Her father, a retired Air Force colonel who later became a real estate broker, came from a wealthy family. However, Jodie, the fourth child in her family, grew up without a father as he left before her younger sister was born. Her mother, who worked as a Hollywood publicist, had to raise Jodie, her two sisters Cindy and Connie, and her brother Buddy on her own. The youngest daughter turned out to be a real gift for the family.