What can you tell me about Jenn Brown, one of the hosts of “American Ninja Warriors”?
—Eric Charchut, Houston, Texas
Brown, 32, has been seen on ESPN, ABC, CBS, Showtime, E!, CNN and CMT covering sporting events including the Super Bowl, the College Baseball World Series, the NBA Finals, the Monaco Grand Prix and the Daytona 500. For her coverage, she has won two Emmys for sports broadcasting.
Born in Gainesville, Fla., but raised in Orlando, Brown was introduced to sports at an early age by her parents, both of whom were Olympic gymnastics coaches. She played several sports—diving, volleyball, basketball, softball and track—at Bishop Moore High School, earning 14 varsity letters.
Despite excelling at sports, Brown attended the University of Florida on an academic scholarship, but still played all four years on the softball team. After graduation, she got her first break in television hosting the HDNet travel show, “The Wild Side.”
Her other credits include serving as the sideline reporter for ESPN’s Saturday noon college football games, the Little League World Series, the LIVE Red Carpet ESPY Countdown Show, and Summer and Winter X Games.
In addition, Brown contributed interviews and reports for ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” ”College Game Day” and “College Football Live.” She also co-hosted ESPNU’s popular college football show ”RoadTrip.”
Prior to joining ESPN, Brown was the first-ever female correspondent on Showtime Sports’ “Inside the NFL,” also working on its boxing and mixed martial arts programs. She has also served as a host for “E! News Now.”
Brown also created her own line of jewelry, the Jenn Brown Collection. One piece, the Carrie Necklace, was named for her younger sister, who was killed in a car accident in 2000. The proceeds from sales of the necklace go to support The Carrie Brown Foundation, which sends underprivileged kids to camp each summer.
When not on the road, Brown and her husband, actor Wes Chatham, live in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
