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Caitlin Clark contract: Agent says Fever star among WNBA players who need raise

Caitlin Clark immediately became a star as soon as she stepped onto the floor in an Indiana Fever jersey last year, despite naysayers believing it would take her a while to get up to speed.

Clark’s salary became a talking point during her rookie season. Her rookie deal is worth just over $338,000 over four years with the annual average value being around $84,500, according to Spotrac. She earned around $76,000 in her first season and will earn around $78,000 for her second.

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, #22, warms up before game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Sept. 22, 2024. (Mark Smith-Imagn Images)

The Fever hold a club option on Clark’s contract for 2027, which at this point seems extremely likely they will pick up. By the 2028 offseason, she will become a restricted free agent.

As Clark continues to grow as a player and increasingly make waves in the WNBA, she will be poised to set a record with whatever contract might come to her. A sports agent told ESPN in a story on Monday that it will be quite difficult for the sharpshooter to receive what she is actually worth.

“Will Caitlin Clark ever be paid by the WNBA what she’s really worth to that league? I don’t think that’s possible,” Excel Sports Management’s Erin Kane told ESPN.

NIKE UNVEILS CAITLIN CLARK BILLBOARD IN CITY WHERE ANGEL REESE’S TEAM IS BASED, INCITING MOCKERY FROM FANS

Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark looks on during the second half of the game between the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors at Footprint Center in Phoenix on Nov. 30, 2024. (Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images)

“She’s part of a larger player body. They all need to be paid more. She should be recognized for what she has done and what she’s brought to the league from an economic standpoint. It’s as simple as that.”

A supermax contract, under the WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA), is worth nearly $242,000 and by the time Clark gets a chance to negotiate a new deal, the landscape could be changed.

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association opted out of the current CBA last October with the possibility of work stoppage if a new deal is not reached by the end of the 2025 season.

The union sought a deal that would increase player salaries, according to ESPN.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, #22, rushes up the court during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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The league is set to increase the number of teams in play starting with the 2025 season. The Golden State Valkyries join the fold with the Toronto Tempo and a Portland team coming in 2026. The Sports Business Journal reported that the WNBA is set to add Cleveland as the next expansion team.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 18, 2025
FBI, DOJ strike agreement in lawsuit over January 6 ‘agent list’

The Justice Department and FBI agents reached an agreement Friday in federal court after the FBI filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from releasing information about its agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigation.

According to the text of the deal, the Trump administration cannot release information about the agents who investigated the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot without giving plaintiffs at least two days’ notice so that the matter can be considered again in federal court.

It does not, however, place such a time limit on the dissemination of agents’ identities to other government agencies or the White House.

The agreement by both parties comes after active FBI agents and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association, a voluntary agents’ group, sued the Justice Department earlier this week seeking to block the release of any identifying information about FBI agents involved in the January 6 investigations.

The two parties tussled for hours in court on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, who questioned both parties at length on the nature of DOJ’s questionnaire, the potential for disclosures or retaliation, and how the Justice Department intends to use information divulged in the questionnaires.

FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION

Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to be FBI director, appears at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“I do have questions about the survey,” Cobb said Thursday.

She also questioned the Justice Department’s attorney at length about what the questionnaire was being used for.

Cobb previously granted the two parties a brief administrative stay on Thursday evening, telling lawyers for both parties, saying that if the information was released she believed it “would put FBI agents in immediate danger.”

The agreement comes just days after FBI leadership said it had provided the Justice Department with a list of agents who worked on Jan. 6 investigations and criminal cases, in keeping with an earlier deadline set by U.S. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

Lawyers for the agents argued that any effort to review or discriminate against agents involved in the investigation would be “unlawful and retaliatory,” and a violation of civil service protections under federal law.

They also cited “profound concern” that the list of thousands of FBI agents involved would be leaked to the public, threatening their safety.

FBI AGENTS SUTE TRUMP DOJ TO BLOCK ANY PUBLIC IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED ON JAN.6 INVESTIGATIONS

The FBI’s interactions with the Council for American-Islamic Relations was restricted due to allegations from the DOJ. (Getty Images)

“Plaintiffs assert that the purpose for this list is to identify agents to be terminated or to suffer other adverse employment action,” lawyers for the FBI agents said, adding that they “reasonably fear that all or parts of this list might be published by allies of President Trump, thus placing themselves and their families in immediate danger of retribution by the now pardoned and at-large Jan. 6 convicted felons.”

