Caitlyn Jenner Biography
Caitlyn Jenner is an American media personality, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, former California gubernatorial candidate and Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete working for FOX NEWS as a contributor. She joined the FOX NEWS news team in 2022, after previously working as an entrepreneur.
Caitlyn Jenner Career
Jenner’s educational journey included attending Sleepy Hollow High School in Sleepy Hollow, New York, for her freshman and sophomore years, and later Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut, where she graduated in 1968 during her junior and senior years. Initially, she pursued a football scholarship at Graceland College (now Graceland University) in Lamoni, Iowa. Unfortunately, a knee injury led to the discontinuation of her football career. Recognizing Jenner’s potential, Graceland track coach L. D. Weldon encouraged her to transition to the decathlon. She made her debut as a decathlete in the 1970 Drake Relays decathlon in Des Moines, Iowa, securing a fifth-place finish. In 1973, she graduated from Graceland College with a degree in physical education.
She claimed the title of the American champion in the men’s decathlon event and earned a prominent spot on the cover of Track & Field News magazine’s August 1974 issue. While on tour the following year, she secured victory in the French national championship and clinched a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. Here, she set a tournament record with 8,045 points. This success was followed by the establishment of two world records: 8,524 points at the U.S.A./U.S.S.R./Poland triangular meet in Eugene, Oregon, on August 9–10, 1975, breaking Avilov’s record, and 8,538 points at the 1976 Olympic trials, also held in Eugene. The latter record, achieved under hybrid circumstances due to a timing system failure and with wind assistance.
Of the 13 decathlons Jenner participated in between 1973 and 1976, the only setback occurred at the 1975 AAU National Championships, where a “no height” in the pole vault affected the overall score. At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, she excelled in all five events on the first day of the men’s decathlon. Furthermore, she achieved personal bests and made a significant impact despite initially trailing behind Guido Kratschmer of West Germany. Following a rainstorm on the second day, she adopted a cautious approach to the hurdles and discus after teammate Fred Dixon’s injury in the 110-meter hurdles. Despite this, she set personal bests in the pole vault, taking the lead, and javelin. With victory virtually assured at that point, the question remained how much she would improve the record.
In the final event – the 1500 meters, broadcast live on national television – she, seemingly content to finish the grueling competition. In addition, she surprised everyone by sprinting the last lap, closing a 50-meter deficit and nearly catching the event favorite, Soviet Leonid Litvinenko. Although Litvinenko was already out of contention for the gold medal, she set a new personal best time and secured the gold medal with a world-record score of 8,618 points. Following the decathlon victory, she initiated a tradition by taking an American flag from a spectator and carrying it during the victory lap, a practice that later became common among winning athletes. Deciding to retire from competitive athletics, she left the vaulting poles in the stadium. Her triumph at the 1976 Olympics elevated her to national hero status, and she was honored with the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.
Additionally, Jenner was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 1976. Her 1976 world and Olympic record was later surpassed by Daley Thompson at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow by four points. Her Olympic decathlon score was reevaluated in 1985 against the IAAF’s updated decathlon scoring table, reported as 8,634 for comparative purposes. This converted mark remained the American record until 1991 when it was surpassed by Dan O’Brien. He was the eventual gold medalist and world record holder of Dan & Dave fame. As of 2018, she was ranked twenty-sixth on the world all-time list and ninth on the American all-time list. For her outstanding achievements, she was inducted into the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1980, the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, and the Connecticut Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, as well as the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
San Jose City College hosted the annual Bruce Jenner Invitational competition for nearly 20 years. In the 1970s, Olympic athletes were considered to be amateurs and were not allowed to seek or accept payment for their positions as sports celebrities. During the Cold War in 1972, three major Olympic titles that had a long history of American success – basketball, the 100-meter dash, and decathlon – were won by Soviet athletes. All Soviet athletes were professionals, while the United States was limited to amateurs. She became an American hero by returning the decathlon title to the United States. After the expected Olympic success, she planned to cash in on whatever celebrity status could follow a gold medal in the same mold as Johnny Weissmuller and Sonja Henie, who had become major movie stars following their gold medals. This would require forgoing any future Olympic competition.
