Jill Wagner has gone from ABC game-show host to CIA-operative-on-screen, and people are searching her name again now that “Special Ops: Lioness” Season 3 has become one of the most-watched shows on Paramount+. Here’s what’s actually confirmed about her age, family, career, and money — pulled straight from verified sources, not guesswork.
Background: Who Is Jill Wagner?
Jill Suzanne Wagner is an American actress and television personality who has been working steadily in front of cameras since 2003. Most people over 30 first knew her as the bubbly co-host of ABC’s obstacle-course game show “Wipeout,” a job she held on and off from 2008 to 2014. Since then she has built a second career as one of the most familiar faces of Hallmark Channel and Great American Family Christmas movies, appearing in more than a dozen holiday films between 2015 and 2025.
People are searching for her again for a different reason. She now plays Bobby, a hardened CIA special-activities-division team leader, in Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ spy drama “Special Ops: Lioness,” where she also works as an executive producer. That mix of a wholesome Hallmark past and a gritty new military role is exactly the kind of contrast that sends fans to Wikipedia looking for the full story on who she is.
Latest Update
As of August 23, 2026, here is what’s currently known. “Lioness” Season 3 premiered on Paramount+ on August 2, 2026, and pulled in roughly 7.1 million views in its first week, a bigger opening than Season 2 got and reportedly the No. 2 most-watched original streaming series in the U.S. that week, based on early Nielsen figures. Wagner’s role as Bobby has drawn fresh attention because the character has become more central to the show’s story this season.
Earlier in the month, Wagner also gave interviews to Fox News Digital about her real life on a working farm in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, where she raises cattle and chickens with her husband and describes her mornings as starting around 6:30 a.m. There is no confirmed news of any scandal, breakup, health issue, or other dramatic event involving her right now — if you have seen a rumor claiming otherwise, treat it as unconfirmed unless a credible outlet reports it directly.
📅 Key date: “Special Ops: Lioness” Season 3 premiered August 2, 2026, on Paramount+, with Wagner reprising her role as Bobby.
Full Profile
Family and Early Life
Wagner was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Multiple biographical sources agree that her mother passed away shortly after Jill was born, so she was raised mainly by her father, David Wagner, a former U.S. Marine who later ran a local tire shop, and by her grandmother. She has an older brother. As a teenager she trained at the Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in nearby Raleigh, which is where she earned the title “Miss Barbizon” before eventually heading to Los Angeles.
Career Path
Wagner’s first television credit was a stint on MTV’s prank show “Punk’d” in 2003. She landed small parts on shows like “Monk” and “Stargate: Atlantis” before taking a lead role as Krista Starr on Spike TV’s “Blade: The Series” in 2006. In 2008 she became a co-host of “Wipeout,” a job that made her a household face for six seasons. She later joined MTV’s “Teen Wolf” as hunter-turned-shapeshifter Kate Argent, a role she returned to on and off through the show’s final season in 2017.
From 2015 onward, Wagner became a regular leading lady in Hallmark and Great American Family Christmas movies, including the “Mystery 101” film series. In 2023 she stepped into a very different kind of role as Bobby in “Special Ops: Lioness,” a part she has said she helped inspire after years of hearing her husband’s military stories.
Age
Jill Wagner is 47 years old as of this writing. She was born on January 13, 1979, which makes her a Capricorn.
Religion
Wagner has spoken publicly in interviews with outlets like Movieguide and Faithwire about her Christian faith and describes it as central to how she raises her daughters. Her exact denomination has not been publicly stated, so that specific detail is unconfirmed.
Spouse/Partner
Wagner is married to David Lemanowicz, a former professional hockey player who now serves as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. The two first met when Wagner was a teenager, lost touch, and reconnected years later while she was on a USO tour in Afghanistan and he was deployed. They married in April 2017.
Net Worth
Celebrity Net Worth estimates Wagner’s fortune at around $4 million, built from her modeling work, her Mercury car ad campaigns, “Wipeout,” and her ongoing acting and producing career. This figure comes from a third-party estimate rather than a statement from Wagner herself, so it should be treated as an approximation rather than a confirmed number.
