Jane Kilcher is a woman with many skills. She works as a registered nurse, enjoys fishing and hunting, lives on a homestead, and appears on reality TV. She lives in the remote wilderness of Alaska, where she faces new challenges and experiences every day. She is also a loving mother, loyal friend, and devoted wife. Or at least, she used to be.
Jane surprised her fans when she shared that she and her husband of 17 years, Atz Lee Kilcher, were getting a divorce. The couple, who were part of the popular Discovery show Alaska: The Last Frontier, appeared to have a strong and happy marriage. They worked together, supported one another, and even survived a serious accident that left Atz Lee with major injuries.
Upbringing & Family
Christina Jane Ferman, known as Jane Kilcher, was born on September 14, 1974, in Alaska, United States. She was the third child of Bob and Sarah Ferman, joining her older siblings, a son named Bobby and a daughter named Jessica.
Jane’s father was originally from Texas, where many of his relatives still live. Jane grew up in Anchorage, near Potter Marsh, and moved to Homer when she was 12.
She attended junior high and high school there and became familiar with the Kilcher family, whose homestead was nearby. She later married Atz Lee Kilcher, one of the Kilcher sons, but they eventually divorced.
From a young age, Jane had a strong love for nature and animals. She often went on fishing trips with her father, learning how to catch and process fish. She also discovered a talent for music, learning to play the guitar and sing.
After finishing high school, she moved to Austin, Texas, to study at the University of Texas. Afterward, she returned to Alaska and worked as a registered nurse in remote villages. She loved helping people and exploring new cultures.
Career & Progression
After graduating from college, Jane became a registered nurse and worked in a remote Alaskan village. However, she later decided to switch careers and start commercial fishing, a profession she enjoyed for 11 years.
She worked on different boats and caught various types of fish, enjoying the adventure and challenges of working in the Alaskan waters. She also made a good income from fishing. Jane stopped commercial fishing when she started a family with Atz Lee Kilcher, but she continued to fish for their homestead in Alaska.
What Does Jane Kilcher Do?
Jane grew up in Alaska and moved to Homer, where she spent most of her childhood with her family. After graduating from high school, she went to the University of Texas in Austin, Texas.
She worked as a nurse in a remote village in Alaska and then spent 11 years as a commercial fisherman. Later, she became a star on the reality show Alaska: The Last Frontier.
The show focuses on Jane’s life. She appeared for the first time on December 29, 2011, in the very first episode of Season 1 called “Before Freezing.” There are 11 seasons of the show, and Jane Kilcher appears in every single episode!
What is Jane Kilcher’s Net Worth?
Jane Kilcher is an American commercial fisherwoman with a net worth of $2 million. She is from Alaska and is married to Atz Lee. Jane is the sister-in-law of singer and songwriter Jewel. Kilcher has appeared on the reality TV show Alaska: The Last Frontier on Discovery.
The show started in 2011. Jane’s sister, Jewel Kilcher, has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and had big hits with songs like “Who Will Save Your Soul”, “You Were Meant for Me”, and “Foolish Games”. Alaska: The Last Frontier also includes Otto Kilcher, Atz Kilcher, Charlotte Kilcher, Atz Lee Kilcher, Elvin Kilcher, Eve Kilcher, Bonnie Dupree, Jewel Kilcher, and others.
Real Estate
The Kilcher family farm sits on more than 600 acres of land near Homer, Alaska. This property has been in the Kilcher family for many generations and is an important part of their history. Jane and her husband, Atz Lee, also run the nearby Blacktail Lodge, which offers hunting and fishing tours to guests.
Though little is known about the value of the Kilcher family’s wealth, it is clear that their fortune comes from hard work and is an important part of their family legacy.
Television
Alaska: The Last Frontier
Jane Kilcher is a reality TV star, best known for her role in Alaska: The Last Frontier, a show that follows the lives of the Kilcher family in Homer, Alaska. She became part of the show in 2011. Jane has appeared in more than 100 episodes over 11 seasons and is excitedly waiting for the 12th season to be renewed.
Jane and her family live on a beautiful 600-acre farm that has been passed down through generations of the Kilcher family, who came from Switzerland in the 1930s. The farm is located at the edge of the Kenai Peninsula, where the mountains meet the sea, and it is home to a wide variety of wildlife.
The farm is also a living museum that preserves and showcases the rich history and culture of the Kilcher family, who have learned to adapt to Alaska’s tough but beautiful environment. The family lives a simple, sustainable life, using their skills and resources to grow, hunt, fish, and gather their food and supplies.
On the show, Jane has faced many challenges, such as extreme weather, dangerous wildlife encounters, medical emergencies, personal losses, and family disagreements.
She has also faced criticism from some viewers who questioned or judged her actions or choices on the show. Despite these difficulties, Jane has always risen above them. She wrote in a Facebook post:
“People say horrible comments on my weight, my looks, my character, my marriage… all because we opened up our lives for television… showing you amazing things our family does. I am so proud to be a Kilcher… if you see internet trollers, shut them down! It’s always untrue and just plain hurtful #stopthehate”.
Jane has also shared many happy moments on the show, such as celebrating holidays, birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries with her family and friends. She has shown her love and care for animals and nature throughout the show.
Bering Sea Gold
Jane is not just a homesteader, but she is also a gold miner. In 2022, she joined the cast of Bering Sea Gold, a reality show that follows the adventures of gold dredgers in Nome, Alaska. Bering Sea Gold is made by the same creators as Deadliest Catch, a well-known show about crab fishing in the Bering Sea.
Jane is friends with Emily Riedel, the owner and captain of the Eroica dredge, and one of the few female gold miners in Nome. Jane decided to join Emily’s crew to learn how to run a dredge and experience the excitement and challenge of mining gold under the sea.
Jane made her first appearance in season 15 of Bering Sea Gold, which aired on December 6, 2022. During her first season, she faced one of the worst storms in Nome’s history, which caused serious damage and flooding to the town and the dredges.
Jane saw the effects of the storm and shared her concern for the people and animals affected by it. She also had to deal with tough weather, mechanical problems, and the conflicts that come with gold mining.
Despite these challenges, Jane proved herself to be a hard-working and valuable member of Emily’s crew, helping to bring in some of the highest gold totals of the season.
Jane kept appearing in the next seasons of Bering Sea Gold, making a total of 22 episode appearances by 2023. In season 16, which aired in 2023, Jane faced some personal struggles, such as feeling disrespected by some of Emily’s crew members and missing her family and home in Homer.
But she also had happy moments, like finding her first gold nugget and seeing Kris Kelly’s Crawler, a new and advanced dredging machine, perform impressively. Jane also had some close calls with the pressure ridges, the cracks and bumps in the ice that can be dangerous for divers and the dredges.
[Updated: 04/04/2025]
