Maury Povich is embracing one of the very jokes he helped make famous during his syndicated talk show days. In a recent interview, the longtime host shared that his decades-spanning lifestyle—now split between Florida, New York, and Montana—is all thanks to his wife, veteran journalist Connie Chung.
During a sit-down with Interview magazine, comedian Adam Friedland playfully labeled him a “gold digger,” and Povich didn’t miss a beat.
“Absolutely,” Maury Povich said, going on to highlight just how different their financial situations were when they first got married. “My wife was making 10 times what I was making when we got married.”
By the time they tied the knot in 1984, Connie Chung was already a major force in television news. The pair originally crossed paths in 1969 at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C., where Povich was a well-known reporter, while Chung was just starting out as a copy girl.
Chung has since shared that Povich barely paid her any attention at the time. “He was very gruff and very matter-of-fact,” she said, according to People. “He never looked up.”
After spending two years at the station, Chung moved on from Washington and began carving out a career that would eventually cement her as a trailblazer in broadcast journalism.
By the late 1970s, their roles had flipped. Chung had become the lead anchor at KNXT, a CBS-owned station in Los Angeles, while Povich later joined as her co-anchor.
Looking back, Povich admitted he was “the second banana to Connie” during that chapter. Chung would go on to make history as the first woman to co-anchor CBS Evening News and the first Asian American to anchor a major network newscast.
Their relationship took its time to grow as both pursued demanding careers. They dated for seven years before marrying and often lived in different cities while chasing new opportunities. In 2005, they reunited professionally, co-hosting MSNBC’s Weekends with Maury and Connie.
Povich has often joked about becoming “Mr. Chung,” but he’s also made it clear that her success never intimidated him. Chung, in turn, has said his support played a huge role in her achievements. The couple adopted their son, Matthew, in 1995, and Povich also has two daughters from a previous marriage.
More than four decades later, they both say the secret to their lasting relationship is maintaining independence. While they have separate hobbies and different circles of friends, they share a deep understanding shaped by years in the same industry.
“If we’re arguing, if there’s a big argument going on, when your head hits the pillow at night, it’s over,” Povich said last year. “You start fresh the next day.”
