CNN's Kaitlan Collins Has Quite The Lavish Lifestyle

While Karoline Leavitt lives a more lavish life than you would expect, her occasional rival, CNN's Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins, may be in an even better financial position. In 2024, an unnamed source told the New York Post that Collins, who also hosts CNN's nighttime news program "The Source with Kaitlan Collins," makes around $3 million a year. While neither CNN nor Collins herself have confirmed exactly how much she earns, financial news outlet TheStreet estimated that fellow big name CNN anchors like Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper bring in $6 million and $18 million respectively every year. So, Collins' reported salary seems pretty plausible.

While Collins doesn't typically go around flaunting her wealth, she does appear to enjoy the finer things in life. In addition to the Nantucket, Massachusetts vacation home she purchased during the summer of 2025, Collins has been spotted wearing some stylish yet pricey pieces, from necklaces to hats to designer dresses.

After Kaitlan Collins appeared alongside CNN anchor Jake Tapper as celebrity contestants on a September 2025 episode of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," jewelry brand Jane Win revealed that she was wearing a few of their pieces. While Collins skirted boundaries with the spicy outfit she wore during the game show – showing off her legs in a preppy miniskirt and strappy heels – her more demure choice of jewelry faded into the background. 

During the show, where Collins and Tapper won $32,000 for charity, Collins layered Jane Win's Gold Bead Double Wrap necklace, which retails for $198, with a limited edition sun-motif coin pendant from the brand's STRONG collection. Pendants similar to the one Collins wore on a thin gold chain range between $228 and $2,998. Collins kept the rest of her jewelry simple, opting for a thin silver watch that she has worn with other outfits as well.

Kaitlan Collins turned heads at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in an orange Carolina Herrera midi dress. The dress, which was adorned with delicate gold olive branches, retails for a whopping $5,690. While that may pale in comparison to some of the Trump family's most expensive outfits, not every journalist can afford to drop almost $6,000 on a dress. As Collins is CNN's chief White House correspondent and even hosts her own show for the network, she likely makes more than the average news anchor. Collins added even more gold to the look with a pair of $1,415 Manolo Blahnik appliquéd metallic leather sandals as well as a Gucci gold shell clutch sourced by The Vintage Marche, which is listed for $1,650.

However, the money was certainly worth spending, as the bright orange popped spectacularly off of Collins' tan. Commenters under her Instagram post commemorating the event noted how fierce the CNN host looked, and even suggested that the 'fit may have been a subtle dig at a certain political figure. As one person cheekily put it, "I love the irony in wearing orange and smiling. Does anyone else get it?" 

Kaitlan Collins wore some high-end jewelry to the 68th Grammy Awards in February 2026. It's no surprise that her thick silver ring, diamond tennis bracelet, and usual silver watch all flew under the radar, given that they were paired with Collins' fabulous figure-hugging burgundy dress — another award show slam dunk after the black satin dress she wore to the 2026 Grammys Gala crowned her the queen of the LBD. To compliment the glitzy dress and sparkling jewelry, Collins selected a pair of silver $825 Jimmy Choo Sacora Sandals.

Collins credited Serpentine Jewels on Instagram for her bling, a brand that lists most of their pieces for well above $5,000 (though you can find a ring for around $3,000). Serpentine's skinny tennis bracelets, like the one Collins wore, retail for $4,300 on the low end. The airy yet uber-expensive accessories prove that wealth often whispers. 

During a September 2025 visit to London, England, Kaitlan Collins stepped out in quite a dramatic outfit. Collins opted for an Alessandra Rich pleated polka-dot silk crepe de chine midi dress, which originally retailed for $2,150. She topped off the already over-the-top dress (we can't ignore the dress' prominent shoulder pads and deep V neckline) with another pricey standout accessory — a wide-brimmed yellow hat courtesy of London-based milliner Sahar Freemantle. Typically, Sahar Millinery prices hats like Collins' around £500.

Kaitlan Collins / Instagram

But for another one of her London outfits, Collins opted for a girlish look with an Alemais pink embroidered slip dress, which retails for a more modest $890. She paired the dress with a sparkly silver clutch and a matching $350 pair of silver slingback pumps from Larroudé.