Emily Compagno married businessman Derek Hedt in 2026, roughly a year after finalizing her divorce from first husband Peter Riley. The Fox News co-host of Outnumbered and host of The FOX True Crime Podcast kept both the engagement and wedding characteristically private — confirming the engagement on Instagram in August 2024 without even naming her partner at the time.
And then there’s the Jon Skoog situation. Dozens of websites and tabloid articles have named Skoog as Emily’s husband or fiance. He is neither. Jon Skoog is married to Emily’s sister, Julietta Compagno. He is her brother-in-law. The misinformation has spread so widely that it now dominates Google search results, which is exactly why the facts need straightening out.
What follows covers Peter Riley’s background and their eight-year marriage, the real story behind the divorce, why the Jon Skoog rumor took off, and who Derek Hedt actually is.
Emily Compagno’s First Husband — Peter Riley
Peter Riley is a technology sales executive who married Emily Compagno on September 17, 2017, in a private ceremony at Villa Cimbrone in Ravello, Italy. The couple met as teenagers and reconnected years later in Seattle, where both had settled for career reasons. Their marriage lasted until roughly late 2025, when their divorce was finalized.
Peter Riley’s Career in Tech Sales
Riley built a career in enterprise account management across some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent cybersecurity and computing firms. According to multiple professional profile sources, his career trajectory includes three major stops:
| Company | Role | Approximate Period |
|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto Networks | Major Account Manager | 2015–2021 |
| Netskope | Senior Account Manager | 2021–2023 |
| NVIDIA | Senior Account Manager | 2023–present |
Before entering cybersecurity sales, Riley worked as a data analyst — a foundation that likely gave him the technical fluency to navigate complex enterprise deals. His current position at NVIDIA, a global leader in AI chips and visual computing, places him in one of the fastest-growing sectors in tech.
Riley has never cultivated a public profile. No verified social media accounts. No media interviews. Everything known about his career comes from professional networking platforms and reporting from outlets like BusinessWorldEureka and CIOThink, not from Riley himself.
The Italy Wedding and Their Private Marriage
The September 2017 ceremony at Villa Cimbrone — a 12th-century estate perched on the Amalfi Coast cliffs — reflected both Emily’s Italian heritage and the couple’s shared preference for privacy. No celebrity photographers. No magazine exclusives. Emily referenced the wedding warmly in early interviews but never offered granular details.
The couple lived primarily in Seattle, Washington, with a second residence in the San Francisco Bay Area — convenient for Riley’s Silicon Valley career. According to Emily Compagno’s Wikipedia entry, the marriage produced no children. Emily has not publicly confirmed or denied this, but no credible source has reported otherwise.
Why Did Emily Compagno and Peter Riley Divorce?
Emily Compagno and Peter Riley divorced by late 2025, per Wikipedia’s updated biographical entry. Neither party issued a public statement, and Emily — true to form — has declined to discuss the reasons in interviews or on social media.
Financial Difficulties and the Reported Tax Lien
Multiple outlets, including BusinessWorldEureka (November 2025) and TrendNewzUSA (April 2025), have reported that Riley faced significant financial setbacks tied to failed investments in cryptocurrency and a space technology startup. The most specific claim involves a tax lien of approximately $880,000 — a figure that appeared in several independent reports.
Whether these financial pressures contributed to the divorce remains unconfirmed. Emily has never connected the two publicly, and attributing the split to any single cause would be speculation. What is documented: the couple’s public appearances together ceased around 2020, Emily stopped referencing Riley on social media entirely, and the divorce was finalized roughly five years later.
| Timeline Marker | Event |
|---|---|
| September 17, 2017 | Wedding at Villa Cimbrone, Ravello, Italy |
| ~2020 | Last known public references to Riley by Emily |
| August 28, 2024 | Emily confirms engagement to a new partner on Instagram |
| Late 2025 | Divorce from Peter Riley finalized |
The Jon Skoog Misconception — He’s Emily’s Brother-in-Law, Not Her Husband
Jon Skoog is not Emily Compagno’s husband, fiance, or ex-husband. He is married to Emily’s sister, Julietta Compagno, making him her brother-in-law. Full stop.
This correction matters because the misinformation has become pervasive. A search for “emily compagno husband” returns dozens of articles confidently naming Jon Skoog as her partner — some even fabricating elaborate biographies for him as a “former MLB player” or “fitness entrepreneur.” None of it is accurate.
How the Mix-Up Spread Online
The confusion likely originated from Skoog’s appearance in Compagno family photos on social media. When Emily’s marriage to Peter Riley became publicly known to be over, tabloid aggregators searching for a “new husband” latched onto Skoog’s name — probably from tagged Instagram photos — without verifying the family relationship. According to KRK Jewels’ detailed investigative piece on Emily’s engagement ring, “Jon Skoog is married to Emily’s sister, Julietta Compagno. He is Emily’s brother-in-law, not her husband or fiance.”
Once a few sites published the claim, others copied it. The cycle is a textbook example of how celebrity misinformation compounds: one wrong article becomes the “source” for ten more. Outlets like Tuko.co.ke (July 2025) and YEN.COM.GH (May 2025) have explicitly flagged the claim as unverified, noting “there is no evidence to warrant the conclusion that John and Emily were a couple.”
Emily Compagno’s Current Husband — Derek Hedt
Emily Compagno married Derek Hedt in 2026, according to her updated Wikipedia biography and multiple news outlets including RecruitBase and PrayerForest. Hedt is a real estate broker at Berkshire Hathaway NW Real Estate, based in Vancouver, Washington — just across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.
