Trailblazing icon Jayne Kennedy shares her story at Sacramento’s Underground Books
HEAR FROM EMMY WINNING BROADCASTER AND ACTRESS JANE KENNEDY, PERHAPS BEST KNOWN FOR HER GROUNDBREAKING WORK FROM 1978 TO 1980 ON THE NFL. TODAY, SHE’S AN ICON AND TRAILBLAZER IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. SHE WAS THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO WIN MISS OHIO USA, AND THE ONLY WOMAN TO HOST THE LONG, LONGEST RUNNING SYNDICATED TELEVISION SHOW, GREATEST SPORTS LEGENDS. YOU CAN NOW READ ALL ABOUT HER JOURNEY IN HER NEW MEMOIR, PLAIN JANE. BUT BEFORE SHE TAKES THE STAGE AT THE GUILD THEATER TONIGHT, WE WELCOME HER RIGHT HERE TO KCRA. THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU. IT’S A PLEASURE. AND I AM JUST TOTALLY FANGIRLING HERE AND SUPER EXCITED TO MEET YOU FOR SURE. BUT WE WANT TO DIVE IN SO YOU HAVE REALLY BROKEN SO MANY BARRIERS. OF COURSE, IN BROADCASTING AND ENTERTAINMENT. HOW DOES THIS BOOK REFLECT YOUR JOURNEY? OH MY GOD, GREAT QUESTION. WELL, THE BOOK TOOK 25 YEARS TO WRITE, SO MY JOURNEY HAS BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME. STARTING IN 19. ACTUALLY, I STARTED MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER IN THE YEAR. 19. 68, SO WHEN I WAS STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL AND I WAS MODELING AND IT WAS THERE THAT I MET SHIRLEY CHISHOLM AND BECAME INSPIRED TO BECOME A POLITICIAN, AND THEN EVENTUALLY GOT BITTEN BY THE ACTING BUG AND MOVED TO LOS ANGELES. SO IT’S BEEN A JOURNEY. WAS THERE A MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER AND ON THAT JOURNEY THAT YOU DIDN’T INCLUDE IN THE BOOK? OH, A LOT, YES, YES, YES. AS A MATTER OF FACT, WHEN DISNEY FIRST SIGNED ME, THEY SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WRITE 375 PAGES. I SAID, OH, GREAT, I’VE ALREADY WRITTEN 875, AND I’M STILL WRITING. YES. SO YES, I HAD TO TAKE A LOT OUT. SO IN A LOT I HAD TO JUST MINIMIZE. WHEREAS I HAD A WHOLE CHAPTER. NOW IT’S 2 OR 3 SENTENCES OR MAYBE A PARAGRAPH, WHICH WAS HARD FOR ME. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE YOUNGER JANE KENNEDY? NOW? KEEP DREAMING. YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT I HAD BIG DREAMS. I ALWAYS WONDERED WHERE I WAS GOING TO END UP. I WOULD SIT AT HOME AND I WOULD LISTEN TO THE B AND O RAILROAD PASS BY MY WINDOW. WE LIVED ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ERIE IN OHIO, AND SO ALL OF THESE MAGICAL PLACES WERE RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND. AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE? AND MY GRANDMA USED TO SAY, YOU LET FANCY PRANCY GO AND DO ANYTHING SHE WANTS TO SAY. IF SHE WANTS TO BE, BECAUSE I USED TO TELL EVERYBODY I WANT TO BE A MOVIE STAR AT FIVE YEARS OLD, SHE WANTS TO BE A MOVIE STAR. YOU GO AHEAD. FANCY PRANCY. AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS AMAZING. BUT, YOU KNOW, I CHANGED SO MANY TRAJECTORIES IN MY LIFE. EVEN WHEN I CAME TO CALIFORNIA, BECAUSE IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO JUST BE AN ACTRESS. ROLES WOULD COME MAYBE ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS. SO YOU HAD TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. SO I WAS A SINGER, DANCER, MODEL. AND SO WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME A SPORTS BROADCASTER, THAT WASN’T A NOVELTY FOR ME, THAT PARTICULAR JOB WAS NEW BECAUSE I’D NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT IT WASN’T NEW TO ME TO BRANCH OUT AND DO AS MUCH AS I CAN. TELL ME ABOUT THE CONVERSATION THAT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU REALLY WANT? FIRST OF ALL, PEOPLE THAT READ THE BOOK AND PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE TONIGHT, WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO MOST TAKE AWAY? I WOULD LIKE FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY. AND I’M GOING TO SAY THIS RIGHT INTO THE CAMERA. I WOULD LOVE FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY THE IDEA THAT YOU’RE NOT DONE YET, WHICH IS THE NAME OF MY NEW COMPANY. AND I BELIEVE WITH ALL MY HEART THAT THERE IS NEVER AN ENDING. THERE’S ALWAYS A DOOR THAT CAN OPEN. AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO IN LIFE, THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING. IT MAY NOT BE GRAND, BUT IT MAY BE WHAT YOUR HEART DESIRES, AND IT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO DO. JUST BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT STEP. TAKE THE CHALLENGE, AND GO AHEAD AND FORGE ON. AND SO, YOU KNOW, LIKE SO MANY TIMES FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN, IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT BECAUSE NOT ONLY WERE YOU AN AFRICAN AMERICAN, BUT YOU WERE ALWAYS A WOMAN AS WELL. