Jen Lada was born on January 14, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Spring Grove, Illinois. She ran track at Marian Central Catholic High School before attending Marquette University in Wisconsin, where she captained the cheerleading team. She began her broadcasting career at NBC affiliate WREX in Rockford, Illinois, working as a sports reporter and anchor before moving to Fox affiliate WITI in Milwaukee in 2006 and later joining Comcast SportsNet Chicago in early 2013.

At CSN Chicago, Lada covered the Bears and White Sox beats, anchored SportsNet Central, and hosted High School Lights and Beer Money. ESPN hired her in July 2015, initially for a radio role that fell through when Colin Cowherd departed the network. She adapted quickly, becoming a versatile contributor across ESPN platforms. Since 2016, she has served as a long-term features reporter for College GameDay and host of College Football Live. 

Jen Lada has also built a reputation for emotionally resonant storytelling, including Special Olympics coverage and the 2020 E:60 feature “Hilinski’s Hope.” She also co-hosts the weekday morning show Jen, Gabe & Chewy on WKTI, ESPN Radio’s Milwaukee affiliate. Additionally, she has hosted the Marquette Basketball Hour on the same station since the 2022–23 season.