The Little-Known Spouses Behind Some Of Hollywood's Biggest Stars

Emily Ratajkowski surprised everyone in February 2018 when news emerged that she’d walked down the aisle. The model’s relationship with Sebastian Bear-McClard had only become public knowledge less than two weeks previously. Ratajkowski’s husband is also in the showbiz industry as a producer, actor, and writer, though he keeps a much lower profile than his other half.

“You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar… when I met you.” It’s hard not to think of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” on learning how Matt Damon and his Argentinian wife Luciana Barroso first bumped into each other. Yes, the pair met while the latter was bartending in Miami and went on to marry at a ceremony in Manhattan in 2005. They now have four daughters together, too – leaving Damon firmly outnumbered.

Meryl Streep has been nominated for a record-breaking 21 Academy Awards during her glittering career. And the Mamma Mia! star has been supported in each victory and defeat by husband Don Gummer. The couple walked down the aisle in 1978 and appear to have been rock solid ever since. You will occasionally see the latter on the red carpet alongside Streep. But the actress rarely discusses her marriage in public.

Fantastic Four might not have been a huge critical favorite on its 2005 release. But one of its stars did bag her future husband while shooting the superhero movie. Yes, Jessica Alba met crew member Cash Warren while playing Sue Storm. And within three years the pair had become husband and wife.

Emma Stone met her future husband Dave McCary in novel circumstances. He was directing her in a 2016 sketch for Saturday Night Live. The pair waited a further three years to make their first public appearance as a couple. They’ve seemingly continued to keep their relationship on the down low. In fact, Stone and McCary still haven’t confirmed the rumors that they got married in September 2020.

If you’ve watched any of Adam Sandler’s films since 1999’s Big Daddy, then you’ve probably seen his wife Jackie without knowing it. The comedian has given his partner and subsequently their two children small roles in a whole host of Happy Madison productions. Jackie – who became Mrs. Sandler in 2003 – has also enjoyed a recurring stint as Cindy in sitcom Kevin Can Wait.

Matt Bomer’s husband is more likely to be setting up press interviews than giving them himself. Yes, Simon Halls – who’s been married to the White Collar star since 2011 – works as a publicist. By the time they walked down the aisle, the pair already had three kids together: son Kit and twins Walker and Henry.

Thandiwe Newton said “I do” to her London-born director and writer husband in 1998. Although he might not be as famous as his sociable wife, Ol Parker has still enjoyed plenty of Hollywood success of his own. His behind-the-scenes credits include The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. 

You might not see Christian Bale’s wife Sandra “Sibi” Blazic on the red carpet that often these days. But she’s certainly no stranger to the spotlight. Before marrying the Batman Begins star at the turn of the century, Blazic used to be a model. And she also once served as a personal assistant to Winona Ryder, who personally chose Bale to appear in the 1990s adaptation of Little Women.

In 2013 Sunny Ozell boldly went where only two other women had gone before: down the aisle with Patrick Stewart. The Star Trek legend’s third wedding ceremony was also pretty special because of who officiated it. Yes, Stewart’s long-time friend and fellow Sir Ian McKellen was asked to marry the pair five years after they met.

Julia Roberts has been one of Hollywood’s most famous actresses since her starmaking turn in 1990’s Pretty Woman. But little is known about her cameraman husband Daniel Moder. The pair first met while shooting The Mexican at the turn of the century while they were both involved with other people. Within a year the couple had called time on their respective relationships and tied the knot.

Just three years after divorcing fellow actor Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon walked down the aisle again. Only this time it was with someone behind the scenes. Jim Toth is one of Hollywood’s most reputable agents thanks to a client list that boasts Academy Award winners Matthew McConaughey and Forest Whitaker. The couple – who married in 2011 – are also parents to son Tennessee.

Following the death of his first wife Cassandra Harris in 1991, Pierce Brosnan managed to find love again with Keely Shaye Smith. The James Bond star said “I do” for a second time ten years later. But as an environmental journalist, Smith is often too preoccupied with world-saving matters to accompany Brosnan on the red carpet.

