Zoe Jackson, the daughter of iconic actor Samuel L. Jackson, is an American producer and director best known for her roles on the American reality television shows Top Chef, Top Chef Junior, Top Chef Duels, and Project Runway.
Early Years
Zoe Jackson was born on March 28, 1982, to Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson, one of Hollywood’s most famous couples. She was born in 1981, two years after her parents married. Samuel L. Jackson and his beautiful wife, LaTanya, have been married for four decades. And he frequently refers to Zoe as the “glue” in his marriage.
Samuel confessed in a 2010 interview with Esquire that he didn’t want to make the same mistakes as his absentee father. So, despite his and LaTanya’s disagreements, he chose to stay for Zoe’s sake, wanting her to grow up with both parents.
“Being a part of my daughter’s life was always vital to me, and she deserved two parents.”
In a 2007 interview with People, Samuel admitted that when his daughter was little, he never limited his language around her and spoke to her as he did with his friends. Zoe, on the other hand, was unable to respond in the same way. As a result, she picked up a few filthy phrases as a child and used them at family gatherings and with her friends.
“I remember hearing her say F**k you to her pals when she was three years old.’ She was aware of the context of many words. We once took her to a wedding, and when I asked her about the cuisine, she said, “What is that s**t?””
In 2004, the producer earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Vassar College in New York. She then spent a year in New York City studying culinary arts at the French Culinary Institute.
As a celebrity child, Zoe is no stranger to the spotlight or meeting powerful people; in fact, since she was a child, she has accompanied her father to several red carpets. She told the New York Times about meeting Kurt Vonnegut when she was three years old in a 2018 interview.
The 38-year-old described how during an occasion, an Einstein-like man barged into her and took her away. Unfortunately, the novelist’s jokes were the only thing she remembered about him, which she found strange but intriguing. She also expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to meet him and for having read his writings as an adult.
Zoe Jackson- Career
Zoe is still working in the entertainment world as a producer and director, but not as an actress like her father. Despite not being a professional actress, she appears in the 2007 film Too Saved as Fred’s girlfriend in a brief role. Aside from that, she has a slew of important credits as a producer and director in the Hollywood industry.
She did, however, work as an intern for ABC’s The View for three months prior to entering the Hollywood sector. Between 2007 and 2008, Zoe worked as a production assistant for two years. She subsequently moved on to Maggie Vision Productions in 2008, where she worked as an associate producer and producer for four years.
In February 2013, she began her career in the profession as a field producer on Top Chef Season 10 Finale.
For the following season of Top Chef, Zoe remained in the same position. She then joined the cast of the American reality television show Top Chef, where she worked as a supervising producer for 14 episodes (2017-2018) and as a senior producer for 13 episodes (2016-2018).
The 38-year-old also served as a supervising producer on 14 episodes of Top Chef Jr (2017-2018), a reality television spinoff, and 12 episodes of Project Runway in 2019. She’s worked behind the scenes on Netflix’s Sugar Rush baking show.
Zoe also served as a production assistant on the documentary Return to Mexico City. She directed an episode of Everything Is Samuel L. Jackson’s Fault in 2013, which can be accessed on the ‘Funny or Die’ YouTube channel and stars her father. Samuel and his daughter collaborated on Life on the Edge with Ample Entertainment, the producer of the Facebook Watch series 9 Months With Courteney Cox, in October 2020.
She was nominated twice by the PGA Awards for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television in 2018 and 2019, in addition to her behind-the-scenes work. She was also nominated for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program in Primetime Emmy Awards in 2017 and 2018, representing Top Chef. In 2018, Daytime Emmy Awards nominated Zoe for Outstanding Children’s or Family Viewing Series for Top Chef Jr.
Life in the Family
Despite the fact that both of her parents were successful in their industries, Samuel, the multi-show producer’s father, couldn’t handle the success. His relationship with LaTanya was shattered when he developed a drug and alcohol addiction.
Samuel reached rock bottom in 1991, when LaTanya and Zoe found him asleep on the kitchen floor due to a drug overdose. He checked himself into rehab the next day and has been clean and sober ever since, focusing on his thriving job. After receiving the BET Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, Samuel spoke about the tragic day. He expressed gratitude to the women in his life, calling them his “base and support.”
Samuel, who plays Captain Marvel, also thanks his better half LaTanya for sticking by him despite his missteps. She should have taken Zoe and abandoned him.
“I give my wife credit because she could have just taken Zoe and walked out on me. She, on the other hand, did not. That is a love greater than I will ever comprehend. Because I’m not sure I would have done something like that.”
When asked about his daughter, he claimed she has his parents’ values and that the Top Chef producer possesses a strong will, work ethic, and sense of self.
When questioned about what keeps their marriage together in a 2018 interview with Essence, LaTanya said that a long-lasting partnership requires a huge heart and the Lord. “We used to say that keeping a Black family together was the most revolutionary thing you could do. As a result, that became our motto “She went on to elaborate.
On the occasion of National Daughter’s Day in September 2020, LaTanya shared a photo of her daughter on her official Instagram account. Zoe looked stunning in a black gown and perfectly straight hair, posing confidently for the camera. She captioned it with numerous red hearts and a crown emoji, “HAPPY NATIONAL DAUGHTER’S DAY PRINCESS ZOE.”
Similarly, on her 36th birthday in March 2019, Samuel came to Instagram to wish his daughter a happy birthday. Samuel paid tribute to her on her special day by sharing a series of gorgeous photos from her childhood to adulthood.
Aside from that, Zoe keeps her Instagram account private and lives a low-key life.
House and Net Worth
While the producer’s exact net worth is unknown, she has had a lot of success as the producer of the reality television show Top Chef. According to hollywoodreporter.com, the reality show also aided the popularity of Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen, which went on to become Bravo TV’s most successful digital series.
According to latest statistics from glassdoor.com from March 2021, the average base pay income for a senior producer in the United States is $88000 per year, with the highest-ranking positions paying up to $133000. When you consider that Zoe is a part of one of Bravo’s most successful TV shows, her net worth is fairly impressive.
In the United States, the average base pay for a supervising producer is $64000 per year. Her pay adds up to her self-made fortune, as she has worked as a supervising producer behind the camera for nearly two decades.
Aside from that, according to recent news from the New York Post published on March 4, 2021, the Project Runway creator purchased a stunning $6.4 million Tribeca condo. 108 Leonard St. in Tribeca is the address for the million-dollar home.
There are four bedrooms and five bathrooms in this magnificent 2,467-square-foot home. It features a lobby that leads to a great room, wide-plank oak floors with chevron patterns, a chef’s kitchen, and a master bedroom suite with a spa-like marble bathroom. The 19th-century Tribeca mansion was designed by McKim, Mead & White and contains modern interiors by Jeffrey Beers.
Aside from her personal wealth, she is the sole child of the Jackson family, who collectively have a net worth of over $260 million. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Samuel has a net worth of $250 million, while his life partner, LaTanya, has a net worth of $10 million.
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