Janet Jones became wife to Wayne Gretzky on 16 July 1988 at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton, witnessed by 700 guests and a televised national audience. In Canada, this marriage was referred to as the Royal Wedding, and for real. Gretzky was moved to Los Angeles Kings twenty-four days after the wedding, and an entire nation held her responsible for it. They branded her Jezebel, witch, and Yoko Ono of hockey, in newspapers and on radio phone-ins in Canada. All this was baseless, and the man who had done this deed was present right there. Besides being a celebrity, she was, at one time, a successful actress too with ten years of filmography under her belt. This is her full credit list.
Janet Jones at a Glance:
Career, family and biographical detail in one place, with press estimates flagged as estimates.
| Full name | Janet Marie Gretzky, born Janet Marie Jones |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 January 1961 |
| Age | 65 |
| Birthplace | Bridgeton, Missouri, United States |
| Raised in | St. Louis area, Missouri |
| Nationality | American |
| Star sign | Capricorn |
| Family background | One of eight children. Her father Robert was a business executive in the aviation sector |
| High school | Pattonville High School, Maryland Heights, Missouri |
| Higher education | No university degree publicly documented. She moved into dance and acting professionally as a teenager |
| Height | Commonly reported at 5 ft 7 in. Never formally confirmed by her |
| Hair and eyes | Blonde hair, blue eyes |
| Occupation | Actress and dancer |
| Years active | 1979 to present, with a long break during her children’s childhood |
| Career start | Contestant on the syndicated series Dance Fever in 1979 |
| Notable films | The Beastmaster (1982), Staying Alive (1983), The Flamingo Kid (1984), A Chorus Line (1985), American Anthem (1986), Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988), A League of Their Own (1992) |
| Recent work | American Siege (2022), alongside her son Trevor Gretzky and Bruce Willis |
| Total credits | Roughly 20 film and television credits |
| Magazine work | Appeared on the cover of and in a pictorial for Playboy in March 1987 |
| Previous engagement | Engaged to tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis from 1985 to 1987 |
| Husband | Wayne Gretzky, widely regarded as the greatest player in hockey history |
| Age gap | None to speak of. They were born 16 days apart in January 1961 |
| First meeting | On Dance Fever, where Gretzky was a guest judge. Sources date this to 1981 or 1984 |
| Second meeting | At a Los Angeles Lakers game in 1987, which is when the relationship began |
| Wedding date | 16 July 1988 |
| Wedding venue | St. Joseph’s Basilica, Edmonton, Alberta |
| Wedding scale | 700 guests, broadcast live across Canada, dubbed the Royal Wedding by the press |
| Wedding cost | Reported at over one million dollars, with a gown reported at 40,000 dollars. Both figures are press estimates |
| Reception host | Alan Thicke. Guests included Gordie Howe and Paul Coffey |
| Children | Five: Paulina, Ty, Trevor, Tristan and Emma |
| Son-in-law | Professional golfer Dustin Johnson, who married Paulina in April 2022 |
| Grandchildren | Includes Tatum and River, sons of Paulina and Dustin Johnson |
| Charity work | Long association with M.O.V.E., the Mobility Opportunities Via Education programme |
| Net worth | Not disclosed. Figures published online are estimates with no verifiable basis |
Early Life and Family:
Janet Marie Jones was born on 10th January 1961 in Bridgeton, Missouri. She spent most of her time near St. Louis. She had eight siblings. Her father Robert held the post of an executive in the aviation industry.
She studied at Pattonville High School located in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and she had already become a great dancer even before finishing her high school. There is no information about any university degree that she may have pursued.
Janet Jones’ Career:
Her big break came in 1979, when she participated as a contestant on Dance Fever, a dance competition television show aired on syndication. Dance became the base for everything else to come, defining her subsequent career opportunities.
Film and Television:
She developed an actual filmography throughout the 1980s. Her early roles were Annie in 1982 and The Beastmaster that year, Staying Alive in 1983, the sequel for John Travolta to Saturday Night Fever.
