Jeremy Wells is a New Zealand media personality born on January 19, 1977, in Auckland. He hosts Seven Sharp on TVNZ alongside Hilary Barry, co-hosts the Radio Hauraki breakfast show, and serves as the Taskmaster on Taskmaster New Zealand.
His career spans nearly three decades of television and radio work, from cult satirical comedy to mainstream primetime broadcasting.
Who is Jeremy Wells?
Jeremy Wells is one of New Zealand’s most recognizable media personalities. He first gained national attention in the late 1990s under the nickname “Newsboy,” working alongside DJ Mikey Havoc on radio and television.
He later built a significant following as the deadpan host of Eating Media Lunch, a satirical news show that aired on TVNZ 2 from 2003 to 2008.
The New Zealand Listener described his delivery style as “newsnight-of-the-living-dead,” adding that he would be “compelling viewing reading the phone book.”
In 2018, Wells stepped into primetime as co-host of Seven Sharp on TVNZ 1, replacing Mike Hosking alongside Hilary Barry. That shift took him from cult favourite to one of New Zealand’s most watched evening broadcasters.
He also serves as the titular Taskmaster on Taskmaster New Zealand, which launched in 2020 on TVNZ 2. His assistant on the show is comedian Paul Williams.
Wells also participates in the Alternative Commentary Collective, a popular satirical cricket commentary project that has developed a strong following in New Zealand sports media.
Early Life of Jeremy Wells
Jeremy Wells grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, in a prominent household. His father, Sir John Wells (formerly Sir Murray John Wells KNZM), is a New Zealand merchant banker and long-serving sports administrator.
His mother, Sheryl, Lady Wells, was also active in sports administration, including work with the national netball team.
The Wells family moved in influential New Zealand social circles, which gave Jeremy an early exposure to civic and community life. Yet his school years were not without controversy.
Jeremy attended Wanganui Collegiate School, one of New Zealand’s exclusive boarding schools. He left under difficult circumstances in his sixth-form year, after an incident in which he gave marijuana oil to a patient at a rehabilitation centre during an end-of-year community service trip.
He later transferred to St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton to complete his education.
Despite that rocky stretch, Wells found a clear direction in media and broadcasting.
Jeremy Wells Age
Jeremy Wells is 49 years old as of 2026, born on January 19, 1977. His zodiac sign is Capricorn.
He first appeared on television at 20, beginning a media career that has now stretched across nearly three decades. By his mid-40s, he held simultaneous roles across television, radio, and sports commentary.
His ability to operate in both satirical and mainstream formats sets him apart from most broadcasters of his generation in New Zealand.
Wells stands around 6 feet 4 inches tall, or 193 centimeters or 1.93 meters. Further, his weight is around 70 kg, which is equal to 154 lbs.
Jeremy Wells Ethnicity and Nationality
Jeremy Wells holds New Zealand nationality and was born and raised in Auckland. His ethnic background is New Zealand European.
Wells’s family roots are firmly in the North Island of New Zealand, with both parents having played active roles in New Zealand sports administration. His father Sir John Wells, served as chair of Sport New Zealand for a period.
That heritage gave Jeremy a connection to the country’s civic fabric from an early age, even as his career took a decidedly irreverent path through satire and media comedy.
Jeremy Wells Education
Jeremy attended Wanganui Collegiate School in the Whanganui region. That stint ended with his expulsion in the sixth form, after the community service incident involving marijuana oil.
He then enrolled at St Paul’s Collegiate School in Hamilton, where he completed his secondary education. He reportedly pursued journalism studies briefly after school before entering broadcasting directly.
His path into media did not follow a conventional academic route. His early career at student radio station bFM in Auckland proved a more formative education than any classroom.
Jeremy Wells Career
Early Career: Newsboy and Eating Media Lunch
Wells first appeared on New Zealand television in 1997 on MTV New Zealand. Soon after, he joined DJ Mikey Havoc as his on-air sidekick, earning the nickname “Newsboy” for his deadpan news reading on Havoc’s show.
That partnership proved popular on both radio and television. The duo co-hosted The Saturday Special on bFM, and when both moved to Radio Hauraki, the show followed them there as well.
When Havoc moved to TV3, and that collaboration ended, Wells launched his own project on TVNZ. Eating Media Lunch began on TVNZ 2 on November 18, 2003, and ran for eight series over five years until November 21, 2008. The show ran to 52 episodes total, with Wells as host and co-writer alongside Paul Casserly and Philip Smith.
Eating Media Lunch became notorious in November 2003 when it spoofed the current affairs programme Target, which regularly used hidden cameras to expose unreliable tradespersons.
The EML spoof depicted actors posing as Target camera technicians inside someone else’s home, which caused significant public backlash and a wave of complaints. That controversy added to Wells’ public profile considerably.
In 2005, he presented The Unauthorised History of New Zealand, a satirical take on the nation’s past, which aired on TVNZ 1. He also presented an episode of the travel series Intrepid Journeys in 2007.
