Jemele Juanita Hill is a famous American sports journalist. Hill, previously wrote a column for Page 2 on ESPN.com. She is also a former host of the show ‘His and Hers’ on ESPN. In June 2013, Hill succeeded Jalen Rose, on the show ‘Numbers Never Lie’ on ESPN 2. As of February 2017, Hill became the host of ESPN’s flagship SportsCenter along with Michael Hill.
Hill began her career at the ‘Raleigh News & Observer’ in the capacity of a general assignment sports writer. She worked at the Detroit Free Press from 1999 to 2005 where she served as a sports writer. Her main duties at the Detroit Free Press included covering Football and Basketball games in Michigan. During her stint at the Free Press, Hill covered the NBA playoffs and the 2004 Summer Olympics. For a year, from 2005-2006, she also worked for the Orlando Sentinel as a columnist.
Early Life and Education
Hill was born on 21 December 1975, in the city of Detroit Michigan to Jerel Brickerson and his wife. She has gone on record to state that she had a very tumultuous childhood as both her parents were addicted to drugs. Her parents separated when she was young, but she considers her mother a “dynamic woman” and her chief source of influence in becoming a sports Journalist. Hill stated the need to find an escape, which was when she found solace in sports as well as writing about it.
Hill attended Mumford High School in Detroit Michigan, where she regularly contributed to the high school newspaper. She also started her stint at Detroit Free Press while in High School. In 1997, she graduated from Michigan State University with a Major in Journalism and a Spanish minor.
Career
In November 2006, Hill joined ESPN and wrote for ESPN.com as a national columnist. Hill is a regular on Television and appears on shows like Sportscentre and various ESPN Programs such as ‘ESPN First Take’, ‘The Sports Reporters’, ‘Outside the Lines’ etc. In 2011, Hill along with Michael Smith started the ‘His & Hers’ podcast. It enjoyed immense popularity which resulted in Hill being added to ESPN 2’s show ‘Numbers Never Lie’, in 2013, also with Smith. The show was remaned ‘His and Hers’ in 2014. The show covered a variety of topics including Sports, Popular culture, television shows and movies etc and was loved by the audience for Hill and Smith’s style of presentation.
On February 6, the duo was made anchors of SportsCenter, a flagship show by ESPN. The show airs at 6 PM and is titled ‘SC6 with Michael and Jemele’. The show was designed to focus on the bold personality of its hosts, giving it a fresher, younger vibe; one that connected with the audience.
Personal Life
Hill is an American citizen of African-American Ethnicity. She is often linked to her co-host Michael Smith but has repeatedly refuted the rumor, maintaining that the two are just very good friends. She is known to be a very private person in the media, never disclosing much of her life.
In 2007, Hill became the first recipient of the McKenzie cup, an honour bestowed as a tribute to Van McKenzie, a famous sports editor.
Jemele Hill – Salary and Net worth
As of 2017, Jemele Hill has an estimated Net worth of $4 Million and draws an annual salary of $1 Million.