Jenny Taft Profile, Age, Height, Married, Bio
Get to know the host of FS1's "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed"
Name: Jenny Taft
Age: 36 years old
Date of Birth: September 5, 1987
Birth Place: Edina, MN
Relationship Status: Married
Height: 5’ 10”
Occupation: TV personality and host
Best Known for: Skip and Shannon: Undisputed
Nationality: American
Get to know Jenny Taft of Undisputed
American sports television personality Jenny Taft is the host of Fox Sports 1’s Skip and Shannon: Undisputed and the sports network’s lead college football sideline reporter.
Jenny is known for her well-rounded sports knowledge and charming personality. Let’s take a closer look at the background of this hard-working sports host and reporter.
What is Jenny Taft’s full name?
Jenny’s full name is Jennifer Lind Taft.
When was she born?
Taft was born on September 5, 1987, in Edina, Minnesota — a suburb of Minneapolis. Edina is an affluent suburb that is also known for its high school’s success in sports, notable ice hockey.
How old is Jenny Taft? What is her age?
She is 36 years old as of September 5, 2023.
How tall is Jenny Taft?
Jenny’s height is 5’ 10”.
What is she known for?
Jenny is known for being the host and moderator of the FS1 sports talk show, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe. She began working on the TV show in July of 2018, replacing former host Joy Taylor.
Since 2017, Taft has worked as FOX’s college football sideline reporter, with play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson and game analyst Joel Klatt.
Where does she live?
Taft currently lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband Matt Gilroy.
Video: Jenny’s birthday present for Shannon Sharpe
What are Taft’s hobbies?
When she’s not working, Jenny enjoys yoga, workouts, running and horseback riding.
Is Jenny married?
Jenny is married to Matt Gilroy, a pro hockey player. The couple wed in 2015.
Who is her husband?
Matt Gilroy is a professional hockey defenseman. He currently plays hockey in the Swiss National League.
Gilroy and Taft first met at Boston University, where he played college hockey. At B.U., he won the prestigious 2008-09 Hobey Baker Award.
After graduating from college Gilroy turned pro, playing for the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers over several NHL seasons.
Gilroy also played on the 2018 US Men’s Olympic Hockey Team in South Korea.
Who are her parents?
Jenny’s parents are John and Mary Taft.
Her father John Taft played six seasons in NHL for Detroit Red Wings. The former pro hockey player was also captain of the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team in the 1976 Winter Olympics. He won two collegiate national championships with the University of Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team.
Jenny’s mother, Mary, is a former champion speed skater.
Does Jenny Taft have siblings?
Jenny has a younger brother, Charlie Taft. He played hockey at Colorado College.
Where did she go to high school?
Jenny went to Edina High School in Edina, MN. Edina High School is a public four-year high school. It consistently ranks in the top 200 best public high schools. Newsweek, the magazine, ranked the school #89 in their “List of the 1,200 Top High Schools in America.”
Taft was captain of her high school’s lacrosse team despite picking up the sport in ninth grade.
Where did Jenny Taft go to college?
Jenny attended Boston University. She graduated in 2010 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.
Does she speak French?
Jenny speaks fluent French. She studied the language through French immersion schools growing up in Edina, MN.
The skill has paid off in her professional life. In 2018 she used her knowledge of the language to interview French soccer players at the FIFA World Cup, including France forward Kylian Mbappe.
At Indianapolis Supercross events, she interviewed French rider Cedric Soubeyras in his native tongue to everyone’s amazement.
Did Jenny Taft play sports? Is she an athlete?
In high school, Jenny was the captain of her lacrosse team. She also lettered in the sport, as well as in hockey and tennis.
She earned a spot on the Minnesota national lacrosse team for three years and in 2005, won the NSLA Player of the Year for the top female lacrosse player in Minnesota.
In college, Jenny was able to walk on the Boston University lacrosse team. She lettered in the sport each of her four years for the Terriers.
Jenny Taft net worth
What is her net worth?
She has a net worth of approximately $2 million.
What is Taft’s salary? How much does she make?
Jenny reportedly makes over $1 million per year from Fox Sports 1.
Jenny Taft – TV career
What is the TV show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed about?
Former NFL star Shannon Sharpe debates the top sports stories of the day with sports personality Skip Bayless on the FS1 television show. Host Taft moderates the discussion and acts as a referee to the sometimes heated debates.
What is CFB: Inside Slant about?
Taft hosts the 30-minute program on FS1. The show takes an inside look at college football’s top stories beyond the field, including features and in-depth interviews of players and newsmakers.
Television career history
- Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, 2018-current
- FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™
- BattleBots, 2019
- 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, 2019
- FIFA World Cup™, 2018
- FOX College Football, 2018
- CFB: Inside Slant, 2018
- Stride Gum Presents: Heaven Sent, 2016
- FIFA Women’s World Cup™, 2015
- FOX Soccer Digital Friendly, 2014
- Monster Energy Supercross, 2014
- FS1 update anchor, 2013
Early years
Jenny began her TV career in her hometown of Minneapolis, MN as one of the FOX Sports North Girls. The position with FOX’s regional sports network involved interacting with fans and promoting FSN.
