Celebrities who married non-celebrities

We meet most stars before they’ve met the love of their life (or one of the loves of their life), but for Tina Fey, it’s the reverse. Fey began dating her husband, Jeff Richmond, in the mid-'90s, and the two married shortly after she became head writer for Saturday Night Live. Though Richmond doesn’t share the spotlight with his wife, he has worked with her before, notably as a composer for the legendary sitcom she created, 30 Rock.

The tales of Ariana Grande’s romantic life have been widely documented — mostly by the singer herself. The world will never forget when she called out a group of her famous ex-boyfriends by name in “thank u, next.” But eventually, Grande stopped name-dropping her former lovers and stuck to singing about her husband, real estate broker Dalton Gomez. The two have been married since 2021. 

While there were likely plenty of potential suitors lined up at Taylor Lautner’s door who don’t share his first name, the Twilight alum opted to marry another Taylor: Taylor Dome. To curb confusion, Dome goes by Tay within the confines of their marriage. Dome is a registered nurse, but we might be hearing more from her moving forward as she recently launched a podcast. 

John Cena can take anyone in a physical match-up, but when it comes to intellect, his wife might have him beat. In October 2020, the wrestler-turned-actor married Shay Shariatzadeh, an Iranian-born engineer. The couple keeps their personal life private, so not much else is known about the duo. 

After commanding the country’s attention in blockbuster films like Silver Linings Playbook, America Hustler, and, of course, The Hunger Games trilogy, Jennifer Lawrence became the world’s highest-paid actress. Now the Oscar winner has a new title: wife. She and her husband, Cooke Maroney, director of an art gallery, married shortly after meeting in 2018. In 2022, the couple welcomed their first child, and Lawrence has shared she’s as dedicated to protecting her child's privacy as she is her and her husband’s privacy. 

A former doctor by trade, Ken Jeong isn’t the only person with medical training in his household. The Hangover star is married to Tran Ho, a family physician, making the duo a bona fide power couple. 

Hollywood marriages are notoriously ill-fated, but perhaps the secret to a lasting relationship in Tinsel Town is marrying someone outside the entertainment industry — or at least someone who isn’t in the spotlight. Natalie Portman took such advice by marrying Benjamin Millepied, a dancer and choreographer whom she met while filming Black Swan. The film was a good use of her time, bringing her both a husband and an Oscar. 

Wanda Sykes is also married to someone with absolutely nothing to do with the entertainment industry. Her wife, Alex Niedbalski, was a granite countertop salesman when the two met. Sykes and Niedbalski have been together for well over a decade now. 

Jon Bon Jovi is about as famous as they come, but far fewer people are familiar with his wife. Bon Jovi and Dorthea Hurley met in high school, and the New Jersey natives tied the knot in 1989 and celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2019. The couple shares four children. 

Funny guy Jimmy Fallon rubs elbows with celebrities regularly thanks to his gig as host of The Tonight Show , but when he goes home at night, it’s to someone much less famous than the guests he interviews. Fallon has been married to film producer Nancy Juvonen since 2007. Even if you’ve never heard of Juvonen, you’ve likely heard of the films her production company, which she owns with Drew Barrymore, is responsible for. Never Been Kissed, 50 First Dates, Charlie’s Angels, and He’s Just Not That Into You are among the impressive list. 

Meryl Streep’s husband might not be famous to most people, but he’s a prominent figure in the art world. The Oscar winner is married to Don Gummer, a sculptor whose work has been displayed at several museums worldwide, including the Butler Institute of American Art and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. 

Christian Bale has been on movie screens for decades, and for most of that time, he’s also been married to Sibi Blazic, a former model whom he married in 2000. Bale wasn’t sold on the institution of marriage thanks to a high divorce rate among his family members, but meeting Blazic shifted his perspective. Over 20 years and two children later, the couple is still going strong. 

After his divorce in 1993, it seemed as though George Clooney would never wed again. All that changed in 2014 after he met Amal Alamuddin. Though Alamuddin wasn’t well-known to the world at large before her relationship with Clooney, she was certainly known in the human rights world. The attorney has been lauded for her legal mind and victories in human rights cases across the globe. 

Jesse Tyler Ferguson played an attorney on Modern Family, but off-screen, it’s his husband who goes to work as a lawyer. Ferguson and Justin Mikita have been married since 2013, and in late 2022, they shared via Instagram that they’d welcomed their second child, a boy named Sullivan. Their eldest is a boy named Beckett. 

Few actors have had as much success on television as Ellen Pompeo. Meredith Grey herself spent well over 15 years on Grey’s Anatomy. And for as much is known about Pompeo’s career success, little is known about her husband, Chris Ivery. Though he recently made a career change, Ivery spent much of his career in the music business and is credited as a writer for Rihanna’s “Cheers (Drink to That).” 

Gal Gadot met her husband, Jaron Varsano, in Israel in 2006. Two years later, they were married, and over 14 years later, they’re still married. Gadot is best known for portraying Wonder Woman in the most recent film adaptations of the eponymous DC comic. While his wife is busy saving the world, Varsano is helping run the production company the couple started together, Pilot Wave. 

Anne Hathaway has been married to her husband, Adam Shulman, for over 10 years. The two wed after four years of dating and are known for keeping the details of their marriage private. Though not particularly famous for his craft, Shulman is an actor — you might’ve seen him in an episode of West Wing or the made-for-TV movie The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning. 

We all know Paul Rudd is funny as hell and aging in reverse, but did you know he’s married? That’s right, Ant-Man has been married to Julie Yaeger since 2003. Yaeger is a screenwriter and producer, though her work isn’t quite as well known as her husband’s. Yaeger and Rudd share two children, one of whom is just as big a Kansas City Chiefs fan as his dad. 

Amy Schumer will be the first to tell you she hit the lottery with her husband. He’s a professional chef. Chris Fischer owns and operates a restaurant in Martha’s Vineyard, and the cookbook he wrote earned him a James Beard Award. The chef was also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as an adult, something his wife discussed at length during her Netflix standup special Amy Schumer: Growing.

There might be fewer comedians who are married to other celebrities than those who are married to non-celebrities. Count Seth Meyers in the latter category. His wife, Alexi Ashe, is a human rights attorney. Meyers doesn’t broadcast much about their relationship, but he posts the occasional photo of Ashe on social media with a sweet and funny message to celebrate certain milestones.