At the time, Jenner’s agent George Wallach felt there was a four-year window – until the next Olympics – upon which to capitalize. Wallach reported that she was being considered for the role of Superman, which ultimately went to Christopher Reeve. Additionally, she appeared on the cover of the August 9, 1976, issue of Sports Illustrated, the February 1979 issue of Gentleman’s Quarterly, and on the cover of Playgirl magazine. She became a spokesperson for Tropicana, Minolta, and Buster Brown shoes. Moreover, she was also selected by the Kansas City Kings with the 139th overall pick in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft despite not having played basketball since high school. The publicity stunt was executed by team president/general manager Joe Axelson to mock the Kansas City Chiefs’ yearly claims that they planned on selecting “the best athlete available” in the National Football League Draft.
Furthermore, she was presented with a jersey customized with the number 8618, the Olympic gold medal-winning score, but would never appear as an active player with the Kings. In 1977, she assumed the role of spokesperson for the Wheaties brand breakfast cereal, gracing the cover of the cereal box in a photograph. Succeeding Olympic champion Bob Richards, she was the second in a line of athletes featured as spokespersons for the brand, with Mary Lou Retton succeeding her in 1984. On November 22, 1977, she traveled to San Francisco to address charges filed by San Francisco district attorney Joseph Freitas, who accused General Mills, the maker of Wheaties, of engaging in deceptive advertising in the campaign featuring Jenner. Jenner, who genuinely enjoyed Wheaties and consumed the breakfast cereal two or three times a week, substantiated the claims made in the advertising campaign. Two days later, Freitas withdrew the lawsuit, citing “overzealousness” on the part of his staff.
In 2015, when she publicly came out as a trans woman, General Mills issued a statement: “Bruce Jenner continues to be a respected member of Team Wheaties.” After facing a negative response to this initial statement, Mike Siemienas, General Mills’s brand media relations manager, clarified by stating: “Bruce Jenner has been a respected member of Team Wheaties, and Caitlyn Jenner will continue to be.” She embarked on a brief career as a race car driver in the 1980s, participating in the IMSA Camel GT series (International Motor Sports Association)[109]. Her first notable victory occurred in the 1986 12 hours of Sebring in the IMSA GTO class, driving the 7-Eleven Roush Racing Ford Mustang alongside co-driver Scott Pruett. They not only emerged as class winners but also secured an impressive 4th place overall finish in the demanding 12-hour endurance race. The year 1986 proved to be the pinnacle of her racing career, as she finished second in the championship to Pruett.
Moreover, she also took part in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, achieving victories in 1979 and 1982. The former win involved holding off Al Unser, while in the latter, she overtook Ted Nugent with two laps remaining. In 1980, she received an invitation from NASCAR Winston Cup Series team DiGard Motorsports to drive the No. 88 car for the 1981 season. Despite expressing interest, Ricky Rudd was eventually selected for the seat. In 2022, she founded Jenner Racing, establishing a team in the all-female W Series open-wheel championship. In the early 1980s, she licensed her former name for “Bruce Jenner’s Westwood Centers for Nautilus & Aerobics” to David A. Cirotto, the president of other local Nautilus & Aerobics Centers.
It’s important to note that she did not have any ownership stake in the licensed name centers, as they were solely owned by Cirotto. Concurrently, she operated a company named “Bruce Jenner Aviation,” specializing in the sale of aircraft supplies to executives and corporations. Additionally, she held the position of Business Development Vice President for JennerNet, a staffing industry software application based on Lotus Domino technology. In March 2016, she made the announcement that she had been selected as the face of H&M Sport. Subsequently, H&M produced a six-minute film featuring Jenner titled “Caitlyn Jenner’s Greatest Victories: A Timeline”. Jenner’s memoir, titled “The Secrets of My Life,” was published on April 25, 2017.
Caitlyn Jenner Salary
Jenner earns an annual salary of about $47,000-$120,000.
Caitlyn Jenner Net Worth
Jenner has an estimated net worth of about $ 7 Million – $ 25 Million which she has earned through her career as an athlete.
Caitlyn Jenner Age
Jenner was born on October 28, 1949, in Mount Kisco, New York, United States. He is 75 years old as of 2024, and she celebrates her birthday on the 28th of October every year.
