Jesse Palmer Net Worth

What is Jesse Palmer's Net Worth and Salary?

Jesse Palmer is an American reality television personality, sports commentator, and former professional football player who has a net worth of $4 million.

During his career in the NFL in the early 00s, he was cast as the bachelor on the fifth season of the reality television series "The Bachelor," earning him a new level of recognition. Palmer went on to become a college football analyst for ESPN/ABC, the host of the Food Network series "Holiday Baking Championship," and the host of both "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette."

Early Life and High School

Jesse Palmer was born on October 5, 1978 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and raised in Nepean, a suburb of Ottawa. His father, Bill, was a football player with the Ottawa Rough Riders, while his mother, Susan, was a fashion and print model who formerly owned the agency International Top Models. As a teenager, Palmer attended Confederation High School and St. Pius X High School. He played amateur football with the Ottawa Norsemen and Myers Riders.

Collegiate Career

For college, Palmer attended the University of Florida on an athletic scholarship. From 1997 to 2000, he played for the Florida Gators football team under coach Steve Spurrier. In his senior year, Palmer was selected as a team captain and earned the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award. He finished his collegiate career with 3,755 passing yards. Palmer graduated from Florida with a BA degree in political science and a BS degree in marketing.

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Professional Football Career

In the 2001 NFL Draft, Palmer was selected in the fourth round by the New York Giants. The same year, he was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. As a quarterback with the Giants, Palmer spent most of his time as a backup behind starter Kerry Collins. In 2002, he played in two games, and in 2003 played in six while starting three.

Following four years with the Giants, Palmer was cut in September of 2005. A couple months later, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers. However, he was released within a few weeks after quarterbacks Alex Smith and Ken Dorsey returned from their injuries. Palmer was re-signed after the end of the season, but was ultimately released a second time. In September of 2006, he was signed to the developmental roster of the Montreal Alouettes, but retired from the CFL in May of the next year so he could pursue his broadcasting career.

Broadcasting Career

After retiring from the CFL in 2007, Palmer joined ESPN/ABC as a studio analyst for college football games. For a while, he also co-hosted "The Palmer and Pollack Show" on ESPNU with David Pollack. In 2014, Palmer was announced as a lead game announcer for the forthcoming SEC Network, alongside Brent Musburger. He also served as the New York correspondent for the CTV entertainment news program "etalk."

The Bachelor

In 2004, Palmer was cast as the bachelor on the fifth season of the ABC reality series "The Bachelor." Notably, he became the first professional athlete and first non-American to be cast in that role. At the end of the season, Palmer chose Jessica Bowlin, but their relationship only lasted for a few months after the show ended.

Palmer returned to "The Bachelor" in 2022 to host the show's 26th season, replacing longtime host Chris Harrison. He also hosted the 19th season of "The Bachelorette" that same year. Previously, in 2014, Palmer had hosted the eighth season of the spinoff series "Bachelor in Paradise."

(Photo by Mike Pont/WireImage)

Other Reality Shows

Palmer has been involved with several other reality series beyond "The Bachelor" franchises. In the early 2010s, he hosted the first two seasons of the Canadian cooking competition show "Recipe to Riches." Later, in 2017, Palmer began hosting the Food Network cooking competition series "Holiday Baking Championship." That same year, he started hosting "DailyMailTV," which he continued hosting through 2020. Palmer has also hosted such Food Network series as "Spring Baking Championship," "Food Truck Face Off," and "Bakeaway Camp." Beyond food-themed shows, he hosted the ABC reality dating series "The Proposal" (2018) and the ABC surfing competition show "The Ultimate Surfer" (2021), both of which were canceled after a single season.

Personal Life

In mid-2020, Palmer married model Emely Fardo, whom he had been dating since 2017. The pair announced that summer that they were expecting their first child, a girl.