Liz Claman is an American journalist who currently anchors the Fox Business Network show Countdown to the Closing Bell. She joined the network in 2007 and since then, has done it all from conducting interviews with top political and business leaders to anchoring major programs. Prior to joining FBN, she worked at CNBC where she elicited the launch of the network’s special The Billionaire Next Door following her one-hour live one-on-one interview with Warren Buffett in 2006.
Liz Claman Bio
She was born Elizabeth Kate Claman on the 12th of December 1963 into a Jewish family. Her place of birth was in Beverly Hills, California. This makes her an American national but her parents are originally from Canada with her father’s (Dr. Morris Claman) roots traced to Russia while her mother, June Beverly Claman (née Faibish) has roots in Romania.
Her father Morris, while he lived, enjoyed a vast admiration as a urologist. He was an associate clinical professor of urology at UCLA’s School of Medicine. Liz’s mom is also popular as she has been an actress.
During her formative years, she developed an interest in music. While she did not end up with a career in the industry, she did dabble into one or two activities in the sphere as a teenager. Moreover, some of her siblings are making their livelihood as musicians. Claman is one of the five children born to their parents. Her oldest sister Danielle is an executive for Dick Wolf Films, another older sister is a Hollywood studio musician and her younger brother is also a musician.
While she was attending Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Liz Claman was a disc jockey for the school radio station, WPAA. Claman later moved to Beverly Hills High School where she became friends with Peter Schiff. The two would later study at the University of California, Berkley.
Claman studied briefly at the University of California Santa Cruz before proceeding to the Berkley Campus. There, she was able to complete her studies and bag a degree in the French language.
Her Career
Her first TV assignment was at KCBS-TV (CBS) in Los Angeles as a production assistant for Ann Curry, , and Jim Lampley. Liz Claman became the youngest person in the station’s history to win a local Emmy Award. She moved to Columbus, Ohio where she launched her on-air career as a reporter at WSYX-TV. Then she moved to Cleveland after three and a half years to host a morning talk show at WEWS-TV. She worked from 1991 to 1995, receiving an Emmy for her work before joining Boston’s WHDH-TV (NBC) as a weekend anchor.
In April 1998, Liz Claman joined CNBC as a freelancer. She landed the first one-hour live one-on-one interview with for the network in 2006. Given the success of the interview, it was turned into a special called The Billionaire Next Door. Claman also anchored other programs such as Morning Call, Wake Up Call, Market Watch, and Today’s Business. When the door opened at FOX Business Network (FBN), she took a leap of faith and took the post of an anchor in October 2007.
Since she took up a position at FBN, Claman has conducted interviews with every U.S. Treasury Secretary from John Snow to Paul H. O’Neill, Lawrence Summers, Timothy Geithner, and Jack Lew. She has also brought a roster of global business leaders including , JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Mario Gabelli, Steve Forbes, Richard Branson, Alan Mulally, Robert Diamond, Eric Schmidt, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Twitter co-founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone.
Her roster also includes world leaders such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, Israeli President Shimon Peres, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko. Others she has interviewed include , , and London Mayor Boris Johnson. She currently anchors Countdown to the Closing Bell and co-anchors the Fox Business. She previously co-anchored After the Bell from 2008–2015.
Liz Claman is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Theatre Wing and is a Tony Award voter. Also, Vanity Fair described her as one of television’s top business reporters and anchors. She is an active fundraiser for Building Homes for Heroes, an organization that builds mortgage-free homes for severely wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Claman has also completed 7 triathlons and one New York City marathon. She is also a skier. In 2006, her book titled The Best Investment Advice I Ever Received was released.
Salary and Net Worth
As a FOX News journalist, Claman receives an annual salary between the range of $85K to $150K. While her exact earning is not known, her net worth has been estimated to be $3 million.
Liz Claman’s Husband
It is often said that behind every successful man is a woman. In this case, behind the applaudable marks and giant strides Liz Claman has attained in her career, there is a man blowing her embers and urging her on. She has been married to Jeff Kepnes since 1999.
They met in Boston when Claman worked there. Meanwhile, Jeff graduated from Boston University in 1988 with a B.S. in broadcasting and film. He was an executive producer at CNN Special Events from March 2003 to October 2017. He is now the Senior Executive Producer for Specials at MSNBC & NBC News.
The couple is parents to two teenage children; Gabrielle “Gaby” Claman (daughter) and their son Julian Claman. The family of four lives in Edgewater, New Jersey.
Body Measurements
Liz has a height of 5 feet 7 inches (1.72 m) and weighs 63 Kg. She has an hourglass figure with measurements of 38–26-36 inches. She sports red hair with complementing brown eyes.
