Meredith Baxter’s net worth is estimated at $7 million, with some estimations reaching $8 million. Over 50 years in television, film, theatre, producing, real estate, and business have built her wealth. The financial narrative is only part of Baxter’s life. Beyond her Family Ties grin, Elyse Keaton has candidly discussed family dysfunction, addiction, challenging relationships, breast cancer, sexuality, and recovery.
On June 21, 1947, in South Pasadena, California, Meredith Ann Baxter was born into a show industry family. Whitney Blake, her mother, was an actress, director, and producer who co-created One Day at a Time. Radio announcer Tom Baxter was her father. Meredith and her two elder brothers were reared by their mother in Pasadena after their parents split in 1953.
Baxter’s childhood wasn’t as comfortable as her TV image. Her memoir Untied describes a childhood of emotional estrangement, familial turmoil, insecurity, and her mother’s job pressures. She eventually used those memories to describe her marriages, parenthood, and identity search.
Meredith Baxter Net Worth and Career Earnings
Baxter’s estimated net worth of $7 million reflects a long career rather than one single blockbuster paycheck. She began appearing on television in the late 1960s and early 1970s, taking guest roles on programs such as The Doris Day Show, The Partridge Family, and Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In.
Bridget Loves Bernie, a 1972–1973 CBS sitcom, was her first significant TV triumph. In Bridget Fitzgerald Steinberg, Baxter plays a Catholic-Jewish wife. The interfaith narrative and Baxter’s second husband, actor David Birney, made the series popular.
She also appeared in the acclaimed 1976 film All the President’s Men. On television, she gained critical recognition for playing Nancy Lawrence Maitland on the ABC drama Family, earning two Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Her breakthrough role was Elyse Keaton in Family Ties in 1982. Architect, mother, and erstwhile liberal activist Elyse raised a family during cultural shift. She reconciled her progressive ideals with her television husband, Steven Keaton, played by Michael Gross, and their son Alex, played by Michael J. Fox, who had a completely different political
Family Ties, a popular comedy, ran till 1989. Long-term television employment can generate cash through salary, residuals, syndication, and licensing. Baxter’s financial basis is largely due to her program years.
| Career area | Contribution to her financial profile |
|---|---|
| Television acting | Long running sitcoms, dramas, and television movies |
| Film work | Appearances in productions including All the President’s Men |
| Producing | Work on television projects and made for television films |
| Real estate | Ownership and sale of residential property |
| Business ventures | Meredith Baxter Simple Works skin care line |
| Stage and voice work | Theater performances and voice acting |
After Family Ties, Baxter worked steadily. She was nominated for an Emmy for A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story and The Kissing Place. She appeared in The Faculty, Spin City, Cold Case, and The Young and the Restless.
Her business activities have also contributed to her income. Baxter launched Meredith Baxter Simple Works, a skin care line connected to breast cancer research and awareness. Real estate has been another part of her financial life, including a Santa Monica property that was sold around 2017.
Whitney Blake and Meredith Baxter’s Parents
Whitney Blake was a major influence on Baxter’s life, both personally and professionally. Born in 1925, Blake worked as an actress and later expanded into directing and producing. She appeared in shows such as Hazel and became one of the creators of One Day at a Time.
Baxter’s memoir depicts her mother complexly. She remembers Blake as talented, ambitious, and work-focused. Baxter says she and her boys were encouraged to address their mother by her stage name rather than ‘Mom’, illustrating her childhood emotional detachment.
Her father, John Thomas Baxter Jr., known professionally as Tom Baxter, was a radio announcer. After the divorce, he was not the central parent in Meredith’s daily life. Baxter and her brothers were raised mainly by Whitney Blake, with later stepfamily relationships adding further complexity.
Baxter’s brothers are Richard Baxter, born in 1944, and Brian Baxter, born in 1946. Both were older than Meredith and shared the unsettled family environment that followed their parents’ divorce.
Meredith Baxter’s Four Marriages
Baxter has been married four times. Her first marriage was to Robert Lewis Bush in 1966. The relationship ended after several years, and Baxter became a young single mother. Bush is the father of her two oldest children, Ted and Eva.
In 1974, Baxter married David Birney, her former co star from Bridget Loves Bernie. They had three children together. During much of their marriage, she was professionally billed as Meredith Baxter Birney.
In Untied, Baxter describes her marriage to Birney as verbal, emotional, and physical abuse. Birney refuted her claims. After a bitter custody battle, they divorced in 1989. Baxter later wrote on how the marriage damaged her self-esteem, drinking, parenting, and career.
Her third marriage was to actor and screenwriter Michael Blodgett. They married in 1995 and divorced in 2000. Baxter has portrayed this period as another difficult chapter that forced her to examine patterns in her relationships.
