• Jane Kilcher rose to fame after marrying the Kilcher family, the focus of the Discovery Channel show “Alaska: The Last Frontier”
• Originally a commercial fisherman, she refocused her skills to provide for her family, who live off the land and water
• Music played a major role in Jane’s integration into the family and her marriage to Atz Lee Kilcher
• She has been featured on the show and faced many controversies including body shaming and malice over her marriage and family life
• Jane and her husband have a combined net worth of $2 million

 

Jane Kilcher rose to fame after she married into the Kilcher family, around whom the Discovery Channel show “Alaska: The Last Frontier” centers. Originally a commercial fisherman, Jane refocused her skills to care for her immediate and extended family who live off the land and water. Since they are known for their musical aptitude, with the famous singer Jewel among the family, it is not surprising that music played a big role in Jane’s integration into the family. Since her marriage to Atz Lee Kilcher, she has proven herself adept at family life on the farm and is strongly family oriented.

Early life and family

Christina Jane Kilcher (née Ferman) was born on September 14, 1974 in Alaska, USA, to Bob and Sarah Ferman. She has two siblings, Bobby Ferman and Jessica Browning, whom she grew up with. Jane spent the first 12 years of her life in Anchorage, Alaska, not moving to Homer until 1986. While Jane enjoyed exploring the Alaskan terrain, she also had an aptitude and love of music that both her parents nurtured. Jane learned to play the cello, piano, and guitar, unaware that this would be the subject that would draw her to her future husband, Atz Lee.

John first Met Atz Lee when she was 12, after coming across the Kilcher family farm, which was near her home at the time.

Education

While she hasn’t revealed much about her education, Jane has shared that she did go to college. In addition, she also underwent extensive training in playing the piano, cello and guitar – pursuits that require a lot of dedication and effort.

Career

Commercial Fisherman

Jane Kilcher started her career in commercial fishing. Although she gave up this lifestyle long ago, her year at sea allowed her to become familiar with the local marine life and their customs, making her later switch to fishing a productive and beneficial one for her family.

Commercial fishing requires the boats’ crews to stay away from land for months at a time, isolating them from family. Jane describes her life during this stage of her career as “surrounded by storms and men.”

Discovery Channel

With thousands of a large percentage of the world living off the advances made by science, it’s not surprising that most people are enthralled by the idea of ​​living off the land naturally. It’s exactly this image that the Discovery Channel wanted to capture when they created their show “Alaska: The Last Frontier” focusing on the extended Kilcher family, based out of their home in Homer, Alaska.

The Homestead was originally established by the parents of Atz Kilcher, the patriarch of the family, when they emigrated from Switzerland to escape the Nazi regime. Atz’s parents were extremely lucky, as his father’s position as a Swiss diplomat paved their way to enter the US.

Today, the scripted docuseries show the Kilcher family farming, hunting and preparing for winter, without access to modern heating or other basic amenities. Jane’s role on the show and in the family is to provide the family with a steady supply of seafood, as well as build stores to last through the winter. Jane has faced many controversies throughout the show for not allowing her children to appear on the show and confronting the public with various allegations about the family.

Jane is forced to face body shaming and malice over her marriage and family life. However, she is not intimidated by her treatment and has made these accusations on several occasions. Jane took to Facebook to address the audience, posting that “People say horrible comments about my weight, my appearance, my character, my marriage… all because we opened up our lives to television… showing you amazing things our family does. She also talked about her husband’s difficult recovery after he broke 26 bones, and the ensuing lawsuit.

Private life

Jane was originally married to another Alaskan, Dicran Kassouni.

The two had a daughter together, Piper Isolde Kassouni, on June 4, 2003, but their marriage was unsuccessful and the two divorced. At the same time, Atz Lee Kilcher was married to Nantia Krisintu, with whom he had a son, Etienne Kilcher, on May 12. 2001. Unfortunately, their relationship also did not work out and they got divorced.

While this was initially devastating for both couples, Jane and Atz Lee’s love of musicals and their aptitudes brought them together, eventually getting married in 2006 at The Head of The Bay. The couple had a particularly hard time after Atz Lee injured himself while hiking, a devastating fall that not only broke 26 bones but also punctured both of his lungs.

During the long road back to recovery, Jane stayed by his side to tend to his injuries. To thank her for all she has done for him, In 2016 Atz arranged a ceremony to re-enact their wedding, with the two renewing their wedding vows.

While the two don’t share any biological children, Jane played a pioneering role in raising both Piper and Etienne, investing herself in their lives and making sure the best decisions were made for them. Jane and Atz Lee were careful to maintain their children’s privacy, going so far as to reveal little about the children’s lives to maintain their anonymity.

Appearance

Despite the constant barrage of body shaming Jane has had to deal with, she is a size 8 and an attractive woman.

She has brown eyes and dark hair that she keeps practically shoulder length. It is widely speculated that she has lost a lot of weight recently, but she has not commented on the subject as she is clearly fit and very capable of supporting herself through Alaska’s harsh climate.

Net value

Despite what life on a homestead entails, the Kilcher family as a whole is quite wealthy. It is for this reason that the show is widely criticized. The show’s focus on the impending danger of famine and scarcity of supplies is very dramatized. While many people really do live the lives portrayed in the show, the Kilcher’s have plenty of money to manage when things really go wrong. Jane Kilcher and her husband receive substantial salaries from the Discovery Channel and have an estimated net worth of $2 million as of mid-2020.