize the former president in 2017 when Obama commented
on Trump's Twitter usage.
Dobbs claimed it was unbecoming of one president to talk about another.
"I mean, this is just bad manners.
It's boorish, and it's absurd."
Dobbs added that for criticizing his successor, he believed Obama should face some sort of
legal repercussion, telling his audience,
"I mean, he should be brought back by the marshals.
Isn't there some law that says presidents shouldn't be attacking sitting presidents?"
And just in case you were wondering, U.S. marshals never bothered to get involved.
Lou Dobbs was once again the center of controversy in 2009 when he made national headlines, except
this time it wasn't for something he said on air.
No, this time, Dobbs was a topic of conversation after calling the police to report that shots
had been fired at his New Jersey home.
Dobbs relayed the story himself on his CNN show Lou Dobbs Tonight:
"Three weeks ago this morning, a shot was fired at my house where I live.
My wife was standing outside and that followed weeks and weeks of threatening phone calls."
Dobbs' wife, Debi Segura was not in the incident, nor was anyone else in the house.
The police arrived and investigated, but by that time the perpetrator was long gone.
The police might not have found the person or people responsible, but Dobbs had a pretty
good idea of who to blame.
He pointed the finger squarely at his political opponents, who he claimed had created pro-immigration
propaganda that directly conflicted with the narrative he relayed on his show.
He asserted that the "propaganda" has angered someone to the point of attacking him.
Dobbs said:
"They've created an atmosphere and they've been unrelenting in their propaganda."
Like so many other republican pundits, 2021 was not a good year for Lou Dobbs.
Dobbs, an adamant supporter of Donald Trump's, spent most of 2020 talking up the president
and his chances of reelection on his high-ranking Fox News show, Lou Dobbs Tonight.
Well, as we all know, Trump did not win, and not only did Dobbs have to face defeat, he
also had to face some serious legal problems as well.
In February 2021, Fox News was sued by Smartmatic USA Corp., a company responsible for building
and supplying voting machines across the country.
In the lawsuit, the company claimed that Fox News as well as Dobbs had made defamatory
comments about the accuracy of their machines when implying that the election had been stolen
from Trump.
Smartmatic USA planned to sue Fox for a whopping $2.7 billion, according to The Wall Street
Journal.
Fox released a statement painting the lawsuit as ridiculous and claimed to support its anchors
and their 2020 election coverage.
Despite their claims of unending support for their employees, Dobbs ended up a sacrificial
lamb, so to speak.
With months left on his contract, Dobbs' show was canceled and he was asked to leave the
network.
As of December 2021, Fox is still in the process of attempting to dismiss the lawsuit, per
Reuters.
It may never have been Lou Dobbs' choice to leave Fox in 2021 — long before his contract
ended — but it seems like he's making the best of a bad situation.
A quick glance at Dobbs' Instagram offers a wealth of insight into his days as a quasi-retiree.
Most of his time seems to be spent relaxing on his palatial New Jersey horse farm.
He's also made time to travel with his wife, Debi Segura.
In August 2021, Dobbs commemorated a trip to Niagara Falls with a sweet photo of himself
and Segura, writing in the caption:
"Deb and I enjoying beautiful Niagara Falls up close."
Before you think that Dobbs is about to slip away into obscurity, don't.
While he isn't on TV anymore, he still hosts a radio show on the Salem Radio Network.
"The Lou Dobbs Financial Report," airs three times a day, five days a week.
"The Lou Dobbs Financial Report" is a departure from Dobbs' time at major networks, as the
show lasts just ten minutes.
Dobbs quickly covers the top financial news of the day, and then, we assume, gets back
to his horses.
If you know one thing about Lou Dobbs, it's that he does not like illegal immigrants.
His hardline stance on illegal immigration was a deciding factor in CNN's decision to
ultimately part ways with him.
Unfortunately, those controversial stances came back to bite him in a big way when just
a year later, when The Nation reported that Dobbs was allegedly using undocumented immigrants
for cheap labor on his New Jersey horse farm.
According to the article, Dobbs hired illegal immigrants specifically to transport his daughter's
expensive show horses back and forth from New England to Florida as the seasons changed.
One employee who spoke with the outlet claimed he worked 65 hours a week for $500 and was
denied any overtime pay.
Another one of Dobbs' employees told The Nation:
"It doesn't matter what time it is: in the night or at dawn, you have to check the horse.
You always, always have to be at work [...] I looked after Dobbs's horses while I was illegal."
Though he had never passed up an opportunity to talk about illegal immigration before,
interestingly enough, Dobbs declined to comment on the piece.
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