Meanwhile, lawyers for the Justice Department stressed that their intent in issuing the questionnaire was to conduct an “internal review” of activities in the Jan. 6 probe, not to punish individuals for carrying out orders.

Bove also sought to emphasize this message in an all-staff email to FBI personnel earlier this week. In the email, Bove stressed that the questionnaire was not intended to be a first step to mass layoffs, and stressed it was simply intended for review.

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This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.

February 7, 2025
Famed NFL agent Leigh Steinberg looking to combat concussion dangers with new foundation

American sports agent Leigh Steinberg has represented some of the biggest stars in football history, and now he’s taking another step in his long-time side passion of combating one of the sports’ biggest dangers – concussions.

Steinberg recently launched the Leigh Steinberg Foundation, which aims to educate parents and fund research for concussion treatment in sports.

“It’s our effort to raise money for research to promote awareness, prevention and cures, to put money aside for at-risk kids who have neurological problems or concussion that can’t get treatment, and to fund research,” Steinberg said. “We have a doctor’s committee with 10 doctors on it, and we’ll be raising money to try and bring more healing to this.”

The veteran agent is also set to throw a Super Bowl party in New Orleans, and is inviting several neurologists from across the country to educate the attendees on concussions as well.

And as Super Bowl LIX marks the final game of the 2024 football season, the country will look to turn the page on one of the scariest years for brain injuries in recent history.

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In Alabama, Morgan Academy junior quarterback Caden Tellier received an injury to the head during the third quarter of his team’s 30-22 win against Southern Academy in Selma, Alabama, in late August.

Just days after that, a 13-year-old in West Virginia died after suffering a head injury at a middle school football practice. Eighth-grader Cohen Craddock, who played defensive line for Madison Middle School in Madison, suffered severe brain bleeding and swelling after making a tackle.

Months after that, Alabama A&M University football player Medrick Burnett Jr. died after sustaining a serious head injury in a game in late November.

Steinberg says his inspiration to pursue this cause came when he saw many of his own quarterback clients get repeatedly hit in the head during the late 1980s.

“They kept getting hit in the head, and when we went to the doctor and we asked, ‘How many is too many hits, and when should they contemplate retiring?’ The doctors had no answer because the brain is the last frontier of medical research,” Steinberg told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.

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Steinberg started hosting panels with players to promote awareness for brain health in the 1990s. At one of those panels, an appearance by neuropathologist Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu, the subject of the movie “Concussion,” convinced Steinberg of how many concussions are too many.

Steinberg was told that three or more was the magic number. After that, Omalu said, there’s an “exponentially” higher rate of Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, premature cynicity, horno traumatic encephalopathy and depression.

But Steinberg has seen players play after suffering a third concussion.

“Part of the problem with players is they’re in a state of denial when it comes to their physical health,” Steinberg said. “Since they were in pop culture, little league they believe that real men play this play every circumstance. The concept of long-term health is an abstraction. So, it’s hard to get them to protect themselves, and it’s just very difficult.”

Steinberg even admits that he has seen some of his very own clients suffer at least three concussions, and it gave him reservations about encouraging them to keep playing afterward.

“I would talk about with them privately, because ultimately it’s their decision, but I try to be a voice that would interject into the dialogue the fact that traumatic brain injury is real, it has long-term consequences,” Steinberg said, adding that those conversations took place before recent advancements in medical technology that give clearer pictures and treatments of a person’s brain health.

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Leigh Steinberg speaks on stage during The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis’ 39th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner, at the Hilton Midtown on September 30, 2024, in New York City. The event raises the much-needed funds for The Buoniconti Fund, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of medicine and the world’s premier spinal cord injury research center. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis)

Steinberg has specialized in representing star quarterbacks as an agent. He presented the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft eight times, while representing 62 total first-round picks. His client list includes NFL legends like Troy Aikman and Steve Young.

