Jeff Gillooly became one of the most infamous names in American sports history after his role in the 1994 attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan came to light. As the ex-husband of Olympic skater Tonya Harding, Gillooly orchestrated a plot meant to eliminate Kerrigan from competition, a scandal that dominated national headlines and forever altered the public perception of two young athletes. Decades later, Gillooly has largely disappeared from public life under a new identity, but his name remains tied to one of the strangest and most talked about scandals in Olympic history.
This article covers what happened during the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, Gillooly’s relationship with Tonya Harding, his legal consequences, and where he is today.
Quick Bio Table
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name (Current) | Jeff Stone (formerly Jeff Gillooly) |
| Known For | Orchestrating the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan |
| Former Spouse | Tonya Harding (m. 1990, div. 1993) |
| Legal Outcome | Pled guilty to racketeering; served 6 months of a 2 year sentence |
| Name Change | Changed legal surname to Stone after 1995 release |
| Later Marriages | Nancy Sharkey (div. 2000); Christy Novasio (m. 2012) |
| Children | Two, with Nancy Sharkey |
| Current Residence | Near Portland, Oregon |
| Pop Culture Connection | Portrayed by Sebastian Stan in “I, Tonya” (2017) |
Early Relationship With Tonya Harding
Jeff Gillooly’s relationship with Tonya Harding began when Harding was just 15 years old and Gillooly was two years older. The two eventually married in 1990, but their relationship was marked by significant turmoil from early on. Harding attempted to separate from Gillooly on more than one occasion before the couple officially divorced in 1993. Despite the legal split, reports at the time indicated that Harding and Gillooly continued to refer to each other as spouses well into 1994, the same year the attack on Kerrigan took place.
Their relationship has been widely described as troubled, with allegations of domestic conflict surfacing in various accounts over the years. This volatile dynamic between Gillooly and Harding would later become central to the narrative surrounding the events of January 1994.
Harding’s rise through competitive figure skating was already well underway by the time she married Gillooly. She had become known for her technical skill and athleticism, most notably as the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition. That success brought its own pressures, and reports from the era describe a marriage strained by financial stress, the demands of Harding’s training schedule, and ongoing personal conflict between the two. Friends and associates of the couple later described a relationship that swung between periods of genuine partnership and periods of open hostility, a pattern that several accounts suggest continued even after their formal divorce in 1993.
The Attack on Nancy Kerrigan
On January 6, 1994, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, Michigan. An assailant struck Kerrigan on her lower right thigh with a collapsible metal baton as she left the ice following a practice session. The attack left Kerrigan unable to compete in the championship and immediately drew national attention, particularly once her connection to rival skater Tonya Harding became part of the unfolding story.
Investigators soon discovered that the attack had been planned by Jeff Gillooly along with Harding’s bodyguard, Shawn Eckardt. The two had hired a man named Shane Stant to carry out the physical assault, with Stant’s uncle, Derrick Smith, serving as the getaway driver. The plan was intended to eliminate Kerrigan from contention for a spot on the 1994 U.S. Olympic team, thereby improving Harding’s chances of qualifying.
The Investigation and Legal Fallout
The FBI’s investigation into the attack moved quickly. Shawn Eckardt confessed within days, implicating Harding, Gillooly, and the two men who had carried out the assault. Gillooly was arrested after an arrest warrant was issued, and he was also accused of threatening Harding during their earlier marriage. He later confessed to the FBI, providing testimony that implicated himself along with Harding, Eckardt, Smith, and Stant.
In exchange for his cooperation and testimony against his ex-wife and the other conspirators, Gillooly accepted a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to racketeering in February 1994 in exchange for a 24 month sentence. Despite his cooperation, Gillooly ultimately received the harshest sentence of anyone involved in the plot, a fact that has been noted by multiple outlets covering the case over the years. He was released after serving just six months of his sentence in 1995.
Tonya Harding, for her part, denied direct involvement in planning the attack but eventually pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution. She received three years of probation, 500 hours of community service, and a substantial fine, and she was permanently banned from competing under the U.S. Figure Skating Association.
The case drew intense scrutiny not only because of the attack itself but because of the timing. Both Kerrigan and Harding went on to compete at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, just weeks after the assault, creating one of the most closely watched moments in Olympic history. Kerrigan recovered enough to win the silver medal, while Harding, dealing with equipment problems during her routine, finished in eighth place. The contrast between the two outcomes only intensified public fascination with the case and cemented Gillooly’s role as the architect of a plot that ultimately failed to achieve its intended result.