Widely regarded as one of the funniest names in TV, Tina Fey isn’t the only member of her family with a comedic pedigree. Her husband Jeff Richmond is the director of famous improv theater Second City. According to Glamour magazine, the pair met at its Chicago base before walking down the aisle together in 2001.

One of Hollywood’s true nice guys, Paul Rudd has been married to the mother of his two kids – Julie Yaeger – since 2003. According to reports, the pair first began dating in the mid-1990s when one of the actor’s biggest hits – Clueless – was raking in the millions. No doubt the seemingly ageless Rudd looked exactly the same back then as he does today!

Jim Parsons and Todd Spiewak took some time in taking their relationship to the next level. The Big Bang Theory star had been dating the graphic designer for more than ten years before they finally decided to get hitched in 2017. Of course, Parsons had been in the closet up until 2012, which explains why you won’t have seen Spiewak at all during their early years.

Margot Robbie met husband Tom Ackerley before she rose to fame in the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street and Suicide Squad. You might not know his name. But chances are you’ve seen one of the big movies Ackerley has worked on as an assistant director or producer. The pair – who wed in 2016 – like to keep their private life just that, although you may see the odd selfie on Robbie’s Instagram account occasionally.

Natalie Portman had quite the experience while shooting 2010’s Black Swan. Not only did the star deliver a performance that would later bag her a Best Actress Oscar, she also bagged a husband. Yes, Portman met Frenchman and ballet performer Benjamin Millepied on the set of the psychological drama. And within two years the pair were walking down the aisle together. 

His Seinfeld character George Costanza may have gone through girlfriends quicker than most go through underwear. But Jason Alexander has been a one-woman guy since the early 1980s thanks to his long-lasting marriage with Daena E. Title. A little-known fact is on their very first date, the pair were reportedly waited on by a before-he-was-famous Bruce Willis!

It wasn’t exactly love at first sight for Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton. According to IMDb, the actress had initially thought that the screenwriter was too cocky and he believed she was standoffish. But thanks to a poker game the pair eventually realized they were made for each other. In fact, within a matter of weeks Blanchett and Upton had reportedly got engaged! And by the time the former headed off to play Elizabeth I in 1997 they’d become husband and wife.

Jeff Goldblum had previously been married to Patricia Gaul and Geena Davis. But the Jurassic Park star only became a father for the first time after walking down the aisle with his third wife – Olympian gymnast Emilie Livingston. In 2015 the pair welcomed son Charlie Ocean into the world and two years later they added River Joe to their family unit. Goldblum was well into his 60s by this point, too.

Aaron Paul has been married to Lauren Parsekian – also the mother of his child – since the summer of 2013. But the Breaking Bad star still has his wife down as “Lauren Coachella” in his phone. The pair first met at the super-cool festival several years previously and Paul’s contact list helps to remind him of this momentous event.

Steve Martin and his journalist wife Anne Stringfield sure have an interesting backstory. The pair struck up a relationship when the latter was tasked with fact-checking one of the articles the comedian had penned for The New Yorker. Within a few years Martin and Stringfield were walking down the aisle together at a quiet ceremony at their property in Los Angeles.

More than two decades after divorcing the mother of his three children, Sherri Kramer, Bob Saget tied the knot again. The actor will forever be known to most of us for his role in Full House. But second wife Kelly Rizzo told magazine Michigan Ave that this isn’t the case for her. She said, “I don’t really see him as Danny Tanner. To me he’s just Bobby, my love.”

Green Day frontman Billie Joe and Adrienne Armstrong had a life-changing start to the July of 1994. Just 24 hours after getting hitched, the pair found out that they were expecting their first-born. Joseph Marciano arrived the following February, while his brother Jakob Danger was welcomed into the world three years later. Billie Joe and Adrienne are still going strong and even still work together as the co-founders of label Adeline Records.

