Thrilla in Manila 1975 - Muhammad Ali
NAACP AWARDS
JAYNE KENNEDY & LOUIS GOSSETT
EMMY Award Nomination, Outstanding Sports Show & Outstanding Performance as a Host
Golden Globe nomination, Best Producer
NAACP Image Award, Best Actress
NAACP Theatre Award, Best Producer
CEBA Award
History Maker Award
Black Enterprise - Women of Power Legacy Award
National Sports Media Association - Roone Arledge Award for Innovation
Dream Awards - Trailblazer Award
These are but a few of many credits which accompany her accolade as the first African American to win the Miss Ohio/USA crown
Along with Jane Fonda, she was one of the first to utilize video as a platform into the multi-billion dollar fitness industry with her self-produced Love Your Body campaign
Spokeswoman
1982 – 1987
As a national spokeswoman for global and national brands she proved in the 1970s and 80s that Black women could in fact be the face of corporate America
REVLON
JOVAN
ESOTÉRICA FADE CREAM
BUTTERICK
PLAYBOY
VOGUE
EBONY
EBONY
ESSENCE
MAHOGANY
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
AMERICAN BABY
SEPIA
JET
JET
SEPIA
TOTAL HEALTH
Yet another Pioneering Moment…
As the First Female driver in the history of the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix Celebrity Driver Race with Mario Andretti, Clint Eastwood, James Brolin, Bruce Jenner, Fred Dryer & others
Charles Barkley, Lesley Visser, Jayne's daughter, Savannah I Dave Goren, CEO / NSMA
Television and the Media Landscape
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Oprah Winfrey Wing, 2018
LA Sentinel Interview
August 2025
Kicking Off Black History Month
February 4th, 2025
ANDSCAPE LISTEN HERE
Groundbreaking sports broadcaster Jayne Kennedy finally tells her story in ‘Plain Jayne’
September 2nd, 2025
Jayne Kennedy reclaims her voice in powerful return to the spotlight
Spectrum News Staff
Los Angeles
PUBLISHED 6:00 AM PT May 04, 2026
In a special premiere episode of "California Stories," Jayne Kennedy revisits her extraordinary rise: from a small-town upbringing in Ohio to becoming a groundbreaking presence in Hollywood and sports broadcasting.
What You Need To Know
Kennedy reflects on breaking barriers as a pioneering Black sportscaster
She reveals the personal toll of public scandals and med00ia scrutiny
Her memoir "Plain Jayne" marks a deeply personal return after years out of the spotlight
Kennedy shares a message of resilience, faith, and self-reclamation.
As the first Black female sportscaster — and the groundbreaking host of "NFL Today" — Kennedy describes both the triumph and the resistance she faced while navigating a male-dominated, racially divided industry.
Her journey was fueled by determination and a deep sense of identity shaped by her upbringing, ultimately pushing her to succeed on her own terms.
ad to find who I was, because I didn't want to be anything other than my parents raised me to be, and I've stuck with that all through my life," she said.
But behind the accolades and public image, Kennedy reveals the painful chapters that led her to step away from the spotlight. From the backlash surrounding her Playboy cover to the devastating leak of a private tape, she recounts how public humiliation and personal betrayal deeply impacted her sense of self.
The emotional toll forced Kennedy into isolation for years, as she struggled to reconcile her public persona with her private pain.
“Everything just came crashing down in my mind,” she said. “I didn't want to go anywhere. I didn't want to see anybody. I didn't want to talk to anybody.”
Now, with the release of her memoir "Plain Jayne," Kennedy reemerges with clarity, strength and purpose — what she calls her “Jayne 2.0”
Through faith, family and time, she has worked to heal and reclaim her narrative, hoping her story will inspire others to persevere through their own hardships. Her message is clear and unwavering: resilience is a choice, and self-belief is everything.
“Never, ever, ever, ever let someone tell you can’t do something," she said. “You have to believe in yourself.”
