What Was Jesse Jane's Net Worth?
Jesse Jane was a retired American adult film actress and model who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of her death. Tragically, Jesse Jane died in January 2024 at the age of 43. At the peak of her career in the 2000s, Jesse was the most famous and desired adult star in the world. She had a long-term contract with Digital Playground, which made her the highest-paid adult star in the world. Aside from starring in over 75 movies, Jesse went on to introduce her very own line of sex toys, dolls, and even a tequila company. She also worked and modeled for adult and mainstream media.
Early Life
Jesse Jane was born Cynthia Ann Howell on June 16, 1980, in Fort Worth, Texas. She grew up on various military bases in the Midwest. She had extensive dance training and was a varsity cheerleader at her high school in Rose Hill, Kansas. She graduated from Moore High School in Moore, Oklahoma, in 1998.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Adult Film Career
After graduating from high school, Cindy was interested in getting into the adult world but didn't know where to start. She eventually read an article about adult film star Tera Patrick that stated Patrick worked for the adult-film production company Digital Playground. She reached out to Digital Playground and landed an exclusive contract. She also changed her performing name to "Jesse Jane."
Her first scene was in a video called "No Limits." Months later, Jane appeared on Showtime's "Family Business," on which she was filmed at the Adult Video News Awards show and convention. The films she was involved in, such as "No Limits," "Beat the Devil," and "Loaded," proved popular enough to garner Jane her own line of sex toys. She also secured nominations for several awards.
Jesse Jane's most popular series of films was the "Pirates" franchise, which began in 2005. In March 2006, Jane and fellow adult star Kirsten Price became the hosts of Playboy TV's popular live show "Night Calls." She also began hosting Playboy TV's "Naughty Amateur Home Videos." Jane was also the sex columnist for "Cheri" and began contributing in January 2007. With fellow Digital Playground performers Devon and Teagan Presley, Jane also co-hosted the live web talk show "DP Tonight." Jesse also became the sex columnist for the Australian men's magazine "Ralph."
Throughout her career, Jane has hosted several adult industry award ceremonies, including the AVN Awards in 2006 and 2013, the FAME Awards in 2008, and the XBIZ Awards in 2008 and 2011. In 2017, she announced her retirement and that her last appearance would be at that year's AVN Awards. In June 2019, she briefly came out of retirement to shoot her first interracial scene, after which she retired again. Over the course of her career, Jesse was nominated for and won several adult entertainment industry awards, such as AVN, FAME, XBIZ, NightMoves, and XRCO awards.
(Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Mainstream Appearances and Other Ventures
In addition to her adult film career, Jesse appeared in several mainstream films and TV shows. In 2004, she made a cameo appearance in the movie "Starsky & Hutch." She also appeared on the cover of Drowning Pool's album "Desensitized." In 2005, Jesse was featured as "UnRated Magazine's" Vixen as part of a launch of the music review magazine's new edition of Vixens. Jane was a guest star in the HBO dramedy "Entourage," in the ninth episode of season two in an episode titled "I Love You Too." On February 28, 2007, she was featured on the Danish late-night show "den 11."
In 2009, she appeared in the reality series "The Bad Girls Club" and that same year, Jane was the focus of a CNBC documentary titled "Porn: Business of Pleasure." In November 2010, Jesse was named the Australian Penthouse "Pet of the Month." In January 2011, Jane was named one of the most popular adult stars in the world. In 2014, she was named on the list "The Dirty Dozen: Porn's Most Popular Stars."
Jesse Jane was also an entrepreneur, having launched a brand of tequila called Diosa.
Personal Life & Real Estate
In 2000, Jesse had a son. In 2007, she married fellow adult star Rick Patrick. The couple lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. On March 1, 2012, she announced on her official Twitter account that she and Patrick were officially divorced. Later that year, she announced her engagement to her personal trainer, Michael Giovanni. Jane described herself as a bisexual. In 2004, she stated on the "Howard Stern Show" that she had a hysterectomy due to dormant cervical cancer.
In March 2005, Jesse paid $273,000 for a 1-acre property in Oklahoma City. She sold this property in August 2021 for $435,000.
Death
Tragically, on January 24, 2024, Jesse and her boyfriend, Brett Hasenmueller, were found dead at their home in Moore, Oklahoma. Brett's employer called the police after he hadn't shown up to work. Police conducted a welfare check and found Jesse and Brett dead of apparent overdoses.
