Early life, family, educational background
Zachary Taylor ‘Zack’ Warner was born on 29 April 1989, in the US, making him a Taurus. He was born to Brenda Carney and Neil, who met while serving in the US Marines – Neil was an officer. They soon fell in love and married. Zack spent a small majority of his first day of life with his father. When Brenda was pregnant with their second child, she caught Neil cheating on her, so filed for divorce which was finalized after their daughter, Jesse Jo was born. Brenda then met Kurt Warner and they married in 1997 – Kurt adopted both Zachary and Jesse Jo.
When Zack was three and a half months old, Brenda was in Virginia Beach at the time, working, so Neil was taking care of Zack alone. Neil accidentally dropped him in the bathtub, and Zack landed head-first, which resulted in Zack suffering from a traumatic brain injury, which caused him to have developmental disabilities and become partially blind. His doctors, nurses, and parents were worried he wasn’t going to make it through his first night in hospital, but Zack is luckily a fighter, even as an infant.
Due to their son’s condition, Brenda and Kurt founded Treasure House, which is located in Arizona, which houses young people battling with cognitive disabilities. Brenda and Kurt have five biological children, Sienna, Sierra, Elijah, Kade and Jada Jo, making them Zack and Jesse Jo’s half-siblings.
Kurt Warner
American former football quarterback, Kurtis Eugene Warner was born on 22 June 1971, in Burlington, Iowa, making him a Cancer. He attended Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he played on their football team.
He is most well-known for having played for the Arizona Cardinals, and St. Louis Rams in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons as their quarterback. Kurt was not always a football legend; he played football from 1990 to 1993 while attending Northern Iowa, after which he played for four years without an agent or being on the NFL roster. The Green Bay Packers signed him in 1994, but released him before his contract was over, and he went to play for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League (AFL) for three seasons. He first joined the NFL roster in 1998 while playing for the Los Angeles Rams in a back-up position. However, he was named Super Bowl and NFL MVP honors after his first season as a quarterback, leading the Rams to their first title in Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999.
His obvious talent quickly made him a household name in the homes of football lovers; he was the only undrafted NFL quarterback to led his team to a Super Bowl victory, and the only undrafted NFL player to be named both Super Bowl and NFL MVP.
Brenda Warner
Brenda Carney Meoni – now Warner – was born on 17 June 1967, in West Virginia, USA, making her a Gemini. After matriculation, she joined the US Marine Corps so that she could go to college without debt. Neil was also part of the Marine Corps at that time; which is where they met, and married in 1987. In January 1990 – after Neil dropped Zachary in the bathtub – Brenda left the Marine Corps on terms of hardship discharge. Once Jesse Jo was born, Brenda was a single mother of two, and a nursing student at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI).
Her mother insisted that she needed some time to unwind, so she took Brenda to a line dance, where Brenda met Kurt. At the time, he was playing college football as a UNI student. Brenda told Kurt, ‘I just want you to know I’m a divorced mother of two, so if I never hear from you again, I will understand,’ but he accepted her children without a second thought. The following morning, he showed up at her door with a rose, and asked to meet Zack and Jesse Jo. Brenda believes that he loved her children before he fell in love with her, and considered them to be two extra blessings in addition to her. They tied the knot on 11 October 1997, after which Kurt adopted the two siblings.
Siblings
Zack’s younger sister, Jesse Jo Warner was born in 1992 and is now married to Daniel Stanton. Daniel was born in Downtown Phoenix, where he was also raised. In 2010, Daniel founded and has since run G Road, a non-profit organization supporting the youth and young adults living in Phoenix. He helps his community by implementing creative community programs which assist participants build healthy relationships and learn useful skills.
Kade Warner was born on 29 September 1998 and is an American Football player for the Kansas State Wildcats as a wide receiver. Their sister, Jada Jo Warner was born in 2001, and currently works as a YouTuber living in Arizona.
Elijah (EJ) Warner was born in 2003, and still lives with his parents. He now plays American Football for Temple University and hopes to make it a profession. Kurt and Brenda’s last two children are identical twins, Sierra Rose and Sienna Rae Warner who were born on 19 December 2005.
Personal life
Zack’s mother Brenda released a Christian-themed biography entitled, “One Call Away: Answering Life’s Challenges with Unshakable Faith” on 6 September 2011, which includes stories about Zack. One of the stories Brenda shares is that they didn’t realize Zack had a brain injury after the bath incident, until Neil noticed that he was making strange noises and struggling to breathe – Neil phoned Brenda to let her know, and took their son to the doctor. Zack’s family didn’t shun him or see his disability as something to be ashamed of, instead, they celebrate him and all he means to them. Aside from being blind, Zack also suffers from brain damage and undeveloped motor skills. He battles to do ‘simple’ things such as feeding and dressing himself.
On 6 September 2021, Brenda posted a photo of him to her Instagram celebrating ‘Zacks Day,’ saying that although he was injured, they celebrate him on the anniversary of his injury. ‘… our lives all changed in an instant and we are grateful for Zack every day… 2 riles: do something fun and eat whatever you want all day long.’ Two years prior, Kurt also posted about Zachary to his Instagram, referring to him as ‘Zman, my oldest son,’ which shows how close the two are despite not being biologically related. He continued, ‘… through his challenges has inspired me as much as anyone I have ever met!… wish all of you could meet him!’
On 25 December 2021, Lionsgate Films released “American Underdog,” a sports drama film following Kurt’s life both on and off the field; the Warners – including Zack – attended the premiere together. Kurt was portrayed by Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin played Brenda, Hayden Zaller played Zack, and Dennis Quaid played Dick Vermeil. It was directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin who also served as producers alongside Kurt, Brenda, Mark Ciardi, Kevin Downes, and Daryl C. Lefever. The film received a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
As Zack is completely blind, he is unable to do much work, however, he does enjoy singing. Brenda posted a video of Zack singing, and captioned it, ‘Thanks to the Keeper of the Stars, Zack doing his thing. #ifyouknowyouknow.’ Zack’s means of financially supporting himself are unknown, but he may be receiving money from his parents, as he appears to still be living with them so they can help him manage everyday tasks.
Watch @AmericanUnderdg to see how this man/child surprised @kurt13warner Still singing Still smiling Still dimpled ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zbmOlcdrqc
— Brenda Warner (@WarnerBrenda) February 15, 2022
According to his family, Zack is a very kind-hearted and humorous person, ‘Everyone be like Zack today: be good to others, make someone belly laugh, flirt with middle-aged married women, listen to music with a loud beat!’
Zack’s romantic life is kept private, but it appears that he’s not dating anybody as of January 2023. He doesn’t have any social media accounts. His biological father, Neil, does not seem to be part of Zack’s life anymore, as nothing has been seen or heard about him since his split from Brenda.
Appearance
Zack stands at 6ft 2in (183cm) tall, weighs about 1508lbs (76kgs), has dark brown hair and brown eyes, but you cannot see them most of the time.
Net worth and salary
As Zack isn’t working, he doesn’t make his own money, but his net worth is estimated at $10,000. Kurt’s net worth is estimated at $30 million as of January 2023, and Brenda’s at about $3 million.
