Age, Biography, and Wiki
Jake Tapper was born on March 12, 1969. As of 2025, he is 56 years old. His career in journalism has been marked by numerous awards and recognition for his coverage of significant political events. Tapper's biography is detailed on his Wikipedia page, which outlines his early life, education, and professional achievements.
| Occupation | Cartoonist |
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| Date of Birth | 12 March 1969 |
| Age | 56 Years |
| Birth Place | New York City, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is no readily available information on Jake Tapper's specific height, weight, or body measurements.
On April 24, 2018, Little, Brown and Company published Tapper's first novel, a political thriller entitled The Hellfire Club. The novel follows a fictitious freshman Congressman discovering corruption and conspiracy in 1950s Washington, at the height of the McCarthy era. The book debuted at Number 3 on the New York Times Best Seller list for Hardcover fiction, and remained on the Best Seller list for four weeks total. The Associated Press called The Hellfire Club "insightful... well-written and worthwhile." Tablet Magazine called the novel "startlingly good." USA Today said the author "sizzles" and "proves he has the page-turning knack in his entertaining debut novel." The sequel to The Hellfire Club, The Devil May Dance, was released in May 2021, and continues the story of the lives of Charlie and Margaret Marder. In 2023, the third volume in the series, All the Demons Are Here, was published.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Jake Tapper is married to Jennifer Marie Brown, and they have two children together. He is known for maintaining a balanced personal and professional life.
His mother, who is originally from Canada, retired as a psychiatric nurse at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. His father, from Chicago, graduated from Dartmouth College and Harvard Medical School and went on to serve as the president of South Philadelphia Pediatrics and associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College. His parents are Jewish; his mother, who was raised Presbyterian, converted to Judaism. He was named for Jacob Scher. When Tapper was young, he spent summers attending Camp Ramah in the Poconos, a Jewish summer camp.
In October 2022, Tapper wrote a cover story for The Atlantic magazine about C.J. Rice, a former patient of his father's serving 30–60 years in prison for a crime his father was convinced Rice was physically incapable of committing. Tapper's story detailed the various ways Rice had inadequate counsel. In December 2023, Rice's conviction was overturned and in March 2024, Rice was exonerated, with Tapper breaking the news that Pennsylvania had freed and dropped the charges against Rice.
Tapper made a cameo in the Halloween-themed episode of The Rookie (October 30, 2022). He wore a Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies jersey; Schmidt was the MVP of the 1980 World Series. Tapper's son, Jack, appeared alongside him, dressed up as Tom Hanks' character Captain Miller from Saving Private Ryan. Tapper and his son watched the show together while locked down due to COVID-19, and he wanted to share his appreciation for the program. Tapper posted a Tweet to Nathan Fillion; according to Tapper, Fillion wrote back and invited the pair for a set visit once COVID protocols were eased. Just before the visit, Fillion asked whether the father and son wanted to film a cameo on the show.
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| Husband | Jennifer Marie Brown (m. 2006) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2024, Jake Tapper's net worth is estimated at approximately $16 million by some sources, although other reports suggest it could be higher, around $20 million. His annual salary is reported to be between $4 million and $7 million under his current CNN contract.
On the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024, Tapper reported on Gold Star families protesting a 2014 change in policy by the American Battle Monuments Commission that had previously allowed families to pay for flowers, which the ABMC would ensure be placed on the graves of their loved ones in cemeteries abroad, such as Normandy. After the piece aired, crediting Tapper, the White House pushed the ABMC to change the policy back.
Business and Investments
While specific business investments are not widely reported, Tapper's career in journalism and publishing has contributed significantly to his wealth.
In 1992, Tapper served as a campaign press secretary for Democratic congressional candidate Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky (PA-13) and later served as her congressional press secretary. Tapper also worked for Powell Tate, a Washington, D.C., public relations firm run by Democrat Jody Powell and Republican Sheila Tate. Tapper served as a spokesman for Hooters and worked for Handgun Control, Inc. (now the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence) in 1997.
Tapper wrote several articles as a freelance writer and then began his full-time journalism career in 1998; for two years, he was a senior writer for the Washington City Paper. While there, Tapper wrote an article about going on a date with Monica Lewinsky, which skewered Washington's culture of scandal. Tapper won a Society of Professional Journalists award for his work at the Washington City Paper.
Tapper was passed over as a candidate to replace George Stephanopoulos as anchor of This Week when Stephanopoulos was chosen to replace Diane Sawyer as co-host of Good Morning America after she became the anchor of World News. CNN's Christiane Amanpour was selected as Stephanopoulos' replacement instead. Tapper served as the interim anchor until Amanpour took over the show on August 1, 2010. Ultimately, Amanpour went back to CNN and Stephanopoulous decided he wanted to return to the position. Tapper contributed regularly to Good Morning America, Nightline, and World News with Diane Sawyer. In addition to anchoring World News and Good Morning America weekend editions and Nightline, Tapper was a frequent substitute host of This Week and served as interim host for much of 2010, scoring the first TV interview with CIA director Leon Panetta, as well as exclusives with Vice President Biden, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, retired General Colin Powell, and former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, in addition to interviews with other newsmakers, such as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).