Major Positions: Radio Hauraki and Seven Sharp
By 2014, Wells had joined Radio Hauraki’s breakfast show as co-host. He took the slot alongside Matt Heath and Laura McGoldrick. That show, known as The Matt and Jerry Show, became one of New Zealand’s most listened-to morning radio programmes.
In October 2010, between his television projects, Wells spent 23 days travelling with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra on their international Grand Tour. He produced a documentary from that trip, which included interviews with musicians and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
His Seven Sharp appointment came in January 2018. Wells replaced Mike Hosking, who had hosted the show with considerable controversy. The appointment carried a layer of irony: Wells had become well-known for his radio segment “Like Mike,” in which he impersonated Hosking with remarkable accuracy.
Broadcasting Standards complaints had even arisen from that segment, with listeners unable to tell the two apart.
Wells joined Hilary Barry on Seven Sharp from 2018 onward. Barry later noted of their chemistry: “I’m lucky I don’t have to fake anything with Jeremy. I’m at my best broadcasting with someone who cracks me up.” Seven Sharp airs on TVNZ 1 on weeknights and reaches a large national audience.
Current Role: Taskmaster NZ and Multi-Platform Presence
From 2020, Wells took on a third major role as the Taskmaster on Taskmaster New Zealand. The format originated with British comedian Alex Horne and became a hit across many countries. Paul Williams serves as his assistant in the New Zealand version, which airs on TVNZ 2.
NZ On Screen records a 2020 New Zealand Television Award nomination for Best Presenter in Entertainment, shared with Hilary Barry for Seven Sharp. A second nomination followed at the 2024 New Zealand Television Awards for the same category, this time shared with Paul Williams for Taskmaster NZ.
Wells also participates in the Alternative Commentary Collective, a satirical cricket commentary group that has built a significant following among New Zealand sports fans. A Stuff profile noted that few broadcasters in New Zealand fill as many media minutes per day as Wells across his various commitments.
In November 2020, fashion expert David Hartnell named Wells on his Best Dressed List in New Zealand show business.
Jeremy Wells Awards and Recognition
In 2005, Wells earned a Bravo Award from the New Zealand Skeptics. That award recognized his satirical look at the psychic and medium industry in episodes of Eating Media Lunch. The Bravo Awards specifically honour those who challenge pseudoscience and promote critical thinking.
The New Zealand Television Awards nominated him for Best Presenter in Entertainment in 2020 for Seven Sharp and again in 2024 for Taskmaster NZ.
His long-running satirical body of work on Eating Media Lunch also earned him a place as one of the most distinctive voices in New Zealand broadcast comedy.
Jeremy Wells Partner
Jeremy Wells is in a long-term relationship with Tulsi Bramley, a New Zealand content producer and model. The pair reportedly met at Auckland University of Technology in the early 2000s, where both studied journalism.
Bramley works as a content producer for Standard Issue, her father’s knitwear company. She also does modelling work for the Clyne Management agency in New Zealand.
She keeps her personal life largely out of the public eye, maintaining a low profile despite Jeremy’s significant media presence. The pair have been together for over two decades.
Jeremy Wells Children
Jeremy Wells and Tulsi Bramley have two children together. The couple keeps their children’s lives very private and has not publicly shared their names.
Wells has spoken in interviews about the emotional impact of fatherhood. He has described the experience as deeply important to his sense of identity outside of broadcasting.
Despite his early morning Radio Hauraki commitments requiring him to leave home before the school day begins, Wells has spoken about the importance of family time when his schedule allows it.
Jeremy Wells Net Worth
Jeremy Wells’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026. His income draws from long-term contracts across multiple New Zealand media platforms simultaneously.
His Radio Hauraki breakfast co-hosting role, his TVNZ contract for Seven Sharp, and his Taskmaster NZ presenting work all contribute to his annual earnings. Few New Zealand media personalities hold active contracts across all three of those platforms at once.
His earlier work on Eating Media Lunch and related production credits also built royalty and residual income over the years. His involvement in the Alternative Commentary Collective, which has a strong paying fan base around New Zealand cricket coverage, adds another income stream.
Jeremy Wells Social Media
Jeremy Wells is active on Instagram, where he posts updates about travel, work, and everyday life. His account is @jeremywellsnz and he has posted photos alongside colleagues including Hilary Barry.
His Instagram presence gives audiences a behind-the-scenes look at life across his multiple broadcasting roles. He reportedly manages his own account without a publicist.
The Bottom Line
Jeremy Wells began co-hosting Seven Sharp in 2018 and has held that role alongside Hilary Barry ever since, becoming one of the most recognised faces on New Zealand primetime television. His earlier work on Eating Media Lunch from 2003 to 2008 earned him a Bravo Award from the New Zealand Skeptics in 2005.
He comes from a prominent Auckland family. His father Sir John Wells is a decorated sports administrator and former chair of Sport New Zealand, giving Jeremy an unusual combination of establishment roots and satirical instincts.
In 2024, Wells received a New Zealand Television Award nomination for Best Presenter in Entertainment for Taskmaster NZ, while also continuing his Radio Hauraki breakfast show and Seven Sharp commitments.
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