Nancy Locke is Baxter’s fourth wife. Around 2005, a mutual friend introduced the pair, who started dating around 2006. Building and general contractor Locke studied art. Baxter revealed her lesbianism on Today in 2009. She married Locke in a small Los Angeles ceremony in 2013.
The relationship with Locke represents a quieter and more settled chapter in Baxter’s life. She has described Locke as supportive, particularly as she continued working through past trauma and the challenges of public disclosure.
Meredith Baxter’s Children and Grandchildren
Baxter has five children from her first two marriages. Her family includes two children with Robert Lewis Bush and three with David Birney.
Ted Bush
Theodore Justin Bush was born in 1967 and is Baxter’s oldest child. He is the father of Eli Bush, one of Baxter’s three grandchildren.
Eva Bush
Eva Whitney Bush was born on August 6, 1969. She is the mother of Sophia Bush and Bella Bush. Baxter has spoken warmly about her role as a grandmother and the joy she finds in spending time with the younger generations of her family.
Kate Birney
Kathleen Jeanne Birney, known as Kate, was born on December 5, 1974. She is Baxter’s oldest child with David Birney.
Mollie Birney
Mollie Elizabeth Birney was born on October 2, 1984. She is one of Baxter’s twins with Birney.
Peter Birney
Peter David Edwin Birney, Mollie’s twin brother, was also born on October 2, 1984. The twins arrived while Baxter was balancing motherhood, a demanding television career, and a deeply troubled marriage.
The family story of Baxter isn’t refined. She admits in her memoir that divorce, drinking, custody disputes, and emotional instability harmed her children. Her desire to take responsibility makes her narrative more complex than a celebrity success story.
What Untied Reveals About Her Family Life
Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering, published in 2011, contrasts Baxter’s public and private lives. The title implies release and unravelling. Baxter discusses how hereditary patterns affect adult choices, especially love, self-worth, and control.
She discusses her mother’s emotional absence, early marriage, single parenting, Birney, and alcoholism. She became sober in 1990 after realising quitting drinking wasn’t enough. Her recovery included therapy, 12 steps, and self-reflection.
The memoir also discusses a suicide attempt during her youth, drug experiences, an unstable sense of identity, and the difficulty of asking for help. Baxter does not present herself only as a victim. She also examines her own decisions and the ways she participated in unhealthy family dynamics.
The 1999 breast cancer diagnosis was another turning point. Baxter recovered from early-stage breast cancer and supported research and awareness through her business. She has promoted breast cancer awareness, domestic abuse recovery, women’s problems, and LGBTQ rights.
Meredith Baxter’s Personal Life Today
Baxter has continued performing, theatrical work, TV, and activism. She has worked with previous colleagues, including her Family Ties TV husband Michael Gross. She has also appeared in sitcom retrospectives and discussions about its cultural impact.
Baxter and Gross share the same birthday, June 21. In 2026, both were reported to be celebrating their 79th birthdays, prompting public memories of their years together on Family Ties.
Away from the spotlight, Baxter has been described as a vegetarian and has maintained sobriety since 1990. Her life with Nancy Locke, her five children, and her grandchildren forms the personal center of her later years.
FAQ
What is Meredith Baxter’s net worth?
Meredith Baxter’s net worth is commonly estimated at approximately $7 million. Some estimates place it near $8 million. Her wealth comes from television and film acting, producing, residual income, real estate, stage work, and her skin care business.
What is Meredith Baxter best known for?
She is best known for playing Elyse Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties, which ran from 1982 through 1989. She is also recognized for Family, Bridget Loves Bernie, All the President’s Men, and television films such as A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story.
How many children does Meredith Baxter have?
Meredith Baxter has five children. They are Ted Bush, Eva Bush, Kate Birney, Mollie Birney, and Peter Birney.
How many grandchildren does Meredith Baxter have?
She has three grandchildren commonly identified as Eli Bush, Sophia Bush, and Bella Bush.
Who is Meredith Baxter married to?
Meredith Baxter has been married to Nancy Locke since 2013. Locke is a building contractor and art graduate. Baxter was previously married to Robert Lewis Bush, David Birney, and Michael Blodgett.
When did Meredith Baxter come out?
Baxter publicly came out as a lesbian in 2009 during an appearance on Today. She later married Nancy Locke in 2013.
What is Meredith Baxter’s memoir called?
Her memoir is titled Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering. Published in 2011, it explores her childhood, marriages, career, alcoholism, recovery, family relationships, and coming out later in life.
Is Meredith Baxter still acting?
Baxter has continued to participate in television, film, theater, interviews, and advocacy projects. Her work after Family Ties includes television movies, guest appearances, stage performances, and voice roles.