Derek Hedt’s Career and Background
Hedt works in residential and commercial real estate through Berkshire Hathaway’s Northwest division, one of the largest real estate brokerage networks in the Pacific Northwest. Unlike Peter Riley’s role in high-stakes enterprise tech sales, Hedt’s career is rooted in a more traditionally local business model — though one backed by Warren Buffett’s global brand.
Beyond his professional profile, Hedt maintains the same kind of deliberate privacy that characterized Peter Riley. No public social media presence of note. No media appearances. Emily chose — again — a partner who operates entirely outside the media spotlight.
The 2024 Engagement and 2026 Wedding
Emily confirmed her engagement on Instagram on August 28, 2024, with a post that showed her ring but did not identify her partner by name. The strategic ambiguity was deliberate. In the months that followed, the internet filled the void with the Jon Skoog misidentification, while Emily continued to keep Derek Hedt’s identity out of public discourse.
The couple married privately in 2026. No venue details, guest lists, or ceremony photos have been publicly released — consistent with how Emily handled her first wedding in Italy nearly a decade earlier. She approaches major life events with a security clearance mentality: confirm the fact, withhold the details.
| Detail | Peter Riley (First Husband) | Derek Hedt (Current Husband) |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage Year | 2017 | 2026 |
| Profession | Senior Account Manager, NVIDIA | Real Estate Broker, Berkshire Hathaway NW |
| Wedding Style | Private ceremony in Italy | Private (details undisclosed) |
| Public Profile | Very low | Very low |
| Children | None confirmed | None confirmed |
Emily Compagno’s Engagement Ring — What We Know
Emily Compagno’s engagement ring features what jewelry experts estimate is a 1.5- to 2-carat round brilliant-cut diamond in a solitaire or minimal halo setting, mounted on a platinum or white gold band. The design is understated and classic — no oversized halo, no elaborate side stones — which tracks with Emily’s on-screen style.
According to analysis from KRK Jewels and CaratDiamonds, the ring appears to use a high-quality solitaire diamond prized for brilliance and simplicity. Diamond Rensu’s coverage (February 2025) noted the setting is “reportedly set in platinum or white gold, both great options for engagement rings,” with speculation about a pave or halo accent along the band.
| Ring Feature | Estimated Detail |
|---|---|
| Center Stone | Round brilliant-cut diamond |
| Estimated Carat Weight | 1.5–2 carats |
| Setting Style | Solitaire or minimal halo |
| Band Material | Platinum or white gold |
| Design Philosophy | Timeless, understated elegance |
The round brilliant cut remains the most popular shape for engagement diamonds globally, engineered with 58 facets to maximize light reflection. For someone who appears on camera five days a week under studio lighting, the choice is both aesthetically and practically sound.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Emily Compagno married to now?
Emily Compagno is married to Derek Hedt, a real estate broker at Berkshire Hathaway NW Real Estate in Vancouver, Washington. The couple married in 2026 after Emily confirmed their engagement on Instagram on August 28, 2024.
Who was Emily Compagno’s first husband?
Peter Riley, a technology sales executive currently working as a Senior Account Manager at NVIDIA. Emily and Peter married on September 17, 2017, at Villa Cimbrone in Ravello, Italy, and divorced by late 2025.
Is Jon Skoog Emily Compagno’s husband?
No. Jon Skoog is married to Emily’s sister, Julietta Compagno. He is Emily’s brother-in-law. Multiple tabloid sources have incorrectly identified Skoog as Emily’s husband or fiance, but this has been debunked by outlets including KRK Jewels and Tuko.co.ke.
Does Emily Compagno have children?
No children have been publicly confirmed. Emily’s Wikipedia entry states she and Peter Riley had no children, and no credible reporting has indicated children from her current marriage to Derek Hedt.
Why did Emily Compagno and Peter Riley divorce?
Neither Emily nor Peter has publicly stated a reason. Reports from multiple outlets cite financial difficulties on Riley’s end — including failed investments in cryptocurrency and a space startup, and a reported tax lien of approximately $880,000 — but a direct causal link to the divorce has not been confirmed.
What does Emily Compagno’s husband do for a living?
Derek Hedt works as a real estate broker at Berkshire Hathaway NW Real Estate in Vancouver, Washington. Emily’s ex-husband Peter Riley is a Senior Account Manager at NVIDIA, working in enterprise technology sales.
How many husbands has Emily Compagno had?
Two. Peter Riley (married 2017, divorced 2025) and Derek Hedt (married 2026). Despite widespread online claims, Jon Skoog was never her husband — he is her brother-in-law.
Is Emily Compagno still married?
Yes. As of 2026, Emily Compagno is married to Derek Hedt. She was previously married to Peter Riley from 2017 to 2025.
What does Emily Compagno’s engagement ring look like?
Jewelry experts estimate the ring features a 1.5- to 2-carat round brilliant-cut diamond in a solitaire or minimal halo setting on a platinum or white gold band. Emily first showed the ring publicly on Instagram in August 2024.
Where do Emily Compagno and her husband live?
Emily has not disclosed her current residence publicly. Her husband Derek Hedt is professionally based in Vancouver, Washington. Emily previously lived in Seattle with Peter Riley, with a second home in the San Francisco Bay Area. She commutes to New York for her Fox News hosting duties.