Who is Roger Goodell's wife? Meet Jane Skinner, former Fox News anchor
Roger Goodell's wife, Jane Skinner, has been the woman behind one of the most powerful sports executives for almost three decades. They wed in the late 1990s, a few years before Goodell became NFL Commissioner. Jane told USA Today in 2016:
I always say Roger is incredibly supportive of women. I would never have married him if he wasn't.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Jane Skinner's profile summary
- Roger Goodell's wife is a Chicago native
- Jane Skinner has a master's in journalism
- Skinner had a successful broadcast journalism career
- Goodell and Skinner's first conversation was about the NFL
- Jane once used a secret X (Twitter) account to defend Roger
- Roger and Jane Skinner have a nine-figure combined net worth
Key takeaways
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been married to Jane Skinner for over 27 years.
- Goodell's wife is a former journalist and the daughter of former White House Chief of Staff Samuel K. Skinner.
- Jane and Roger Goodell are parents to two children whom they have kept out of the limelight.
Jane Skinner's profile summary
| Full name | Jane Skinner Goodell |
| Date of birth | February 12, 1967 |
| Age | 58 years old (as of May 2025) |
| Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois |
| Current residence | Bronxville, New York |
| Husband | Roger Goodell (1997 to date) |
| Children | Twin daughters |
| Parents | Samuel K. Skinner |
| Siblings | Two brothers |
| Education | Northwestern University (Broadcast Journalism) |
| Profession | Former journalist, producer |
Roger Goodell's wife is a Chicago native
Jane Skinner was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, Samuel K. Skinner, served as the US Secretary of Transportation and the White House Chief of Staff during the administration of President George H. W. Bush.
Samuel also worked as a Chicago Bears season ticket holder in the 1970s, which exposed Jane and her two older brothers to the NFL. While explaining her childhood in a 2022 interview with the LA Times, she said:
We spent a lot of time at Soldier Field -- It was very much a part of my family and our world... My dad was in politics, so our family was all about politics and sports.
Source: Original
Jane Skinner has a master's in journalism
Skinner obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees in Broadcast Journalism from Illinois-based Northwestern University. She shared in her 2022 LA Times interview she initially wanted to be a lawyer but changed her mind after seeing what the profession did to her family members.
I thought I was going to be a lawyer, and then I saw all the lawyers in my family; they were not that happy. And I thought, 'How can I marry something I don't really love?' I thought maybe I would do something visual.
Source: Getty Images
Skinner had a successful broadcast journalism career
Roger Goodell's wife started her career as a reporting correspondent for KBJR-TV in Duluth, Minnesota. She later worked as a general assignment reporter for KMO-TV in St. Louis, Missouri and WCSH-TV in Portland, Maine.
She was also an anchor at WITI-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and later worked as a freelance reporter for WNBC-TV. Jane Skinner then joined Fox News, where she co-hosted Happening Now. She retired from broadcast journalism in 2010.
Source: Getty Images
Jane Goodell has produced NFL shows
Jane transitioned to working behind the camera as a producer. She was a co-executive producer for the NFL Network's documentary, A Lifetime of Sundays, which profiles four women in the NFL, including Patricia Rooney, Martha Firestone Ford, Virginia McCaskey, and Norma Hunt.
Skinner produced the NFL-affiliated podcast Earnin' It: The NFL's Forward Progress. She also worked on a Peacock television series of the same name.
Source: Getty Images
Goodell and Skinner's first conversation was about the NFL
Roger and Jane Skinner first crossed paths at a mutual friend's wedding, where they bonded over football. The two resided in different states at the time: Roger was in New York working for the National Football League, and Jane was living in Milwaukee while chasing her dream job in Chicago.
Skinner told the LA Times in 2022 that she was not interested in a relationship with Roger Goodell at first because of her career ambitions, but she later relocated to New York.
They married in October 1997, and Roger was appointed the NFL Commissioner about nine years later in 2006.
Source: Getty Images
Jane and Roger Goodell have twin daughters
Goodell and Jane Skinner welcomed twin daughters in 2001. The couple chose to raise the girls out of the spotlight, but they occasionally mention them in interviews. While talking to USA Today Sports in 2016, Jane shared that the twins were athletic.
They play team and individual sports: lacrosse, soccer, tennis and track. They've been on both winning and losing teams...They've learned how to remain positive, and be resilient — All that is priceless, I think, in developing character.
Source: Getty Images
Jane once used a secret X (Twitter) account to defend Roger
In 2017, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was facing criticism due to anthem protests at NFL games. The Wall Street Journal later uncovered that his wife was using an X (Twitter) account with the handle @forargument to defend him, asking media outlets to do better reporting.
Jane confirmed to the WSJ that she was behind the account, saying:
As a former media member, I'm always bothered when the coverage doesn't provide a complete and accurate picture of a story — I have always passionately defended the hard-working guy I love, and I always will. I just may not use Twitter to do so in the future!
Source: UGC
Roger and Jane Skinner have a nine-figure combined net worth
The former news anchor has an estimated net worth of over $100,000. Her husband is worth a whopping $300 million per Celebrity Net Worth.
Roger Goodell earns up to over $64 million annually as the NFL Commissioner. Roger's career earnings are set at around $700 million. His contract expires in 2027, as stated by Front Office Sports.
Skinner and Roger Goodell live in New York
Goodell and Jane are longtime residents of Bronxville, Westchester County, New York. They purchased the house in September 2005 for $4.8 million.
They also own a summer home in Maine and previously had an apartment in Manhattan's Upper East Side before selling the real estate in 2007 for $2.72 million.
Source: Getty Images
Roger Goodell's wife, Jane Skinner, has been a supportive partner, proving that she is much more than the wife of an NFL Commissioner. She continues to uplift women in sports, years after leaving her coveted Fox News anchor job.
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Source: Briefly News
