Jen Lilley

Personal life

Lilley was born in Roanoke, Virginia to Ellen and Vincent Lilley. She is the second oldest of four children. She has two brothers, Michael and Ryan, and one sister, Katherine. Lilley graduated from Cave Spring High School. She went on to attend University of Virginia and graduated early with magna cum laude honors.

On May 26, 2007, Lilley married her husband Jason Wayne.

Acting

She has been in numerous films. Her career began at The University of Virginia in a film called The Loss of Life.

In 2011, she had a supporting role in director Michel Hazanavicius's silent movie The Artist, starring John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Jean Dujardin, and Bérénice Bejo.

In 2011, Lilley played various characters on MTV's Disaster Date, alongside Lauren Zima, Jason Karasev, Cale Hartmann, Hasan Minhaj, Russell Pitts, and Kara Luiz. She also appeared as Monie in the iCarly TV movie, "iParty with Victorious".

In the fall of 2011, Lilley took over the role of Maxie Jones, as a temporary recast for Kirsten Storms on General Hospital while she was on medical leave for endometriosis. She made her on-screen debut on September 28, 2011. In August 2012, Lilley confirmed that she had finished taping and made her on-screen exit on August 20, 2012; Storms later returned on September 5.

In April 2013, Lilley joined the cast of Days of Our Lives as a newly created character. She made her on-screen debut as Theresa Donovan on July 3, 2013. In June 2016, she confirmed she was exiting the soap due to the demanding filming schedule hindering her ability to pursue other commitments and opportunities.

Following the announcement of her casting with Days of Our Lives, Lilley also made her debut in The Book of Esther, portraying the titular character. During an interview with Christian Post, Lilley said of her casting: "That opportunity came from the Lord. I prayed and fasted to decide whether I would accept the role or not, but this is the one that I was to take. I had other offers, and they all fell through, so I'm grateful that I took the opportunity to be on 'Days'. At the time, I asked for certain things in my contract that people said would be impossible. But I stood on my faith, and against all odds, I got those things. I daily pray for God to help me be a peacekeeper and help me through my scenes; my character is so evil that it's just unlike me. And obviously there is a lot of sex on the show. When the time comes, I'm going to use it as an opportunity to show the importance of abstinence, which I fully believe in. [...] I don't understand how my friends can do things in this industry without faith. I can't do things without prayer."

Singing

Lilley performed multiple concerts in Guatemala at the age of 16, garnering her group The National Educators Award of Guatemala. In the summer of 2014, Lilley traveled to Georgia, where she hosted and sang in a benefit concert with SOWEGA Art Performance to raise funds for ONEless Ministries.

Lilley performed at a benefit concert in New York on December 5, 2014 and is also set to record a full-length album with Capitol Records and several of the label's producers.

On November 24, 2015, Lilley released her first Christmas album, "Tinsel Time." The album's title track premiered on TV Guide Magazine's TV Insider. She sold out of copies of the first pressing within three days. The album, which hit Number one on the Amazon Swing charts, was subsequently released for CD and download sale on Amazon.com.

Charity work

Lilley is known for advocating for children's rights and supports charities that focus on protecting children against physical and sexual abuse, human trafficking, homelessness, and the world water crisis.

In 2011, Lilley became a celebrity ambassador for Childhelp, a charity that specializes in the prevention and treatment of child abuse. In 2012, she hosted the Childhelp Wings Fashion Show in Washington D.C., alongside Cynthia Steele Vance. In the Spring of 2013, Lilley collaborated with Be Your Own You, a lifestyle brand that empowers women and girls, and designed her own Signature Series clothing and apparel line to benefit Childhelp.In the Spring of 2014, Jen Lilley was the grand marshal for the 2014 Beaumont Cherry Festival Parade. In the Fall of 2014, Lilley hosted the First Annual Stars Strike Out Child Abuse, a celebrity bowling tournament, to raise money for Childhelp.

In 2013, she joined the board of the Innocent Justice Foundation, a charity that leverages high technology solutions to help rescue millions of American children who are being sexually abused and prevent future abuse.

In 2014, Lilley became a school tour speaker on behalf of The Thirst Project. She gave lectures on many Florida school campuses, including The University of Florida. The Thirst Project is a non-profit organization in America which aims to bring safe drinking water to communities around the world.

She also works to help the homeless and is often seen at the Los Angeles Mission.

Each year, she donates her birthday for a charitable cause.

To combat human trafficking, Lilley partnered with Oneless Ministries in the summer of 2014. She traveled to cities across the state of Georgia, speaking to local police departments and news stations to raise awareness about human trafficking here in the United States. While in Georgia, She hosted and sang in a benefit concert with SOWEGA Art Performance to raise funds for ONEless Ministries on Saturday, June 28.

Lilley has a Christmas CD coming out in 2014, with proceeds benefitting wounded veterans. She performed in a benefit concert in New York on December 5, 2014.

In November 2015, Childhelp honored Lilley with the "For the Love of a Child" award for her work to end child abuse.

In 2016, she became a foster parent.