As Jenny put it, “We are trying to be a connection between fans and athletes.”
A promotion at FOX Sports North opened the door for Jenny to become an in-arena host and later a sideline/social media reporter for many of the local Twin-Cities-based teams (Minnesota Lynx, Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Timberwolves, University of Minnesota men’s hockey and Minnesota Twins).
Jenny Taft fun facts
1.) Jenny’s co-host on Undisputed, Skip Bayless, doesn’t follow her on Twitter. She’s not sure whether Shannon Sharpe does or not.
2.) She wakes up at 3:13 am every day to prepare for her hosting duties on Undisputed.
3.) Jenny is a die-hard Minnesota Viking fan. She grew up in Edina, MN rooting for the home-town team. She often takes to Twitter and Instagram to proudly wear purple and cheer on the team.
4.) As a Fox Sports North Girl, she was known publicly only as “Jenny”. The FSN Girls did not use their last names.
5.) Jenny has admitted to having a serious sweet tooth. Apparently, she’s a fan of bubbies ice cream.
6.) Jenny enjoys tennis and has taken up boxing lessons for training purposes.
7.) Her dad used to coach her in hockey.
Follow Jenny Taft on social media
Instagram: @jennytaft
Twitter: @JennyTaft
Facebook: @jennytaftreporter
Jenny Taft quotes
Quotes on her career
I would do as many things as I could and get my foot in the door as many places as I could.
I believed in myself as an athlete, but there was no way there was a pro journey for me after school. Sports reporting was always the goal.
I might get to take a deep breath after the Super Bowl.
World Cup
Couple jobs for me throughout the World Cup … reporting, hosting, sideline … and exploring Paris!!
BattleBots
I had such an incredible time getting to know everyone and learning so much this season, let me know what you think!
Supercross
One of the talented VPs at Fox had called me into his office and he said, ‘What do you know about motorcycles?’ I said, ‘I know Ricky Carmichael. He was really good!’
It was definitely a learning curve, but I think once people saw that I was willing to put in the work and that I really wanted to get to know the guys, I think that’s kind of where the fans jumped on board.
My bosses at Fox Sports really noticed my growth from supercross. I wish I could count how many times you heard from me tonight, but it was probably 20. The reps here have made such an impact on me, at least proving to everyone at Fox that I can do those big events and it doesn’t matter what I’m covering—if you can ask good questions, it goes a long way.
I threw my name in the hat for as much as I could. I knew very little about Supercross at the time, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me because the Fox execs saw I could do the job.
Undisputed
I get the same rush I got playing sports when the red light goes on. I must have a bit of adrenaline junkie in me—I feed off it.
On speaking French
My parents always told me that my French would pay off when I wanted to be doing homework in English. They were right!
Quotes on her ties to Minnesota and Wisconsin
I grew up in Minneapolis so the Big Ten is everything.
It’s really cool. I had my mom and dad on the sideline in Wisconsin. It was so cool. My dad went to Wisconsin. He played hockey there — met my mom there who grew up in Madison. My grandfather was the vice president of the university and for them to be on the field with me, it was just a really cool moment for our family and just excited to be in Madison together and kind of enjoy it.
You root for those players to have good games and good stories, but you don’t root for teams. That’s not our job right? Our job is to just deliver a clean game, and I think for me if I can get those stories — knowing a little bit more about the program only helps and really it’s just a conversation starter.
On her husband
I give him credit for being overseas and going it alone. I have it easier. I’m around my family and friends.
He really enjoys this. It’s so cool that he plays a group of guys who don’t speak the same language. But hockey is a game they all understand. I think that is so fascinating. Hopefully, he will have so many stories to tell our kids someday.
Quotes about sideline reporting
I think that’s why I like being a sideline reporter because I’m not doing the Xs and Os the way Joel Klatt is. I love getting to know people, find those little stories and really, I’m the eyes that I’d like to think everyone wants to have. So my job, I feel like I take it seriously that I need to report whatever I’m seeing on the sideline. I’ve got a list of all these ideas for today, but half of them, less than half won’t be used. Just having it just in case, we saw how Hollywood Brown, our favorite guy Marquise, has kind of grown and I’ve got to have plenty on him just in case. But if he’s not a factor, then it doesn’t matter.
I kind of compare it to sports. It’s the same adrenaline rush you get when the whistle blows.
What’s next for Jenny Taft?
Jenny can be seen on FS1’s Skip and Shannon: Undisputed as well as covering a wide range of sporting events and entertainment for the network.
One thing to watch — Skip Bayless’ contract with Fox Sports is set to expire in September of 2020. There is some speculation that he may leave Fox Sports for DAZN or ESPN. If so, this could have a major impact on Taft’s host role on Undisputed.But, right now, it’s too early to say. DAZN, pronounced Da-zone, is a subscription-only channel.
This rising star’s talent and personality will no doubt elevate her profile in the entertainment industry throughout the years to come.
— Claire Evans
Claire writes about pop culture, entertainment, personalities, and movies.
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