Jessica Rowe Biography
Jessica Rowe AM is a journalist, author, and television host from Australia. She was the co-host of Network Ten’s Studio 10 until March 2018, and she was awarded the Order of Australia for her mental health activism.
How old is Jessica Rowe? – Age
She is 52 years old as of 22 June 2022. She was born in 1970 in Sydney, Australia. Her real name is Jessica June Rowe.
Jessica Rowe Family – Education
She was born to Penelope Rowe and John Rowe. Rowe went to Sydney Girls High School and Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993. She worked as a presenter for the on-campus community radio station 2MCE-FM during her studies. Rowe later earned a Master of International Studies degree from the University of Sydney in 2003.
Who is Jessica Rowe’s Husband? – Does Jessica Rowe have children?
Rowe has two children with her husband, Australian television journalist and Nine News Sydney presenter Peter Overton.
Jessica Rowe Net Worth
She has an estimated net worth of $4 million.
Jessica Rowe Today Show
Rowe joined the Nine Network in 2006 to co-host the Today breakfast show with Karl Stefanovic, succeeding Tracy Grimshaw. Rowe’s departure to the Nine Network prompted Network Ten to take legal action, citing a clause in her contract that barred her from working with a competitive station until June 2006. The Supreme Court rejected the case on December 30, 2005, allowing Rowe to make her Today debut on January 30, 2006.
Her appearance on Today was met with immediate criticism, which included “on-air giggling, a lack of serious journalistic credentials, and a lack of chemistry with co-host Karl Stefanovic.” Rowe was also chastised for an on-air gaffe involving Australian Brigadier Michael Slater, who revealed during a live cross that the interview from Dili, East Timor, was stage managed when Rowe attempted to use old looting and violence footage, despite Brigadier Slater telling her it was only “a couple of days old.”
During this time, Nine Network CEO Eddie McGuire issued a public statement in June 2006 claiming Rowe’s “sacking” was part of a “malicious and unprecedented vilification campaign.” This was in response to sworn testimony in an affidavit from Nine Network’s former Head of News Mark Llewellyn that McGuire threatened to “bone” Rowe during a meeting with executives. Rowe quit the Nine Network on May 6, 2007, due to “payment disputes” following her return from maternity leave.
Jessica Rowe Podcast
Rowe interviewed Australian Senator Pauline Hanson on The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show Podcast in September 2021 about her personal life and political experiences. Rowe was chastised by activists for broadcasting the podcast, with 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame declaring, “Pauline doesn’t need help to be heard, but those whose oppression she’s both driven and reinforced do.” Rowe later pulled the episode from her podcast, apologizing on Twitter and thanking Tame and Indigenous comic Nakkiah Lui for their comments.
Warren Mundine, an Indigenous activist and former Labor Party President turned Liberal Party candidate, then criticized Rowe for removing the interview. Media commentators such as Tim Blair, Joe Hildebrand, Chris Uhlmann, Paul Barry, Peter van Onselen, and Neil Mitchell criticized Rowe’s decision to remove the podcast.
Jessica Rowe Studio 10
Rowe returned to Network Ten in September 2013 to co-host their new morning TV show Studio 10. Rowe co-hosted the show with Ita Buttrose, Sarah Harris, and Joe Hildebrand when it launched on November 4, 2013. Denise Drysdale joined the show as its fifth co-host in 2015. On October 12, 2016, it ranked second in the OzTAM TV ratings. Monday to Friday, 8.30 a.m. to 12 p.m., on Network Ten.
Rowe was named a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2015 Australia Day honours for her mental health work. Rowe appeared as The Empress in Bonnie Lythgoe’s stage production of Aladdin and His Wondrous Lamp at Sydney’s State Theatre in July 2015. The cast also included Ian Dickson and Beau Ryan.
Rowe released her memoir Is This My Beautiful Life? (Allen & Unwin) in August 2015, in which she discussed her professional career as well as her battles with postnatal depression. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, “the impact of her revealing memoir should not be underestimated.”
Rowe was the face of a television and print campaign for Woolworths supermarkets in September 2015. During her school years in 1987, she worked as a checkout assistant at her local Woolworths supermarket.
Rowe announced her retirement from Studio 10 in March 2018, claiming a desire to spend more time with her children. However, it has been widely claimed that Rowe did not quit the station freely, but that Network Ten had planned to terminate Rowe for more than a year.
Jessica Rowe Sunrise
Rowe took over as Weekend Sunrise’s news anchor in December 2010, replacing Sarah Cumming and Sharyn Ghidella. She also held additional presenting positions on the Seven Network until her retirement in 2013.
Rowe published Love, Wisdom, maternity (Allen & Unwin) in 2011, a collection of her interviews with other Australian mothers about their maternity experiences. Quentin Bryce, Lisa McCune, Wendy Harmer, and Tina Arena were among those interviewed for the book.
Rowe appeared as the narrator in Sondheim’s Side By Side at Sydney’s Theatre Royal in April 2012 as part of a gala concert featuring Ruthie Henshall. The gala benefitted White Ribbon Australia, a nonprofit that works to raise awareness about violence against women. This was part of a continuing tour that began in April 2011 in Sydney’s Seymour Centre.