This past NFL season was a particularly bad year for quarterback brain injuries.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is set to lead his team in the Super Bowl in New Orleans, suffered a concussion in the first half against the Washington Commanders in Week 16. It ended his regular season, but he returned in time for the playoffs.

Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

But prior to the playoffs, Hurts said that he didn’t remember an incident that happened on the sideline, just moments after he suffered the concussion.

“It’s so far long ago, I don’t really remember,” Hurts said to reporters on Jan. 10. “Been out of routine, you go through a routine everyday, and being out of that is challenging. I’m obviously dealing with different symptoms, ain’t fun either.”

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion – the third of his NFL career – in an early-season tilt with the Buffalo Bills, on a nationally televised game. Tagovailoa had previously suffered multiple concussions within the span of just weeks in the 2022 season. The third of his career sparked national controversy, as some former players and media pundits called on him to retire.

Tagovailoa returned to play this past season anyway.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a concussion when he was the victim of an illegal hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during a game in early December. The hit ended Lawrence’s season, as Al-Shaair was suspended for three games and heavily criticized by the public and even an NFL executive.

As the country now turns its attention to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, Steinberg will have a presence as he looks to counter the danger that comes with championship-level football.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 1, 2025
Anti-Trump FBI agent responsible for opening Jack Smith elector case against president: Whistleblower

EXCLUSIVE: WASHINGTON—A previously identified anti-Trump FBI agent allegedly broke protocol and played a critical role in opening and advancing the bureau’s original investigation related to the 2020 election, tying President Donald Trump to the probe without sufficient predication, whistleblower disclosures obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley revealed.

That investigation into Trump was formally opened at the FBI on April 13, 2022, and was known inside the bureau as “Arctic Frost,” Fox News Digital has learned.

EX-FBI OFFICIAL WHO SHUT DOWN HUNTER BIDEN LINES OF INVESTIGATION VIOLATED HATCH ACT WITH ANTI-TRUMP POSTS

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson shared internal FBI emails and predicating documents — legally protected whistleblower disclosures — exclusively with Fox News Digital.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is seen in the U.S. Capitol after the senate luncheons on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The senators say the documents prove the genesis of the federal election interference case brought against Trump began at the hands of FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault.

Fox News Digital exclusively reported in 2024 that Thibault had been fired from the FBI after he violated the Hatch Act in his political posts on social media. Previous whistleblowers claimed that Thibault had shown a “pattern of active public partisanship,” which likely affected investigations involving Trump and Hunter Biden.

Grassley first publicly revealed the existence of the whistleblower disclosures during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing for Trump’s nominee to serve as FBI director, Kash Patel, on Thursday.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) questions Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the attempted assassination of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill, on July 30, 2024. (Umit Bektas)

One email, obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, revealed Thibault communicating with a subordinate agent on Feb. 14, 2022.

Thibault said: “Here is draft opening language we discussed,” and attached material that would later become part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s elector case.

Another email, sent by Thibault on Feb. 24, 2022, to a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, John Crabb, states: “I had a discussion with the case team and we believe there to be predication to include former President of the United States Donald J. Trump as a predicated subject.”

Sources told Fox News Digital, though, that Thibault took the action to open the investigation and involve Trump, despite being unauthorized to open criminal investigations in his role — only special agents have the authority to open criminal investigations.

Another email, sent on the same day, notes that he would seek approval from Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray to open the case.

Next, an email on Feb. 25, 2022, sent by a subordinate agent, Michelle Ball, to Thibault states that they added Trump and others as a criminal subject to the case.

Thibault responded: “Perfect.”

The fifth email, reviewed by Fox News Digital, reveals Thibault emailing a version of an investigative opening for approval. However, this email did not include Trump as a criminal subject.

The sixth email, from April 11, 2022, shows Thibault approving the opening of Arctic Frost, and the next email, on April 13, 2022, was from an FBI agent to Thibault stating that the FBI deputy director approved its opening.

Another email reviewed by Fox News Digital shows Thibault emailing DOJ official John Crabb notifying him that the elector case was approved.

Crabb responded, “Thanks a lot. Let’s talk next week.”