Parents
Her father is David Wagner, a former U.S. Marine. Reports consistently state that her mother died shortly after Wagner’s birth, though her mother’s name has not been confirmed in any reliable source, so that detail is left unconfirmed here rather than guessed.
Height
Wagner is commonly listed at around 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) tall across entertainment biography sites, though this figure has not been confirmed through an official or primary source, so treat it as a widely reported estimate.
Education
Wagner attended Ledford Senior High School in Wallburg, North Carolina, before earning a bachelor’s degree in business management from North Carolina State University in 2001.
Hometown/State of Origin
She was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She now lives on a farm in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, with her husband and daughters.
Official Social Media
Her verified Instagram account is instagram.com/jillwagner.
ℹ️ Good to know: Several unrelated people also use the name “Jill Wagner” online, including a journalist and a painter. Make sure any account you follow links back to her acting and “Lioness” work before assuming it’s really her.
Quick Facts Table
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jill Suzanne Wagner |
| Date of Birth | January 13, 1979 |
| Age | 47 |
| Birthplace | Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, TV host, producer |
| Years Active | 2003–present |
| Spouse | David Lemanowicz (m. 2017) |
| Children | 2 daughters (Army Gray, Daisy Roberta); 1 stepdaughter (Lija) |
| Education | North Carolina State University (2001) |
| Net Worth | Approx. $4 million (unconfirmed estimate) |
| Known For | “Wipeout,” “Teen Wolf,” “Special Ops: Lioness” |
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Is Jill Wagner married?
Yes. She married former professional hockey player David Lemanowicz in April 2017. He now serves as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, and the couple lives on a farm in Tennessee.
How old is Jill Wagner in 2026?
Jill Wagner is 47 years old. She was born on January 13, 1979, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
How many kids does Jill Wagner have?
She has two biological daughters with David Lemanowicz, Army Gray (born April 2020) and Daisy Roberta (born August 2021). She also co-parents his daughter, Lija, from a previous relationship.
What show is Jill Wagner in now?
She currently stars as Bobby, a CIA operative, in Paramount+’s “Special Ops: Lioness,” which is also executive-produced by Wagner. Season 3 premiered on August 2, 2026.
What is Jill Wagner’s net worth?
Third-party estimates from Celebrity Net Worth put her fortune at around $4 million, built from decades of acting, hosting, modeling, and producing work. This is an estimate, not a confirmed figure from Wagner herself.
Was Jill Wagner on Wipeout?
Yes. She co-hosted the ABC obstacle-course competition show “Wipeout” on the field from 2008 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2014, missing part of the 2012 season.
Where does Jill Wagner live now?
She and her husband live on a working farm called Scott Mansion in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, which they restored from a century-old, long-vacant house.
⚠️ Unconfirmed detail: Some fan pages list her as a mother of “three daughters,” which appears to count her stepdaughter Lija alongside her two biological daughters. Official sources list Wagner as having two children of her own, with Lija as a stepdaughter rather than a biological child.
Wrap-Up
Jill Wagner’s story is really a story about reinvention. She started out as a game-show host known for her energy on an obstacle course, spent nearly a decade as one of Hallmark’s most reliable leading ladies, and has now landed one of the more physically demanding roles of her career on a hit military drama, all while raising two young daughters on a Tennessee farm. That range is a big part of why she keeps showing up in search results even without a scandal or a big personal announcement driving the traffic.
What makes her current moment interesting is timing. “Lioness” Season 3 landing as one of the most-watched shows on its platform, combined with fresh interviews about her farm life, means Wagner is having one of her most visible stretches in years purely because of steady, consistent work rather than controversy. That is a fairly rare thing in entertainment news right now.
If you came here chasing a rumor about her health, her marriage, or anything urgent, this article should make clear there is nothing verified along those lines as of the date above. What is verified is a decades-long career, a stable family life, and a new role that is clearly resonating with audiences.
Smith Andrew is the Founder and Editor of BiographyCabal. He researches, writes, and edits accurate, engaging, and well-researched biographies of celebrities, entrepreneurs, athletes, influencers, politicians, and other notable public figures. Committed to factual reporting and quality storytelling, Smith ensures every article is reader-focused, informative, and based on reliable sources, helping readers discover the lives, careers, and achievements of influential people around the world.