Her first breakout role was in The Flamingo Kid in 1984 with Matt Dillon. She starred next in A Chorus Line in 1985, Richard Attenborough’s adaptation of the Broadway show, which made direct use of her dancing background. She starred in American Anthem in 1986 and Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach in 1988, her most frequent credited appearance.
She had a role in A League of Their Own in 1992, playing a pitcher, and did television work such as Soldier of Fortune, Inc. Her filmography amounts to around twenty roles. She returned in 2022 for American Siege, alongside her son Trevor Gretzky and Bruce Willis. She also made an appearance on the cover and pictorial of Playboy in March 1987, standard career fare for an actress of her age at that time and fodder for the trade press in the backlash.
Before Gretzky:
She became engaged to Vitas Gerulaitis, an American tennis player, from 1985 to 1987 who was a world number three tennis player and had won the Australian Open. The engagement was broken in 1987 when she reconnected with her ex-husband Gretzky.
How Janet Jones Met Wayne Gretzky:
Their first encounter took place at a show called “Dance Fever,” which featured Gretzky as the guest judge and Jones participating in the competition. The sources provide two different dates for their meeting, either 1981 or 1984, and neither of these versions has been officially proved or disproved yet. Nothing special happened between them during this meeting.
Their second meeting occurred at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 1987, and that was when their relationship began. Within several months, they got engaged. It turned out to be an amusing fact for Gretzky that they were both born in January 1961, just 16 days apart.
The 1988 Wedding:
The wedding ceremony took place on 16 July 1988 at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton. Seven hundred people were present at the wedding and it was televised live by the CBC to all of Canada. There were large crowds on the streets surrounding the church and along the procession route.
The reception was conducted by Alan Thicke, a good friend of Gretzky. Gordie Howe and Paul Coffey were some of the guests who attended the wedding. The estimated expenses were over one million dollars, and the wedding gown was estimated to be around 40,000 dollars; these numbers, however, were only reported by the newspapers, not the couple. Jones was expecting their first child Paulina, who was born a month after the wedding. This information is relevant for understanding subsequent events.
The Trade, and Why Janet Jones Was Blamed:
On August 9, 1988, twenty-four days after the marriage, the Edmonton Oilers swapped Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski also went to Los Angeles along with Wayne Gretzky. The Edmonton Oilers got Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and $15 million cash.
The reaction of Canada was as if some property of theirs was stolen. Canadians set fire to the image of Mr. Peter Pocklington, who owned the team. They boycotted his companies and even stopped buying season tickets.
The Scapegoating:
Much of the anger was directed at Jones, because she was American, she was an actress, she worked in Los Angeles, and she had married Gretzky just three weeks earlier. It made sense to draw the conclusion, but it was unfair.
Newspapers carried headlines like Jezebel Janet, radio callers called her a witch. The comparison to Yoko Ono, who had gotten a bad name as the woman who broke up the Beatles, was universal. Michael Farber even wrote an article in Montreal Gazette, where he presented the part of Yoko Ono as the next great acting performance of Janet.
What Actually Happened:
However, other enterprises of Pocklington were failing and he required money. This 15 million dollars was the main aim of this deal. Prior to the wedding, he had considered selling Gretzky and, after getting to know about this, Gretzky expressed his wish to move to Los Angeles rather than anywhere else.
Jones did not remain silent. On 12 August 1988, she contacted the Edmonton Sun directly and provided her story, stating clearly that the story provided by Pocklington about the trade is a lie and he is responsible for losing her husband. She explained that people called her Jezebel and Yoko Ono and that she had foreseen it but it still hurt her.
He certainly did not do himself any favours with what he said afterwards, as he told the Edmonton Journal that Gretzky’s ego was bigger than Manhattan and that his farewell was an act, although he phoned him up afterwards to apologize.
Wayne Gretzky’s father Walter, made things even more confusing when he stated that the move was a favour worth $18 million for Janet, a saying that has been repeated many times over the years. The truth about the money side of the move is well known now but the nickname lived on much longer than the facts did.