Caitlyn Jenner Height and Weight
Jenner stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inches tall, and she weighs 125 lbs (75kgs).
Caitlyn Jenner Family
Jenner is the child of Esther Ruth, formerly McGuire, and William Hugh Jenner, an arborist hailing from New Brunswick, Canada. She tragically lost her younger brother, Burt, in a car accident in Canton, Connecticut, on November 30, 1976, shortly after her Olympic success. It’s worth noting that during her childhood, she was diagnosed with dyslexia.
Caitlyn Jenner Wife and Children
Before her gender transition, Jenner was married three times. Her first marriage was to Chrystie Scott (née Crownover) from 1972 to 1981, and together, they were blessed with two children, son Burt and daughter Cassandra “Casey” Marino (née Jenner). The divorce between Jenner and Scott was finalized in the first week of January 1981.
On January 5, 1981, Jenner married songwriter Linda Thompson in Hawaii. Together, they were blessed with two sons whom they named; Brandon and Brody. By February 1986, Jenner and Thompson had separated and eventually divorced. Their sons later appeared on the reality show “The Princes of Malibu,” with Brody also featuring in “The Hills”.
Jenner’s third marriage was to Kris Kardashian (née Houghton) on April 21, 1991, following five months of dating. They have two daughters, Kendall and Kylie. During the marriage, Jenner became the step-parent to Kris’s children from her previous marriage – Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Robert – who are known for starring in “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” The couple separated in June 2013, though the separation was not publicly announced until four months later, in October. Kris filed for divorce in September 2014, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce terms were finalized in December 2014 and took effect on March 23, 2015, following a state-mandated six-month delay after the filing.
Caitlyn Jenner Gender Transition
In a 20/20 television interview with Diane Sawyer in April 2015, Jenner publicly came out as a trans woman, revealing that she had experienced gender dysphoria since her youth and asserting that, “for all intents and purposes, I’m a woman.” Jenner had been wearing women’s clothing for many years and had undergone hormone replacement therapy. However, she paused these efforts when her relationship with Kris Kardashian deepened, ultimately leading to their marriage in 1991. She explained that during their relationship, she had limited opportunities to explore her gender identity openly, and the challenges of discussing these issues contributed to the breakdown of their 23-year-long marriage, which formally ended in 2015.
In 2015, she clarified that she has never been sexually attracted to men but has always been attracted to women. Recognizing the difficulty that many people have in distinguishing between sexual orientation and gender identity, she indicated that she would identify as asexual for the time being. Jenner underwent cosmetic surgery and completed sex reassignment surgery in January 2017.
Caitlyn Jenner Keeping Up With The Kardashians
“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” is an American reality television series that centered around the lives of the Kardashian–Jenner blended family. The show aired from 2007 to 2021 and primarily focused on sisters Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé Kardashian, as well as their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner. The series also showcased their parents, Kris and Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, and their brother, Rob. Additionally, the partners of the Kardashian sisters made appearances on the show. Jenner, the ex-spouse of Kris Jenner and the parent of Kendall and Kylie Jenner, was not informed in advance about the conclusion of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” While being connected to the Kardashian family, she had been a regular presence on the show for several seasons. However, in an interview with Australia’s “The Morning Show,” Jenner disclosed that she was not given prior notice about the show coming to an end.
Caitlyn Jenner House of Kardashian
This is a documentary series titled “House of Kardashian” on Sky Documentaries, set to be released on October 8. The series was directed by Katie Hindley and produced by 72 Films. Jenner is offering some perspective on Kim Kardashian’s initial journey to fame. In a recently unveiled trailer for the three-part documentary series, “House of Kardashian,” centered around the well-known family, Jenner suggests that Kim strategically planned and calculated her path to fame right from the start. Kim Kardashian’s representative did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Although members of the immediate family, such as Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian Barker, Khloé Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner, chose not to take part in the series, Jenner is prominently featured. The documentary also includes insights from other family insiders, including Kim’s former friend Rachel Sterling.
Caitlyn Jenner FOX NEWS
While working for FOX NEWS Jenner co-works alongside:
Caitlyn Jenner Social Media Platform
Jenner is very active on her Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. She has 3.3M followers on Twitter 15.7M followers on Instagram and 1.4M followers on Facebook.