“Between March 22 and April 13, other versions of the document opening the investigation existed, because a ninth email shows that the FBI General Counsel’s office made edits on March 25,” Grassley said during Patel’s confirmation hearing Thursday. “Was Trump still removed as an investigative subject? If so, which Justice Department and FBI officials – other than Jack Smith – later added him for prosecution?”

The email records appear to show that an official in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, Richard Pilger, reviewed and approved the FBI’s Arctic Frost investigation, authorizing DOJ to move forward with a full field criminal and grand jury investigation that ultimately transformed into Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Trump-elector case.

Grassley, in 2021, published a report which raised concerns regarding Pilger’s record at DOJ.

Fox News Digital first reported in July 2022 that Grassley warned Attorney General Merrick Garland that Thibault and Pilger were “deeply involved in the decisions to open and pursue election-related investigations against President Trump.”

GRASSLEY PRESSES DOJ, FBI FOR TRANSPARENCY ON ‘PARTISAN’ POLITICIZATION OF AGENCIES, HUNTER BIDEN PROBE

At the time, whistleblowers told Grassley that the Thibault-Pilger investigation’s predicating document was based on information from “liberal nonprofit American Oversight.”

In the investigation’s opening memo sent to the upper levels of the DOJ for approval, however, whistleblowers claimed Thibault and Pilger “removed or watered-down material connected to the aforementioned left-wing entities that existed in previous versions and recommended that a full investigation — not a preliminary investigation — be approved.”

Based on Smith’s scope memo, Grassley and Johnson, in 2022, wrote that the Thibault-Pilger investigation was included in the special counsel’s jurisdiction.

They also pointed out that Smith had a prior relationship with Pilger. Smith was in charge of the DOJ’s Public Integrity Unit while Pilger was in charge of the Election Crimes Branch.

Grassley and Johnson, in 2022, began sounding the alarm that Special Counsel Jack Smith was “overseeing an investigation that was allegedly defective in its initial steps and an investigation which his former subordinate [Pilger] was involved in opening.”

Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith, a former Justice Department official, as special counsel in November 2022.

Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter.

Donald Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith appear in a side-by-side photograph. (Fox News Digital)

HOUSE WEAPONIZATION PANEL RELEASES 17,000-PAGE REPORT EXPOSING ‘TWO-TIERED SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT’

Smith also was tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty.

The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel.

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Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.

Grassley, during the confirmation hearing on Thursday, said he is requesting “the production of all records on this matter to better understand the full fact pattern and whether other records exist.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

January 30, 2025
Jalen Hurts’ agent gets last word as Eagles win NFC title after ‘pretty privilege’ remark

Nicole Lynn, the agent for Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts, got the last laugh on Sunday when the team won the NFC Championship to advance to Super Bowl LIX.

Lynn fired back at a wild remark made by ESPN NFL analyst Dominique Foxworth earlier in the season following Hurts’ four total touchdowns in a 55-23 romp over the Washington Commanders.

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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, #1, rushes for a gain as Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner, #54, defends during the second half of the NFC Championship NFL football game on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

“That pretty privilege paying off,” she wrote on X.

Hurts was 20-for-28 with 246 passing yards and a touchdown pass and had 16 rushing yards with three touchdowns. The touchdown pass was thrown to A.J. Brown.

Foxworth had described Hurts as having benefited from “pretty privilege” earlier in the season after the quarterback fired back at reporters following the team’s win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hurts had been criticized for his passing numbers slipping year over year. He told the media at the time, “that’s what they wanted to see?”

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Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, left, and quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrate after the Eagles won the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

“He got up at the press conference after the game, and he acted like he was Josh Allen,” Foxworth said. “Look at this man with his Kangol looking like Nino Brown… with three thousand million trillion dollars worth of diamonds on his neck, and he acting like he just went for 400 yards for three weeks in a row.

“Man, you had one good week passing. And everyone forgets it when he starts batting his eyes at you.”

“Pretty privilege” or not, the Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years and have to meet a similar nemesis in the Kansas City Chiefs.

Stream Super Bowl LIX for free on Tubi. (Tubi)

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The major difference between the last time the two teams met is that Philadelphia has Saquon Barkley in the backfield.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 27, 2025
LA real estate agent reveals No. 1 reason why Pacific Palisades residents won’t return

Former ‘Million Dollar Listing’ star and Los Angeles real estate agent Josh Altman provides an update on wildfire recovery and rebuilding efforts, and previews President Donald Trump’s visit to disaster sites.