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY STONES IN YOUR STEPPING STONES THAT IN HURDLES THAT WERE IN YOUR WAY. AND SO I’VE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT I WOULD LET NOTHING STOP ME. AND THAT IS HOPEFULLY THE MESSAGE THAT COMES FORWARD IN THE BOOK. WELL, LET ME JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR PAVING THE WAY FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY. AND SPEAKING OF OF YOU’RE NOT DONE YET. WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU AFTER THIS BOOK? I HAVE A FRAGRANCE THAT IS OUT NOW. IT’S CALLED JANE KENNEDY SUN AND JANE KENNEDY MOON AND I CREATED IT TO MIMIC WHO I AM AS A PERSON. SO MY MOTHER GREW UP ON A TOBACCO FARM. SO THEIR ESSENCE OF TOBACCO LEAVES WITHIN IT. I WAS SO IMPRESSED WHEN I FIRST LANDED IN EGYPT, AND I FELT ROOTS JUST SPRINGING FROM MY FEET, AND I FINALLY FELT LIKE I BELONGED SOMEWHERE. SO THERE’S FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH AND EGYPTIAN OPALS, WHICH IS MY BIRTHSTONE. AND SO THERE’S SO MANY THINGS THAT I INCORPORATED INTO THE FRAGRANCE. AND I HOPE IT AND IT’S 100% ORGANIC. IT’S FOR MALE AND FEMALE. SO I HOPE YOU ENJOY THAT. BUT THEN I’M ALSO LOOKING AT, I CAN’T SAY WITH WHOM, BUT A MAJOR, A MAJOR PERSONALITY THAT I KNOW YOU WOULD ALL KNOW. AND WE’RE HAVING A MEETING NEXT WEEK TO DEVELOP A BIOPIC, MY BOOK THAT WILL BE FANTASTIC. WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. WELL, IT WAS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US AND FOR OUR VIEWERS. THE OAK PARK SPEAKER SERIES TAKES PLACE AT THE GUILD THEATER TONIGHT FROM 6 TO 7:30 P.M. GENERAL ADMISSION IS $35. THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL RECEPTION AT THE OAK PARK BREWERY
Trailblazing icon Jayne Kennedy shares her story at Sacramento’s Underground Books
Updated: 11:56 AM PDT Oct 23, 2025
Jayne Kennedy, the Emmy-winning broadcaster, actress and history-making trailblazer, is bringing her powerful story to Sacramento tonight for an evening of inspiration, reflection and celebration.Hosted at Underground Books in the heart of Oak Park, the event invites fans and community members to hear directly from Kennedy as she discusses her highly anticipated memoir, Plain Jayne. The book offers a raw and deeply personal look at her journey—from her beginnings in small-town Ohio to breaking barriers as one of the first Black women to host national sports television.Kennedy’s story is one of perseverance and purpose. A former Miss Ohio and star of film and television, she shattered ceilings in the 1970s and 1980s when women—especially Black women—were rarely seen on the sidelines or behind the sports desk. Plain Jayne explores her groundbreaking career, the challenges she faced in the public eye, and the legacy she continues to build as a voice for empowerment and authenticity.Tonight’s event will feature an intimate conversation between Jayne Kennedy and former Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, offering attendees a chance to hear personal reflections and lessons from Kennedy’s remarkable life.Event Details:Underground Books, SacramentoThursday, Oct. 23 | Doors open at 6 p.m.General Admission: $35Reception Add-On: $20See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Jayne Kennedy, the Emmy-winning broadcaster, actress and history-making trailblazer, is bringing her powerful story to Sacramento tonight for an evening of inspiration, reflection and celebration.
Hosted at Underground Books in the heart of Oak Park, the event invites fans and community members to hear directly from Kennedy as she discusses her highly anticipated memoir, Plain Jayne.
The book offers a raw and deeply personal look at her journey—from her beginnings in small-town Ohio to breaking barriers as one of the first Black women to host national sports television.
Kennedy’s story is one of perseverance and purpose.
A former Miss Ohio and star of film and television, she shattered ceilings in the 1970s and 1980s when women—especially Black women—were rarely seen on the sidelines or behind the sports desk.
Plain Jayne explores her groundbreaking career, the challenges she faced in the public eye, and the legacy she continues to build as a voice for empowerment and authenticity.
Tonight’s event will feature an intimate conversation between Jayne Kennedy and former Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, offering attendees a chance to hear personal reflections and lessons from Kennedy’s remarkable life.
Event Details:
Underground Books, Sacramento
Thursday, Oct. 23 | Doors open at 6 p.m.
General Admission: $35
Reception Add-On: $20
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel