In the early 1990s, at the height of her trailblazing career, Jayne Kennedy disappeared from the public eye. Now, after decades of silence, the pioneer is ready to talk. In her new memoir, Plain Jayne, Kennedy, who shattered barriers as the first Black woman crowned Miss Ohio and a groundbreaking female sportscaster, confronts the devastating sex scandal that almost ended her career. A story of resilience and empowerment, her memoir is not just a look back, but a guide for others, proving that even after the darkest of times, one can reclaim their narrative and move forward with strength and grace.
A Trailblazing Legacy
Before she was a memoirist, Jayne Kennedy was a woman of firsts. She first broke into the national consciousness in 1970 when she was crowned Miss Ohio USA, a historic victory as the first Black woman to win the title. Eight years later, she shattered another glass ceiling, joining the cast of CBS’s The NFL Today and becoming one of the first female sports broadcasters and the first African American woman in that role. At a time when women were seen as outsiders in the world of sports, Kennedy proved them wrong, cementing her legacy as a pioneer.
Her career was a whirlwind of accomplishments. In addition to her work in broadcasting, she hosted the syndicated series Greatest Sports Legends, becoming the only female host in the show’s history. She won an Emmy Award for her coverage of the 1982 Rose Bowl and an NAACP Image Award for her acting role in the film Body and Soul. Kennedy’s career was a testament to her talent and a beacon of excellence for women and Black people in media. She became an icon whose face was as recognizable on the small screen as it was in magazines, a symbol of a new era of Black and female excellence.
Revisiting a Painful Past
Despite her remarkable success, Kennedy’s career and reputation were brought to a devastating halt by a scandal that was far ahead of its time. In the early 1990s, a private home video of her and her then-husband, actor Leon Isaac Kennedy, was leaked to the public. Long before the internet made such incidents commonplace, the leak became a national tabloid sensation. Kennedy lost friends, business opportunities, and her place in the limelight. She withdrew from the public eye, and for decades, the incident was an unspoken shadow over her incredible legacy.
In her new memoir, Kennedy addresses the scandal head-on, an incredibly difficult decision she admits she put off until the very end. “It was extremely difficult and I wanted that to be the last thing that I wrote,” she said in a recent interview. She added that she “still wasn’t sure in my heart as to what I wanted to say” but knew that she had to tell her story to reclaim her narrative. In a world where Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian have been able to leverage their scandals into empires, Kennedy’s experience decades earlier serves as a stark reminder of the different standards and lack of support she faced.
Telling Her Truth
Kennedy revealed that it was a conversation with Oprah Winfrey in 2010 that set her on the path to writing the memoir. Winfrey encouraged her to share her life story, a challenge that led Kennedy to “delve into who am I at my authentic core?” For her, that meant not just writing about her career but writing about “all of it,” including the most painful parts. For the trailblazer, the choice to address the scandal so early in her book was a strategic and deeply personal one.
“I knew that if I didn’t tell that part of my truth, then people may doubt the rest of my truth,” she said. This unapologetic honesty is the foundation of the book, which took decades to process and get published. The memoir is a testament to her determination and her belief in the power of an authentic narrative. She was determined to own her story, not just for herself but for the countless women who have faced similar public shaming and a loss of privacy.
The Personal and The Public
While her career was a constant series of “firsts,” Kennedy says her most fulfilling role is that of a wife and mother. She has been married to actor Bill Overton since 1985, and together they have raised a family that includes four grown daughters. Kennedy’s dedication to her family is a central theme of the memoir, and she says she has always been “very transparent with [her] daughters.”
Now, as a 73-year-old grandmother, Kennedy feels ready to be transparent with the rest of the world. Her memoir is a final act of resilience, a way to move beyond healing and to help others. “We have women that are suffering today and so if I can help, even in some small part, I want to,” she said. Plain Jayne is more than just a memoir; it is a powerful message of empowerment and strength from a woman who has defied expectations, survived public scrutiny, and found her way back to the spotlight on her own terms.
