Carson Kressley was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania USA, on the 11 November 1969, and is a television presenter, fashion stylist, and actor, probably best known from either hosting or appearing in several fashion-related TV shows.
A multi-talented television personality, just how rich is Carson Kressley? Sources estimate his net worth to be over $8 million as of early 2017, accumulated largely based on his knowledge of fashion design, during a career which still only spans about 15 years.
Carson Kressley Net Worth $8 million
As a child Kressley he rode horses and competed in equestrian events. He would later go on to win the world championship as part of the US World Cup Saddle Seat equitation team. He was educated at Northwestern Lehigh High School, and then Gettysburg College, graduating in 1991 with an honours degree in Management. He also has degrees in Finance and Fine Arts.
Beginning his career as an independent stylist, Kressley quickly found employment with major fashion house Ralph Lauren, where he worked from 1994 – 2002. In 2003, he made the move to television, appearing as part of the Fab Five, a group of five stylists on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”. Each episode featured a member of the public who undergoes a makeover by the stylists, including a new wardrobe, redecoration of the person’s house, and lessons in culture, food appreciation, and grooming. Kressley’s estimated earnings per episode at the start of the show were $3,000, a small amount in comparison to his current net worth. In 2004, the show was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program. It ran until 2007.
Also in 2007, Kressley appeared on “Crowned: The Mother of all Pageants”, a show in which mothers and daughters competed together to win a beauty pageant. A year later, he acted as Master of Ceremonies on the Cyndi Lauper True Colors Tour.
His next show, “How to Look Good Naked”, based on the British show of the same name, aired in 2008 on the Lifetime channel. The show’s debut episode boasted the network’s highest rating premiere for adults aged eighteen to forty nine, and attracted 1.6 million viewers.
Kressley continued to keep an active schedule, appearing on the Australian version of “Big Brother”, the ABC series “True Beauty”, starting his own show, “Carson Nation”, on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and managing to last until week five on the thirteenth season of “Dancing with the Stars”. He is now also a regular judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Besides his regular hosting and judging work, Kressley has also tried his hand at acting. In 2005 he appeared in “The Perfect Man” starring Hilary Duff, and in 2006 “The Year Without a Santa Claus” with John Goodman. All these jobs cumulatively contributed to Kressley’s growing net worth.
Harkening back to his career roots, Kressley has released two fashion lines. In 2006, his first line, Perfect, went on sale on the shopping channel, QVC. He described the pieces he had designed as “basics with a twist”. His second clothing line was released in 2012, and was called Love, Carson, and aimed at the female market. His net worth was enhanced too.
Kressley has written two books independently: “Off the Cuff: The Essential Style Guide for Men and the Women Who Love Them”, and “You’re Different”, plus “That’s Super”, a children’s book based on the story of the ugly duckling. He has also co-authored books, including “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five’s Guide to Looking Better”, “Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better”, with his fellow members of the Fab Five, and “Does this Book Make my Butt Look Big? A Cheeky Guide to Feeling Sexier in your Own Skin and Unleashing your Personal Style”, with Riann Smith.
In his personal life, Carson Kressley is a gay rights advocate and activist, apparently single, and currently residing in Manhattan.
