Jill Wagner is an American actress, producer, and television personality known for hosting ABC’s Wipeout, leading top-rated holiday television movies, and starring in major dramatic series. Today, she serves as an executive producer and stars as Bobby in Paramount+’s espionage drama Lioness, alongside recent appearances in Apple TV’s psychological thriller Imperfect Women.
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Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born January 13, 1979, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Jill Suzanne Wagner grew up in a household with strong military values. Her father, David Wagner, served as a U.S. Marine and raised her alongside her grandmother. She attended Ledford Senior High School and later graduated from North Carolina State University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
Following college, Jill Wagner relocated to California to begin her entertainment career. In 2003, she earned early visibility as a field agent on MTV’s hidden-camera comedy series Punk’d. That exposure led to guest roles on scripted network programs such as Monk, Quintuplets, and Bones, as well as high-profile commercial campaigns as a national spokesperson for Ford’s Mercury division.
Breakthrough Roles in Hosting and Genre Television
Wagner achieved widespread national recognition in 2008 when she joined ABC’s physical game show Wipeout as the on-course host. She interviewed contestants and delivered field commentary across seven seasons through 2014. From 2015 to 2017, she hosted the documentary travel series Handcrafted America on INSP, profiling traditional artisans and domestic craftspeople across the country.
Alongside hosting, Wagner built a versatile dramatic resume:
- Blade: The Series (2006): Starred as ex-military protagonist Krista Starr.
- Teen Wolf (2011–2017): Played hunter antagonist Kate Argent on MTV.
- Feature Films: Led the indie horror film Splinter (2008) and starred opposite Jason Momoa in the action thriller Braven (2018).
Television Movies and Executive Producing
Starting in 2015, Wagner became a fixture of made-for-television romance and seasonal films. On the Hallmark Channel, she starred in popular titles such as Autumn Dreams, Christmas Cookies, A Harvest Wedding, and Pearl in Paradise. Between 2019 and 2021, she starred as literature professor Amy Winslow across seven installments of the Mystery 101 franchise on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
In late 2021, Wagner partnered with Great American Family, transitioning into producing while continuing to star in leading roles. Her credits with the network include A Christmas Miracle for Daisy, A Merry Christmas Wish, Bringing Christmas Home, and Christmas Under the Northern Lights.
Lioness: Concept Creation, Production, and Action Drama
Wagner achieved a career milestone by originating the core concept for the Paramount+ espionage series Lioness (originally titled Special Ops: Lioness). Working alongside showrunner Taylor Sheridan, Wagner helped adapt the real-world U.S. military “Lioness” program which deployed female service members on tactical missions in Iraq into a serialized drama.
Jill Wagner serves as an executive producer and portrays Bobby, the squad leader of the CIA’s Quick Reaction Force, starring alongside Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman.
The show premiered its third season on August 2, 2026, dropping weekly episodes through September. Detailed production updates and episode cast lists can be reviewed directly via Paramount+’s Lioness on IMDb.
Apple TV’s Imperfect Women
In 2026, Jill Wagner joined the ensemble cast of Apple TV’s limited psychological thriller series Imperfect Women. Adapted from Araminta Hall’s bestselling novel, the eight-episode production explores the fallout of a murder within a close-knit group of friends. Wagner portrays Kit Hennessey, appearing alongside Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington, Kate Mara, Joel Kinnaman, Corey Stoll, and Leslie Odom Jr.
Jill Wagner Personal Life and Charitable Work
In April 2017, Jill Wagner married David Lemanowicz, a former professional hockey player and U.S. Army Reserve officer. The couple has two daughters, Army Gray and Daisy Roberta, and shares a home with Lemanowicz’s older daughter, Lija.
The family lives on a restored 1912 farmhouse in the Great Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee. In addition to her acting and producing schedule, Wagner frequently supports active-duty troops through overseas USO tours and founded the charity initiative Jill’s Closet for a Cure to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
For fans looking to understand the narrative progression and character stakes in the series, you can watch this Lioness Season 2 Shocking Moments breakdown to see the major storylines leading into Bobby and Joe’s operations in Season 3.
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