What We Know About CNN Anchor Jake Tapper's Wife, Jennifer Marie Brown

Jake Tapper has been a busy man after hosting Vice President-elect J.D. Vance on his CNN show "State of the Union" for a dramatically contentious interview, which led to one of Vance's most brutal moments on CNN to date. However, with election coverage winding down, the family man is likely looking forward to spending some time at home after a grueling season, as Tapper has been outspoken in his disdain for Donald Trump. "The Hellfire Club" author typically stays tight-lipped about his personal life, including the relationship he has with his wife, Jennifer Marie Brown, though he's been married for many years.

The couple met in 2004 at a hotel bar, of all places. Working for ABC News at the time, "The Lead with Jake Tapper" anchor was on-site covering the Iowa caucuses and recalls spotting Brown at the bar in Hotel Fort Des Moines. Tapper and Brown made an instant connection, their chemistry laying the groundwork for what would become a lasting commitment that's spanned over two decades.

"I saw her and I walked up to her and we went out the next day in D.C. and that was it," the award-winning journalist said, describing their meet-cute in an interview with Dartmouth Alumni Magazine back in 2016. As a regional field manager for Planned Parenthood in Washington, D.C., with experience in social work, Brown soon learned that a shared a passion for politics and activism was a recipe for relationship success. The two wed just two years later in 2006 and now reside with their two children, Alice and Jack, in D.C.

Born in Minnesota but raised in Missouri, Jennifer Marie Brown has a degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and used to organize educational endeavors in support of Planned Parenthood's mission of "help[ing] people live full, healthy lives." Continuing in the vein of women's reproductive health and rights, she went on to perform part-time work for Upstream, an organization that aims to expand access to birth control. In addition to her work as a women's advocate, Brown volunteered with AmeriCorps to aid elementary school kids with their reading skills. Brown's commitment to promoting literacy inspired her own daughter, Alice Tapper, to publish a book about her life-threatening experience with sepsis, which the CDC defines as "the body's extreme response to an infection."

Brown keeps a low public profile, but she's more than willing to speak up when it comes to her beliefs. More specifically, she's now committed to spreading awareness about sepsis after her daughter's dangerous battle with the illness in 2021. The Planned Parenthood alum notably accompanied her teenage daughter when she appeared as a keynote speaker at a World Sepsis Day event on Capitol Hill in 2023, making some public remarks of her own. "My husband Jake and I are so grateful that Alice survived. But we are also angry that her infection was missed by so many doctors over so many days, and she could have died as a result," Brown said (via Sepsis Alliance). "Patients, families, caregivers, and the medical community need to come together to improve sepsis diagnosis and care." Although her husband may be the one in the spotlight, it's clear that Brown is committed to making an impact on her own terms.