Life After Prison
After his release from prison in 1995, Jeff Gillooly made a deliberate effort to distance himself from his past. He shaved off the mustache that had become one of his most recognizable features during media coverage of the scandal, and he legally changed his surname to Stone. According to reporting from Deadspin, Jeff Stone settled near Portland, Oregon, where he has lived a comparatively quiet and private life ever since.
Stone remarried in 1995 to a woman named Nancy Sharkey, and the couple had two children together before divorcing in 2000. Sharkey later died by suicide in 2005. Stone remarried again in 2012, and as of the mid 2010s, he was reported to be living with his wife, Christy Novasio, along with the two children he had with Sharkey. Beyond these details, Gillooly has kept most aspects of his personal and professional life out of the public record, a stark contrast to his ex-wife, who has continued to make occasional public and media appearances over the years.
Reporting on Stone’s post prison life has been sparse largely by design. Investigative pieces published years after his release, including a widely cited report from Deadspin, pieced together fragments of his life from public records and interviews with people who knew him, since Stone himself has consistently declined to speak with reporters. That approach has meant that most of what the public knows about his life since 1995 comes from secondhand sources rather than his own account, which is a notable departure from how the case was covered in the 1990s, when Gillooly’s own testimony and statements to the press were central to the unfolding story.
Connection to “I, Tonya”
Public interest in Gillooly resurfaced significantly with the 2017 release of the film “I, Tonya,” a biographical dramedy starring Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding and Sebastian Stan as Gillooly. The film presented a mockumentary style account of the events leading up to and following the attack on Kerrigan, drawing renewed attention to a scandal that had faded from mainstream conversation over the preceding two decades.
According to actor Sebastian Stan, he actually met with the real life Gillooly while preparing for the role. Stan recounted that Gillooly’s first question to him was why anyone would want to make a film about the events at all. That meeting offered a rare glimpse into how Gillooly, now living under the name Jeff Stone, viewed the ongoing public fascination with a scandal from decades earlier that he had otherwise tried to leave behind.
Where Is Jeff Gillooly Now?
As of the most recent reporting available, Jeff Gillooly, now known as Jeff Stone, continues to live a private life away from the public eye. Unlike Tonya Harding, who has periodically returned to public attention through reality television appearances, interviews, and documentary projects, Gillooly has consistently avoided capitalizing on the infamy tied to his past. Reports suggest he worked in sales after his release from prison, though detailed information about his current career and daily life remains limited, largely because he has chosen not to participate in media coverage.
This deliberate privacy has made Gillooly something of an enigma compared to the other figures involved in the Kerrigan attack. While Harding has spoken extensively about the case over the years, including admitting in a 2018 television special that she had some awareness of the plot beforehand, Gillooly has largely let his 1994 confession stand as his final public word on the matter.
Why People Still Talk About Jeff Gillooly
Interest in Jeff Gillooly tends to resurface whenever the Kerrigan and Harding scandal reenters popular culture, whether through anniversary retrospectives, documentaries, or renewed interest in “I, Tonya.” The attack remains one of the most talked about scandals in the history of American sports, both for its brazenness and for the way it intersected with the emerging 24 hour news cycle of the early 1990s. As one of the central architects of the plot, Gillooly’s name is inseparable from that history, even decades after he tried to leave it behind.
Conclusion
Jeff Gillooly’s role in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan made him one of the most notorious figures in 1990s sports history, but his life since then has been defined by a deliberate retreat from public attention. Living quietly under the name Jeff Stone, he has largely avoided the spotlight that continues to follow his ex-wife, choosing instead to leave the events of 1994 firmly in the past.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jeff Gillooly
Who is Jeff Gillooly?
Jeff Gillooly is the former husband of figure skater Tonya Harding who orchestrated the January 1994 attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan.
Did Jeff Gillooly go to prison?
Yes. He pleaded guilty to racketeering and served six months of a two year prison sentence after cooperating with investigators.
What name does Jeff Gillooly go by now?
He legally changed his name to Jeff Stone after his release from prison in 1995.
Is Jeff Gillooly still married to Tonya Harding?
No. Gillooly and Harding divorced in 1993, before the attack on Nancy Kerrigan took place.
Was Jeff Gillooly involved in the movie “I, Tonya”?
He was not formally involved in producing the film, but he met privately with actor Sebastian Stan, who portrayed him, before the film’s 2017 release.
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