After making a shocking prediction that up to 70% of Pacific Palisades residents won’t return to rebuild and live in their homes, former “Million Dollar Listing” real estate agent Josh Altman is explaining exactly why.

“They’re not going to not return because they don’t want to return. Of course they want to go back there… They’re not going to return because it’s simple math,” Altman said on “FOX Business Live,” Friday.

“I don’t believe they’re going to be able to afford to rebuild with most of the people that are heavily underinsured, with the costs of construction, lumber, steel. We’re talking about a $1,000 [per] foot building in the Palisades and in Malibu.”

Southern California has been grappling with a surge of wildfires since Jan. 7. Over 50,000 acres have been scorched, 28 people have been killed and upwards of 16,000 homes and buildings have been completely lost.

L.A. CELEBRITY BROKER IS HOLDING WILDFIRE ‘BAD’ APPLES ACCOUNTABLE, URGING THEM TO ‘GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER’

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday after touring the devastation in Los Angeles with residents who were personally impacted by the disastrous event.

Former “Million Dollar Listing” star Josh Altman argues that the main reason why up to 70% of Pacific Palisades residents won’t return to their homes is due to expensive insurance and buildings costs, on “FOX Business Live.” (FOXBusiness)

Early estimates put the total financial loss of the wildfires in the $50 billion range, according to AccuWeather and JPMorgan. Leading up to the fires, several insurance companies either fled, stopped writing new policies or reduced coverage in the Golden State.

“And that’s on top of getting a construction crew to show up to your site when there’s 16,000 structures that have been burned between houses, schools, commercial spaces. It’s a disaster,” Altman expanded. “That’s what I’m saying, I don’t know that they’ll be able to do it with the insurance.”

Newsom signed off on a relief package where the state will spend $2.5 billion to help with wildfire recovery. But Altman wants Newsom to take his response a step further by removing bureaucratic roadblocks that make building homes in California timely and costly.

New York City real estate agents Dolly and Jenny Lenz discuss the Los Angeles wildfires and the impact it will have on the local housing market on ‘FOX Business Live.’

“The recipe for success is going to be cutting the red tape. Building a house, the process in California, which is just wrapped in red tape, is absolutely impossible: a year to get permits; you’ve got the Coastal Commission, which could be another two years. It’s time for the governor to start cutting the red tape. We got to move forward as a team,” he said.

“There’s been a lot of ordinances and a lot of things on the state and local level that have to go. The mansion tax, that was the worst tax that was ever passed,” Altman continued. “Get rid of it for all the people who lost their houses. The wildlife ordinance, get rid of it. Start cutting the red tape. That’s how we’re going to get back to being [a] strong Los Angeles.”

The real estate expert, who spoke ahead of the president’s visit, hoped Trump seeing the devastation with his own eyes would lead to more federal aid and assistance.

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The Oppenheim Group’s founder and ‘Selling Sunset’ lead broker talks to Fox News Digital about how he’s speaking out against landlords taking advantage of price gouging amid California’s devastating wildfires.

“You have to see it. I have walked the Palisades, I have walked Malibu. It is way worse in person than you could ever imagine. Hopefully that will open up funding on the federal level.”

Critical fire conditions waned across the region, Friday, with isolated pockets of rain expected over the weekend. The beneficial rain will peak in coverage Sunday, but could trigger mudslides in burn-scar areas.

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Fox News’ Stepheny Price and FOX Weather’s Chris Oberholtz contributed to this report.

January 25, 2025
Celebrity real estate agent brings ‘small-town’ Tennessee life roots to big city business

Celebrity real estate agent Taylor Middleton, who is starring in Neflixs new series “Selling the City,” told Fox News Digital how it felt to leave her “small-town” Tennessee life behind for the fast-paced world of Manhattan.

Celebrity real estate agent Taylor Middleton has no regrets about leaving her small-town life behind to embrace the fast-paced world of New York City.

Middleton, who was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, moved to Manhattan after graduating from Vanderbilt University. Since launching her career in 2013, Middleton, who is starring in Netflix’s new reality series “Selling the City,” has closed over $500 million in luxury real estate sales.