The 2006 Gambling Investigation:
In February 2006, New Jersey State Police conducted an inquiry regarding an underground sports gambling scheme that was codenamed as “Operation Slapshot.” Rick Tocchet, who at that time served as the assistant coach of Phoenix Coyotes and who was the best buddy of Gretzky, was indicted for operating the betting system. Anonymous sources from law enforcement agencies identified Jones as one of those individuals who made their bets through this organization. She was never charged with any criminal offense. This is the key point of the story that is most often overlooked.
A spokesman for Jones reported at the time that she was one of many possible witnesses but not someone who had been accused of having committed a crime. The same thing was said by New Jersey investigators. Jones herself did not make any bets on behalf of her husband. No evidence ever turned up that Gretzky was involved in any betting activity whatsoever. Rick Tocchet pled guilty in 2007, and prosecutors stated there was no hockey betting.
Jones and Tocchet each filed in May of 2006 for intent to sue the state of New Jersey for fifty million dollars, citing defamation after the improper release of information gleaned through a wiretap that Jones said caused her serious harm to reputation and loss of job. Websites will tell you she got one year of probation. Not true; she was never charged with a crime, so no conviction, no sentence.
Janet Jones and Wayne Gretzky’s Children:
There are five children in the family namely Paulina, Ty, Trevor, Tristan and Emma.
Paulina, born in December 1988, emerged as the one who received maximum publicity by gaining a huge following through social media as a model. She tied the knot with professional golfer Dustin Johnson in April 2022 and gave birth to two boys namely Tatum and River. Ty played hockey for Shattuck-Saint Mary’s and later turned into a coach and sports manager. Trevor chose baseball and acting; he acted in the film American Siege along with his mother. Jones kept herself away from the acting profession during this period.
Janet Jones’ Net Worth:
There is no confirmed figure at all. Any websites giving her net worth in millions of dollars have based their figures on a filmography and her marriage, and not because she disclosed it. The only thing that can be stated is that she had an independent career as an actress for almost a decade before her marriage, that she left the industry primarily of her own will, and that the net worth of her household is her husband’s net worth.
Final Take:
In the summer of 1988, Janet Jones was married on live national television, only to be subsequently blamed by an entire nation for a business decision made by a guy who was strapped for money. She was 27, 4 months pregnant, and had a filmography which featured A Chorus Line and The Flamingo Kid.
Forty years down the road, however, the marriage has survived while the story is now history. What needs fixing, though, is not her fondness for Gretzky; it is the fact that she didn’t orchestrate the trade, nor was she ever even charged with a crime in 2006.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Wh o is Janet Jones?
An American actress and dancer, born 10 January 1961 in Bridgeton, Missouri. Her credits include The Flamingo Kid, A Chorus Line, American Anthem and Police Academy 5. She has been married to Wayne Gretzky since 1988.
When did Janet Jones marry Wayne Gretzky?
On 16 July 1988, at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton, in a ceremony broadcast live across Canada and attended by 700 guests.
How did Janet Jones meet Wayne Gretzky?
They first met on Dance Fever, where he was a guest judge, though sources disagree on whether this was 1981 or 1984. They met again at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 1987 and started dating then.
Was Janet Jones responsible for the Gretzky trade?
No. Oilers owner Peter Pocklington needed cash for struggling business ventures and the deal brought Edmonton 15 million dollars. Jones was blamed publicly and called Jezebel and hockey’s Yoko Ono, but she did not engineer the move.
How many children do Janet Jones and Wayne Gretzky have?
Five: Paulina, Ty, Trevor, Tristan and Emma. Paulina is married to golfer Dustin Johnson.
Was Janet Jones charged in the Operation Slapshot gambling case?
No. She was named by anonymous sources as having placed bets, but she was never charged with any crime, never convicted and never sentenced. She later filed notice of a defamation claim against the state of New Jersey.
What movies was Janet Jones in?
The Beastmaster, Staying Alive, The Flamingo Kid, A Chorus Line, American Anthem, Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach, A League of Their Own and, most recently, American Siege in 2022.
How old is Janet Jones?
She was born on 10 January 1961, making her 65. She and Wayne Gretzky were born 16 days apart.
Is Janet Jones still married to Wayne Gretzky?
Yes. They have been married since July 1988.
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