Jennifer Cook Bio, Wiki
Jennifer Cook (full name – Jennifer Lynn Cook) is an American TV Personality, Speaker, Relationship Coach, and Author known for recently appearing in Season 3 of the show “Love on the Spectrum U.S.”. She is also famous for writing 6 Asperkids books – they have been translated into 6 languages. One of her books won the “Autism Society of America’s Book of the Year Award”.
Jennifer Cook Age
Cook is 49 years old as of 2024. She was born on October 24, 1975, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, United States. Therefore, she celebrates her birthday on October 24 every year.
Jennifer Cook Height/Measurements
Cook stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 6 inches.
Jennifer Cook Education
Cook went to Brown University where she studied American Civilization and graduated in the year 1997 with high honors – there she was part of Kappa Alpha Theta. In the year 1999, she started her Master’s studies at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Social Work in NYC. After that, she attended the Queens University of Charlotte’s Graduate School of Education – this was while working as teacher of language arts in high and middle schools. During her very 1st term, her students nominated her for Disney’s American Teacher of the Year Award.
Jennifer Cook Career
Early Life Career
Cook started dancing when she was 2 years old and kept going through college. She later worked as a counselor in the Domestic Violence Unit of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in Charlotte, NC. There she gave presentations at schools and colleges, trained officers, and supported victims.
Professional Career
Cook is an autist expert and she is widely known for her books. She is also famous for appearing as the on-camera autism expert in Netflix’s series “Love on the Spectrum” from Season 1 to the recent season (3). She has written many books like her memoir “Autism in Heels”. This book became a Wall Street Journal bestseller and won a “Best Book” award from ‘Publishers Weekly’. ‘BookAuthority’ also named it one of the best and best-selling autism books of all time. Cook also own a podcast called “Speaking Geek: Translating Typical for the Human Spectrum”.
Cook suffers from Asperger syndrome. In the year 2019, she became the very 1st Jefferson Health Center’s Senior Directorial Consultant for Neurodiversity and Autism. She also spoke at the National Institutes of Health about autism in women and girls. In the year 2015, Cook advised the President’s Council on Sports and Fitness and the President’s Council on Disabilities. Also, she helped develop Julia, the 1st autistic character on ‘Sesame Street’, and supported their “See the Amazing in Every Child” initiative.
Cook is a contributor in “Autism & Learning Differences” and “Tony Attwood’s Top Aspie Mentors: Been There, Done That”. She wrote forewords for “Easy to Love, Hard to Live With” and “Dragonfly: A Daughter’s Emergence from Autism”. Cook writes for various publications like “Zoom Autism Magazine”, “Autism Asperger’s Digest”, and “Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls”. She also appears as a commentator on Fox, NPR, and NBC. Also, she serves on the Autism Society of America’s Council of Autistic Advisors.
Jennifer Cook Awards and Honors
Over the years, Cook has received other numerous awards and honors for her work, excluding the ones mentioned in the professional career part. She earned a “Booklist” Book of Distinction Starred Review from the American Library Association and was recognized with the Outstanding Literary Work of the Year award by the Autism Society of America in the year 2014.
“Book Riot” featured her book among the 24 Amazing Feminist Books of the year 2018. She was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in North Carolina (in the year 2014) and one of the 25 Most Amazing Autistic Women by “Autistic Spectrum Digest”. Cook also received the Temple Grandin Award for Outstanding Global Contributions from Future Horizons, the Women Inspiring Strength & Hope Award from Make-A-Wish, and was a nominee for Godiva’s Woman of the Year.
Additionally, she was recognized as AuKids Speaker of the Year and received the GRASP Excellence in Parenting/Distinguished Spectrumite award. In the year 2013, she was honored as a Leading Woman by the Kappa Alpha Theta Leading Women Award. Cook’s influence extends to digital spaces – her platforms making “Disney’s Babble” lists for Top 30 Autism Spectrum Blogs, Top 30 Autism Facebook Fan Pages, and Top 30 Autism Websites.
Jennifer Cook Net Worth
In Cook’s career as a TV Personality, Speaker, Relationship Coach, and Author, she has been able to accumulate a net worth ranging between $1 Million and $3 Million.
Jennifer Cook Parents and Siblings
Cook was born to Joseph (late father) and Jane (mother) and he was their only kid. She was brought up in West Caldwell and his mom was the sole woman on their town council for 12 years when Cook was growing up, whereas her dad used to work as an international commercial litigator. Her father passed on in the year 2007 due to unknown reasons.
Jennifer Cook Spouse
Cook is a married woman and her spouse’s name is Brett Banks – they had their wedding in the year 2019. Before that, Cook was married to a guy called John O’Toole – their marriage lasted for 17 years (2001 – 2018). She is known to have 3 children: Sean (son), Gavin (son), and Maura (daughter), whom she got with her ex-husband, John O’Toole. Cook often posts photos of her kids and husband (Brett) on her Instagram page, and it is very evident that she likes spending her spare time with them. As a family, Brett, Cook, and her kids ride near Charlotte, North Carolina.
Jennifer Cook Illness
In the year 2011, Cook was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome – all 3 of her kids have the condition as well. Cook also has synesthesia.
Jennifer Cook Love on the Spectrum U.S. SN 3
Cook is the relationship coach and on-camera autism expert in Season 3 of the reality TV show “Love on the Spectrum U.S.”, which premiered on April 2, 2025, on Netflix. The show follows 7 adults with autism as they join a dating group to explore relationships. Along the way, they challenge misunderstandings about themselves and how they choose to live.
Below is a list of the cast of this season;
- Dani Bowman
- Abbey Romeo
- David Isaacman
- Connor Tomlinson
- Tanner Smith
- Adan Correa
- James Jones
- Madison Marilla
- Pari Kim
Jennifer Cook Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
She is vocal on her social media accounts where she posts frequently. On her Twitter account, she has about 2.5K followers, around 16K followers on her Facebook page, and about 18.7K followers on her Instagram account.