During an interview with FOX Business, Middleton recalled her experience when she first relocated to the Big Apple.

“Growing up in Nashville – and it was such a small town when I grew up there – and then moving to the big city, as they say, as soon as I landed here, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m with my people,’” Middleton said.

“Selling the City” star Taylor Middleton left her “small-town” life in Tennessee behind to embrace the fast-paced world of Manhattan’s luxury real estate market. (Netflix / Fox News)

“People who are go, go, go and so driven and ambitious,” she continued. “And it was very empowering and exciting for me because so much of my community in Nashville – and I love them so much – but so many of my friends were having their second, third, fourth child and were married and living this country club life.”

‘SELLING SUNSET’ PATRIARCH NAVIGATING A REAL ESTATE ‘DEATH KNELL’

“Which, if I’m being honest and candid, I always – I wanted that for myself,” Middleton added. “And I felt very different and apart from [that]. And so when I came to New York, it felt like, ‘Oh my gosh, everyone is living such independent, different, unique paths and exploring different things.’”

“It felt like anything was possible. And so it invigorated me to do more.”

WATCH: CELEBRITY REAL ESTATE AGENT TAYLOR MIDDLETON REFLECTS ON LEAVING SMALL TOWN TENNESSEE LIFE FOR BIG CITY

Celebrity real estate agent Taylor Middleton, who is starring in Neflixs new series “Selling the City,” told Fox News Digital how it felt to leave her “small-town” Tennessee life behind for the fast-paced world of Manhattan.

Middleton noted that succeeding in New York was similar to building a winning team in professional football.

“You can play up or play down to the team that you’re playing against,” she explained. “So when you are surrounding yourself with people who are smarter, better, more successful than you, it just – some people may cave under that pressure. But for me, I really thrive in it because it inspires me to do better.”

Middleton, who Netflix dubbed “the Southern belle dominating NYC’s luxury real estate scene,” told Fox Business that she originally hadn’t envisioned embarking on a career in the industry. However, she recalled that she had been “obsessed” with real estate from an early age.

“Selling the City” is a New York-based spin-off of Netflix’s hit show “Selling Sunset.” (Netflix / Fox News)

The new show follows the professional and personal lives of top-selling agents at the luxury real estate firm Douglas Elliman. (Courtesy of Netflix/© 2024 Netflix Inc. / Fox News)

“It’s funny because my parents moved around a lot [when I was] growing up in Nashville, and I always thought that they made horrible real estate decisions,” she remembered. “So, literally from the age of 8, I was calling up our real estate broker at [Nashville-based real estate firm] Fridrich and Clark, going, ‘Hey, Whit. Taylor Middleton. I just saw that there’s an open house coming in the paper. And so if you could take my mom and my dad … and he’s calling my parents, like, ‘Are you guys in the market? And they’re like, ‘No, stop taking her calls.’”

“‘Like, this is ridiculous,” she said with a smile. “So I always was kind of a real estate junkie. But then moving to New York, it wasn’t actually my plan to get into real estate. I kind of fell into it, thankfully and luckily. Just being super naive, thinking, ‘OK, I’ll figure this out, I’ve got this.’”

Middleton explained that she saw unlimited potential in a real estate career, which appealed to her since she was unable to work for many years due to a long battle with Lyme disease.

“I had a lot of lost time to make up for,” she said. “And so not having a ceiling was very compelling, and anything that’s very entrepreneurial, I’ve always loved.”

WATCH: ‘SELLING THE CITY’ STAR TAYLOR MIDDLETON SAYS SHE WAS ALWAYS A REAL ESTATE JUNKIE

“Selling the City” star Taylor Middleton recalled being “obsessed” with real estate at an early age before becoming a top agent in Manhattan.

“Selling the City” is a New York City-based spin-off of Netflix’s mega-hit show “Selling Sunset.” The series follows both the professional and personal lives of the ambitious realtors at the Manhattan branch of the firm Douglas Elliman as they “navigate the cutthroat world of luxury real estate in New York City,” per the streaming network.

