Jill Wagner is known as an American television actress, model and game show personality She was most known for being a co host for the ABC obstacle course competition show called Wipeout during the years 2008 to 2014. She is also famous for her appearance on Maxim Magazine’s Hot 100 models of 2004 and ten years after, she made another appearance in 2014.
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Background
Jill Wagner was born as Jill Suzanne Wagner on January 13, 1979 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was raised by her father, David Wagner and her grandmother. Jill’s mother passed away shortly after she was born. Things looked like they were going to be tough for the Wagner family without a mother in the household. David was filled with grief after his wife passed away. He had to deal with her loss at the same time he had to deal with the future life ahead of him. He thought he would have to raise her by himself but luckily his mother came to the rescue and agreed to help raise Jill. His mom’s nice gesture took a lot of stress from him so he was able to grieve in a healthy way over his deceased wife.
Jill’s parents met each other in the early 70s. Her father was a U.S. Marine who served his country with a proud passion. She also has a brother in her family. She attended Ledford Senior High School in Wallburg, North Carolina. After high school, she studied at North Carolina State University and graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor's Degree in business management. She decided to become an actress instead of going for a business career, so she decided to continue her education by studying in the Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in Raleigh. During that time she also was named Miss Barbizon at a contest.
Modeling Stint
After completing her college studies, Wagner moved to California. Before her acting career started, she was a model. Jill appeared on few magazines during her first years out in California. In, she became a member on the list of Maxim magazine's Hot 100 models. She also posed in the American July 2006 issue of FHM magazine. During 2005 to 2011, she was featured as the Ford Motor Company's Mercury brand spokesmodel in television ads. After that experience, she became known as "The Mercury Girl”. She became one of Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list again in 2014.
Television Star
She made her acting debut in 2003 by appearing in the TV series “Punk'd” for 6 episodes. In an interview with the Verge, Jill was asked about her experiences on the television show, “Punk’d”, “Yeah. I mean, I started out as an actress and this is my first hosting job and I wasn't really sure I could do it, but it turns out I am really good at talking to people. I love acting and I miss it and I'll get back to it but right now I am having a ball. This show is about the contestants and I try to draw them out in a way that is funny. Some of them are really shy and I have to make a complete ass out of myself to make that happen. But I don't mind because I do that on a daily basis.
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She was not starstruck when she met celebrities while filming the prank show, it seemed like a normal thing to her, “Well, the beauty of where I'm from—this small little town called Wallburg, North Carolina—I didn't have a TV, I was out playing ball with my dad, shooting clay pigeons. I didn't know what Tommy Lee looked like. Seriously, it was great. When I did the red carpet episode Ashton had to have somebody point out who people were. Now, I'm like, "Wow, how did I go up to Katie Holmes and do that?" Well, that was pre-Tom Cruise. Now, you couldn't do that. She's like royalty.”
In 2006, she appeared in the Spike TV show “Blade: The Series”, playing the role of Krista Starr for 12 episodes. Jill has also appeared in other shows including “Quintuplets” and “Bones”. She also appeared in a major role in the horror movie “Splinter” in 2008.
Jill became a co-host for the ABC summer reality show “Wipeout” in the summer of 2008. Three years later, Wagner announced that she would be leaving “Wipeout” to focus on her acting career. Jill returned for the seventh season of “Wipeout” in August of 2012, the show was cancelled on September 7, 2014. The year before, Jill also appeared on the third episode of the YouTube series “The Mythical Show. Jill Wagner's other on-screen credentials include “Teen Wolf” from 2011-2014 and “Autumn Dreams” in the 2015. Wagner appeared in the TV series “Inside the Vault” playing as herself for ten episodes in the 2011. She appeared in the drama thriller movie “Road to Paloma” directed by Jason Momoa in 2013. In 2016, Jill played Hannah Harper in the movie “Christmas Cookies”.
News Career
Currently, Jill she works as correspondent on CBS News for the “MoneyWatch” program. She has been on the show since 2014. She is also a co-host for Inside the Vault on WGN America. She is comfortable presenting news because of her prior experience in the entertainment Jill businesses.
Jill currently lives in Los Angeles, California. She is not married, previously she was dating a man named Jay Gordan. Jay was a vocalist of the synth-industrial band Orgy. The couple broke up in the 2005. There is no any information about her other relationships because she has kept the information away from the public. Her net worth is about 4 million dollars that she has made from her multiple careers. She made her first substantial amount of money during her modeling career. She was able to convert the exposure that she got from her modeling career into acting jobs. The producers in the entertainment industry liked her unique looks and felt that she would be a great member in their films and television projects.
Last Modified: Apr 7, 2020
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