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Jayne Kennedy debuted her new memoir, Plain Jayne.
The legendary television personality, actress, model, sports broadcaster, producer, writer, and philanthropist opened up about her life and rise to fame in her book. She is most known for her win as Miss Ohio USA in 1970, and her stint on CBS’s “The NFL Today” as one of the first Black women to host a show of such a large scale.
Given her plethora of accolades, the spotlight has since shifted to her earnings. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jayne Kennedy has a net worth of $2 million. She was born in Washington, D.C., and was one of six kids. However, she was raised in Wickliffe, Ohio.
"Wickliffe would always be my home base, my safe haven," she penned in her memoir.
She made her breakthrough in the entertainment industry with her stint on "The NFL Today." At the time, national sports television had no female analysts and a handful of women of color who worked on-air. Jayne stepped in alongside Brent Musburger, Irv Cross, and Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, and established her footing.
Jayne Kennedy's legacy and career explored:
Jayne Kennedy spoke to CNN just last month about her new memoir, and she credited Oprah Winfrey with writing her life story.
"She inspired me to go forward and I'm glad she did because it allowed me to actually delve into who am I," Kennedy said. "Who am I at my authentic core? And it wasn't just about writing about my career, it wasn't just about writing about my family, it was writing about all of it."
She was referring to an early 1990s scandal when an intimate tape between her and her ex-husband, Leon Isaac Kennedy, leaked. She reportedly addresses the scandal that nearly destroyed her career, and in her interview with CNN, she said:
"It was extremely difficult and I wanted that to be the last thing that I wrote," she said. "I wrote the whole book originally before I settled in on writing that. I still wasn't sure in my heart as to what I wanted to say. I knew what happened and I knew how I wanted to say it, but I still had so many questions in my mind," she added. "I know that people had those same questions and I knew that they were going to ask. So, you know, I had to be able to take a huge gulp."
However, she knew that honesty was the ethos of her book:
"I knew that if I didn't tell that part of my truth, then people may doubt the rest of my truth. And the whole purpose of writing the book was to tell my truth."
One of the focal points in Jayne Kennedy's career came in the early 1980s, when she took over for Phyllis George as a co-host on “The NFL Today.” During her stint, she served as the commentator, interviewed several prolific NFL players, and offered insights into the pregame coverage.
She was honored for her work in 1982 with an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Programming. She also boasts an NAACP Image Award. Since she retired from television, Jayne Kennedy has been focusing her efforts on her family, philanthropy, and business ventures.
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