In the show, Middleton candidly opened up about her marital woes and her past struggles with Adderall addiction. While speaking with FOX Business, Middleton explained that her efforts to overcome her substance abuse issues had given her the drive to succeed in New York’s challenging real estate market.

“Each person’s method is different for cracking the Big Apple,” she said. “And to me, there’s a phrase in recovery that I always stand by where it’s like, ‘Don’t miss the miracle. Don’t give up before the miracle.’ And I think that that’s what sets people apart who make it in New York or who don’t.”

“And for some people, it’s just not for them,” Middleton continued. “And that’s all respect there, too. But for me, it’s like you just have to keep going — during the markets where you make no money, during the years when you make no money.”

“If you have that belief and confidence in yourself, if you just keep going — and the universe is also telling you you’re on the right path — then it’s going to work out.”

Middleton is starring in the show alongside seven other agents at Douglas Elliman. (Courtesy of Netflix/© 2024 Netflix Inc. / Fox News)

Middleton, who numbers celebrities, CEOs and other wealthy individuals among her roster of clients, told FOX Business that she had recently closed her biggest real estate deal to date. The TV personality was part of a development team that sold a Manhattan penthouse for just under $17 million.

“That was definitely a team effort. I did not do it alone, but that was a big milestone sale for me,” she said.

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While closing transactions with high price tags is always a cause for celebration, Middleton explained that the sales she has found most rewarding were often those she made by establishing strong personal connections with her clients.

“It’s not about even the sale number or the deal volume, it’s about the relationship,” she said.

The show follows the agents as they “navigate the cutthroat world of luxury real estate in New York City.” (Courtesy of Netflix/© 2024 Netflix Inc. / Fox News)

Middleton recalled meeting a couple who rented an apartment that she listed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though she had not represented the pair in that deal, they stayed in touch and reached out to her when they were looking to buy a property in Manhattan.

“We ended up finding them the most amazing apartment that worked for them and their family, where they started having kids and then their parents ended up getting a pied-à-terre” here in New York,” Middleton said.

“They’re originally from the South,” she continued. “And so to be able to work with multiple family members on multiple deals, that’s the most rewarding, because you become really ingrained in a part of the fabric of these people’s life decisions. That’s the most rewarding part, where people feel comfortable enough with you that they refer you to family and friends.”

Eleonara Srugo recruited Middleton to join Douglas Elliman. (Courtesy of Netflix/© 2024 Netflix Inc. / Fox News)

In addition to Middleton, the “Selling the City” cast consists of seven other Douglas Elliman real estate agents, including team leader Eleonara Srugo. Srugo, who has drawn comparisons to “Selling Sunset” patriarch Jason Oppenheim, executed Douglas Elliman’s biggest real estate deal of 2023 after selling a $75 million listing.

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The New York native is ranked among the top-selling real estate agents by sales volume nationwide, according to her biography on Douglas Elliman’s website.

During her interview with FOX Business, Middleton recalled that she was working at another firm before Srugo recruited her to Douglas Elliman. She hadn’t anticipated that her new gig would lead to reality TV fame, but she jumped at the opportunity to be part of the series when it came along.

“I joined [Srugo’s] team and then from there, all of a sudden, this show is coming about, and it was just kind of like, ‘OK, I’ll take both,’” Middleton said with a laugh.

WATCH: ‘SELLING THE CITY’ STAR TAYLOR MIDDLETON SHARES HER SECRET TO CRACKING NEW YORK’S LUXURY REAL ESTATE MARKET

“Selling the City” star Taylor Middleton shared her approach to succeeding as a top agent in New York’s luxury real estate market.

“Selling the City” is currently streaming on Netflix. (Courtesy of Netflix/© 2024 Netflix Inc. / Fox News)

Though she noted that starring in a reality show was uncharted territory for her, Middleton told Fox Business that being part of “Selling the City” was “amazing.”

“It was such a great experience,” she said. “But it’s like the wild, wild West. There’s no manual for how to do it and how to balance it all — all the personalities and everything like that. Overall, 95% of it, I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was fantastic.”

“I feel like I learned so much about myself, and it was really fun, and it’s cool to be able to share your story, your professional life,” she continued. “It’s a highlight reel.”

“It was very positive.”

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January 25, 2025