On July 6, 2009, television personality Dan Abrams launched a website, Mediaite, reporting on media figures and ranking all TV-based journalists in America by influence; for December 2010, Tapper ranked at number two. He remains a mainstay of the annual list, recognized in 2018 for his "ability to hold Republicans and Democrats to account equally" and "his 2018 noteworthy moments; the harrowing Parkland town hall, a stellar one-on-one with James Comey, and his regular sparring matches with Trump officials." In 2022, Mediate called Tapper "the top dog who could represent the CNN brand." In 2023, he ranked number seven and it was noted that his "skills as an interrogator are arguably unrivaled on cable news right now." In 2024, Tapper was ranked 23rd and recognized as one of America's preeminent anchors, earning headlines for moderating a presidential debate and championing the release of C.J. Rice, a man wrongfully convicted of a 2011 shooting.
Social Network
Jake Tapper is active on social media platforms, particularly Twitter, where he engages with followers and shares insights on current news and politics.
Before joining CNN, Tapper worked for ABC News as senior White House correspondent, where he received three Merriman Smith Memorial Awards from the White House Correspondents' Association. Tapper contributed to the coverage of the inauguration of President Obama that earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story. He was also part of a team that was awarded an Edward R. Murrow Award for Video: Breaking News for "Target bin Laden: The Death of Public Enemy #1".
Tapper is the author of several books, including The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, which debuted at number 10 in November 2012 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction. Tapper's book and his reporting on veterans and troops were cited when the Congressional Medal of Honor Society awarded him the "Tex" McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism.
In 2001, Tapper was the host of the CNN news talk show Take Five. He was also a columnist for TALK Magazine, and has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Weekly Standard, and other publications. Tapper was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered and his work was included in The Best American Political Writing 2002. Tapper was the correspondent for a series of VH1 news specials in 2002.
Tapper was named Senior White House Correspondent on November 5, 2008, the day after the 2008 presidential election. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, the White House Correspondents' Association awarded him the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. He was a key part of the ABC News coverage of the inauguration of President Obama that was awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story.
The Lead has been nominated for numerous News & Documentary Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Live News Broadcast. A report for The Lead by correspondent Isa Sores, called "Madua's Blood Gold", was awarded an Emmy in 2020; a story by Anna Coren on a "9-Year-Old Afghan Sold into Marriage" was awarded an Emmy in 2022.
Tapper has contributed to GQ, The Weekly Standard, NPR's All Things Considered, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In 2001, he hosted the program Take Five on CNN, in which young journalists and commentators discussed politics and pop culture. In 2002, he hosted a series of entertainment news specials on VH1, and in 2003, he hosted shows focused on independent film on the Sundance Channel. Tapper has also been a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Colbert Report, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Conan, The View, Real Time with Bill Maher, and appeared on the Judge John Hodgman podcast as guest bailiff, standing in for regular bailiff Jesse Thorn during the August 31, 2011, episode entitled "De Plane".
Tapper is also the author of The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, a critically acclaimed book about U.S. troops in Afghanistan that debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction. Bob Woodward described the book as "Brilliant, dedicated reporting by a journalist who goes to ground to get the truth. A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live—and die—at the point of the spear" and Jon Krakauer called it "a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book." In 2014, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society recognized Tapper for the book and his reporting on military topics in general with the Tex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism. A Rod Lurie-directed film adaptation of The Outpost was released in July 2020, starring Milo Gibson, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones.
In addition to The Outpost, Tapper is the author of Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency, based on the 2000 Presidential election, that The Washington Post called "lively", the Chicago Tribune called "a churning effusion well worth reading", and The Daily Telegraph called "engrossing". He also wrote Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story (St. Martin's Press) that was excerpted by The Washington Post Magazine.
As the Senior White House Correspondent for ABC News, Tapper was honored with three Merriman Smith Memorial Awards for broadcast journalism. The first Merriman Smith Memorial Award was for reporting noncompliance of laws regulating tax reporting by the Department of Health and Human Services secretary nominee and former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, troubles that ultimately derailed Daschle's nomination. The second was for the 2010 story that President Obama had asked for the resignation of his Director of National Intelligence, Admiral Dennis C. Blair (retired). The third time was for breaking the 2011 story that the ratings agency Standard and Poor's was expected to downgrade the United States' AAA rating for government debt. As a CNN anchor, he was awarded his fourth Merriman Smith Award in 2018 as part of a team that broke the news that President-elect Donald Trump and President Obama had been briefed on the Steele dossier alleging that Russia had blackmail material on Trump.
Education
Tapper graduated from Dartmouth College and later earned a Master's degree in comparative literature from the University of Southern California (USC).
By focusing on his journalism career, publishing ventures, and personal life, Jake Tapper has established himself as a prominent figure in American media.
Tapper attended The Philadelphia School, an independent school focused on progressive education. In the eighth grade, he made a comic strip for a local free weekly paper. Tapper later enrolled at Akiba Hebrew Academy, an independent Jewish day school formerly located in Merion, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1991 with a B.A. in History modified by Visual Studies, earning Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude honors. At Dartmouth, Tapper was a member of Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity. He briefly attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Tapper was the Washington correspondent for Salon from 1999 to 2002. Tapper's reports about Enron were nominated for a 2002 Columbia University School of Journalism online award, and he was an early questioner of the Bush administration's claims about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.
The Lead with Jake Tapper won three National Headliner Awards for its reporting in 2013. Among broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators, The Lead with Jake Tapper won first prize for its coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing and second prize for its coverage of the Oklahoma tornadoes in the category of "Coverage of a Major News Event." It won third prize for its coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing in the category of "Continuing Coverage of a Major News Event." In 2014, The Lead was honored for a series of reports on academic fraud at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by correspondent Sara Ganim with a Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting.
In 2017, he received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Also in 2017, he received the John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
