CNN Pays Lou Dobbs More to Quit Than MSNBC Pays Olbermann, Matthews to Work

How much did CNN want Lou Dobbs gone from its air? Enough to shell out $8 million to get rid of him, according to the New York Post's Michael Shain, who reported that the controversial CNN anchor will be paid that eye-popping figure in severance. Dobbs announced his departure from CNN on November 11: He's being replaced at 7 p.m. by John King.

To put CNN's payout in perspective, Dobbs is getting more money to leave his show than MSNBC's Keith Olbermann gets to host Countdown five nights a week. Last year, the New York Times' Brian Stelter reported Olbermann's salary as $7.5 million-a-year. Chris Matthews, Olbermann's network sibling, reportedly earns "about $5 million," (per the Times' Bill Carter) for Hardball.

Over on Fox News, Glenn Beck makes $2 million-a-year for his nightly show, according to Business Insider's Dan Colarusso and Rachel King. (Don't worry about Beck: TV is just one small part of his $18 million income.)

This weekend, Dobbs told the Associated Press that his departure from CNN was "a very amicable parting on the best of terms." With a higher severance payout than some of cable news' best-known anchors' salaries, it's hard to doubt he means it.