Sean Payton‘s life off the football field is as eventful and compelling as his career on it. He has been married twice, first to Beth Shuey and now to Skylene Montgomery, and has two children, Meghan and Connor, who have followed their own unique paths, often orbiting the world of sports that defined their father’s legacy.
Who Is Sean Payton’s Wife? All About Skylene Montgomery and His First Marriage to Beth Shuey
Sean Payton was first married to Beth Shuey in 1992, and they had two children, daughter Meghan (born 1997) and son Connor (born 2000), before divorcing in 2014. In 2021, Payton married his current wife Skylene Montgomery (age 40), a former Miss West Virginia USA and ICU nurse, after proposing in 2019. Sean Payton, 61, has a 21-year age gap with his second wife and they now share a life filled with philanthropy, fitness, and football.
Sean’s first marriage was to Beth Shuey, whom he met while coaching at Indiana State University in the early 1990s. Beth, a marketing student from Morocco, Indiana, caught Sean’s eye with her intelligence and kindness. They married on July 11, 1992, and started building their family. Meghan, their firstborn, arrived in 1997, followed by Connor in 2000.
Over the next two decades, Beth stood by Sean through his meteoric rise in the NFL, including his 15-year tenure with the New Orleans Saints, where he led the team to a Super Bowl victory in 2009. Their marriage, however, ended in 2014 after nearly 22 years together. The divorce was filed in Texas, citing irreconcilable differences. Beth moved on and remarried James McGuire in 2020, starting a new chapter in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she embraced a blended family with McGuire’s children and found fulfillment in writing and coaching.
Sean Payton’s second act in love began in 2014 when he met Skylene Montgomery at an NFL game. Skylene, a West Virginia native and former Miss West Virginia USA, was a nurse at the time, working in North Carolina. She had asked a friend to help her get tickets to a Saints game, which led to an unexpected introduction to Payton himself. Their relationship blossomed, and five years later, on November 8, 2019, Payton proposed in grand fashion at a private party that Skylene believed was celebrating her birthday.
As country singer Heidi Newfield performed Johnny and June, Sean got down on one knee and surprised her with a ring. They even got matching tattoos of the letter “J” to commemorate the moment. The couple had initially planned to wed in March 2021 but postponed due to the pandemic, ultimately tying the knot in an intimate Cabo San Lucas ceremony on June 18, 2021, officiated by former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson.
Beyond being a beauty queen, Skylene, born on December 4, 1984, is a fiercely independent woman. She grew up in Parkersburg, West Virginia, as the only child of Skylar and Darlene Montgomery. A self-proclaimed tomboy, she played all-state volleyball and softball, later pursuing a degree in exercise physiology from Marshall University before earning her nursing credentials at West Virginia University. She worked in the ICU and gastrointestinal care unit, showcasing her dedication to healthcare.
Russell Wilson and Sean Payton together at the Nuggets game
Moved him up one spot in my rankings, before moving him down two spots when I noticed Payton made his wife sit buffer
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) May 10, 2023
In addition to her medical career, she coached volleyball and engaged in philanthropy, supporting causes like Payton’s Play It Forward Foundation and the Ochsner Cancer Institute’s Moonlight & Miracles Ball. Skylene maintains a low profile, preferring to stay out of the spotlight, despite being the wife of a high-profile coach. She channels her energy into fitness, enjoying CrossFit, yoga, and boxing. Skylene, 40, and Sean, 61, even named their dogs after CrossFit workouts, showcasing their shared passion.
Sean Payton’s Two Kids: Where are Meghan and Connor Now?
Sean Payton’s two children, Meghan (daughter) and Connor (son), grew up immersed in football. Meghan, now 28, pursued a career in sports journalism. She attended Pepperdine University, where she studied sports media and journalism, and landed an internship with the NFL Network’s rotational program. She even had the surreal experience of interviewing her own father for Total Access in 2016, pressing him on the Saints’ playoff loss.
She later worked for Fox Sports and SportsGrid before becoming a host and analyst at FanDuel TV. In June 2023, Meghan married Chris Titone, an actor and writer who contributed to the screenplay of Home Team, a film based on Sean’s time coaching Connor’s sixth-grade football team during his 2012 NFL suspension.
Connor, now 25, shares his father’s deep love for football but has taken a different path, aiming for an NFL front office role. After high school, he enrolled at Texas Christian University, where he studied sports management. By 2022, he was gaining hands-on experience, interning with the Saints’ scouting department during training camp.
Connor’s most unique bonding experience with his father came in 2012 when Sean, suspended from the NFL due to the Bountygate scandal, found himself coaching his son’s middle school football team. The experience was later dramatized in Home Team, with Kevin James portraying Sean. The father-son duo share a deep connection, often attending NBA games together, especially to watch their beloved New Orleans Pelicans.