Joy Behar has never been afraid to discuss other people’s relationships as a co-host of daytime talk show institution The View. But what about her own? Well, in 2011 she walked down the aisle with Steve Janowitz. The actress – who titled her memoir The Great Gasbag – had previously been wed to Joseph Behar for 16 years.

Back in 1995 Friends was at the height of its phenomenal success. So, you’d expect a wedding involving one of its six main cast members to be front page news. But how many of you Central Perk obsessives knew that Lisa Kudrow got married to ad executive Michel Stern that year? Or that three years later they became parents to son Julian?

Avatar actress Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego like to do things differently. After tying the knot in 2013, the latter took his wife’s surname rather than the more traditional other way around. And when it comes to parenting their three kids, the couple are doing so in a household that’s gender-neutral.

Former Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria will be hoping that third time’s the charm when it comes to marriage. After getting divorced from Tyler Christopher and then Tony Parker, the actress married José Bastón at a Mexican ceremony in 2016. Also, you may not know that ex-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham designed Longoria’s dress for the occasion.

Cherry Seaborn certainly can’t be accused of being with Ed Sheeran for his money. She was with the redhead singer-songwriter long before he became a chart-topping multi-millionaire. In fact, the pair first met when they were both in high school. Sheeran and Seaborn – who also have a child together – eventually became husband and wife in 2018.

Kate Winslet first got hitched shortly after Titanic mania in 1998 to Jim Threapleton. Sadly, just like her second marriage to director Sam Mendes, the relationship ended in the divorce courts. The Oscar winner will be hoping that it’s third time lucky having walked down the aisle in 2012 with Edward Abel Smith – a man who once referred to himself as Ned Rocknroll!

Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich obviously don’t mind mixing their personal lives with the professional ones. The pair – who’ve been married since 2003 and are parents to two kids – have worked together on several films. Freundlich directed Moore in comedy drama Trust the Man and After the Wedding – a remake of Danish film Efter brylluppet.

U2 frontman Bono has been supported throughout the band’s rise to stadium rock giants by wife Ali Hewson. The pair got hitched way back in 1982 when the group had only released a couple of albums. And Bono isn’t the only one with a social conscience in their family, either. Hewson is also a keen activist whose name was once put forward for the Irish presidency!

Kieran Culkin had previously been overshadowed by his Home Alone-starring brother Macaulay. But thanks to his turn as Roman Roy in the award-winning Succession, he’s now become the most successful member of his acting family. And Culkin is thriving in his personal life, too. In 2013 he wed Jazz Charton and six years later became a father for the first time with the birth of daughter Kinsey.

Frankie Muniz may now be well into his 30s. But for those of us who grew up watching Malcolm in the Middle, it’s still hard to think of him as anything other than a smartass teen. Muniz is actually now a married man and father of one. In 2020 he got hitched to Paige Price and a year later the pair became parents to son Mauz Mosley.

“If you don't love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else?,” RuPaul famously asks at the end of every Drag Race episode. The world’s most famous drag queen appears to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. In 2017 RuPaul tied the knot with Georges LeBar – a former rancher from Australia who he met back in the mid-1990s. 

Guy Fieri has been a fixture on food television for more than a decade thanks to the likes of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. And the spiky bleached blonde has been supported every step of the way by wife Lori. The pair walked down the aisle together in 1995 – long before the Food Network came calling. They also have three kids: Hunter, Ryder and Jules.

Brooke Shields’ first marriage to tennis ace Andre Agassi ended acrimoniously after just two years. Thankfully, it looks as though the former child star has had a much happier time with her second husband. Shields has been wed to Chris Henchy since the turn of the century and the couple now have two kids together, too.

Rap legend Snoop Dogg is famous for filling his music videos with scantily clad women. So you might be surprised to learn that the hip hop star has been a happily married man since 1997. That’s right: the man born Calvin Cordozar Broadus is fast approaching his silver wedding anniversary with Shante Taylor – the Boss Lady Entertainment founder and mother of his three kids.