The Real Life Partners Of Famous Game Show Hosts
It's no secret that game shows aren't as popular as they used to be in the '70s, when nearly 20 such programs filled slots in three U.S. network schedules. And their shelf lives remain questionable, given the negative impact that streaming technology and changing demographics have had on the movie and television industries. But they still enjoy audience loyalty, while those responsible for putting them on air love that they're cheaper than, say, a magnum opus like HBO's "Game of Thrones." Heck, crews can record a week's worth of shows like "Jeopardy!" and "Family Feud" in one day.
Such a workload is irresistible to hosts who love that downtime the rest of the week, and the bulk of their scripts already printed on Q&A cue cards. And if they click with the public, that's gold, which explains the appeal of the retiring "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak and the successful transition in 2007 between Bob Barker and Drew Carey on "The Price Is Right." The result of landing such a cushy gig? Stability galore and the chance to have blissfully domestic normal lives with friends and family, which might explain why they seldom become tabloid targets. For all that, we seldom hear about their other halves, a void that this piece is more than eager to fill. So put your fingers on your buzzers, place your wagers, and play along at home as we delve into those celebrity partnerships that have for the most part escaped public scrutiny.
Mayim Bialik shares a breakdown with Jonathan Cohen
Viewers have long been familiar with comedic actor Mayim Bialik, ever since her child star days fronting the titular '90s sitcom "Blossom" before joining the cast of "The Big Bang Theory" in 2010, playing Sheldon Cooper's geeky amour Amy Farrah Fowler. Bialik, who has a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA, also had the right stuff to be chosen as the permanent host of long-running trivia game show "Jeopardy!" in 2022. But her synapses really connected with boyfriend Jonathan Cohen when created a podcast called "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown" during the pandemic.
They share very little about their relationship in public, but the chemistry between the two on the weekly podcast is undeniable. "We're doing an episode on codependency," remarked Cohen on one episode. "Every episode's an episode on co-dependency!" quipped Bialik in response. Cohen might not have a doctorate like his girlfriend, but he brings to the table 20 years of training in such holistic areas as healing and mindfulness. He also has university degrees in fine arts and film studies he earned in Canada and serves as creative director at Lotic, an apps company that uses artificial intelligence and behavior science to create life-improving technology. Bialik noted that Cohen's input is critical to the show. "One thing we talk about on the podcast is loneliness for people struggling with that," she said to Jewish News Syndicate. "He is a writer and I'm a neuroscientist, so I bring the science piece."
John Cena keeps it low-key with Shay Shariatzadeh
One of the most successful grapplers to cash in on life after canvas calisthenics, John Cena has become quite the Hollywood heavyweight. He's proven to remain true to macho form in outings like "F9: The Fast Saga" and two "Suicide Squad" action flicks while showing his sensitive, albeit naked, side to Any Schumer in the comedy "Trainwreck." But the celeb also demonstrated his bingo-calling chops when he accepted TBS's offer to host a reboot of the game show action series "Wipeout" in 2021, which was renewed for a second season the following year. The year before starting his "Wipeout" gig, Cena married longtime girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh in a Florida lawyer's office. The pairing is far more low-key than Cena's much-publicized relationship with former flame Nikki Bella, which is apparently how they want it. Shariatzadeh, an Iranian native who eventually landed Canadian citizenship, apparently doesn't engage on social media, and has a bachelor's degree in electrical and electronics engineering.
Cena first met Shariatzadeh in a restaurant in 2019 in Vancouver, where he was filming "Playing with Fire" and it's been pyrotechnics ever since. Cena couldn't help but thank his lucky stars over picking a gig that would land Ms. Right. "What's truly special about this one is that, no matter what projects I'm involved in in the future, this one will always have a special meaning because I got to film a special project and meet someone special," he said to Entertainment Tonight.
Rob Gronkowski found game with Camille Kostek
Back when the New England Patriots were almost perennial Super Bowl champions, one of Tom Brady's favorite receiving targets was Rob Gronkowski. But someone else had the Gronk in her sights for almost as long as he had been suiting up for the Pats. That would be Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Camille Kostek, a cheerleader for the NFL franchise at the time, who bumped into the gridiron great at a charity bash in 2013. Kostek hinted on SiriusXM's "This Is Happening with Mark Zito and Ryan" that dating between players and cheerleaders was taboo, although the tight end found a way around that. "He ripped off his 'Hi, my name is Ron Gronkowski' sticker," Kostek said. "He had written on the back of it his phone number."
Credit Gronkowski for his smooth moves both on and off the field — skills he needed on "Game On!," a remount of the UK game show "A League of Their Own," once he decided to leave football for good. As a co-host, Gronk led a team of celebrities against a squad fronted by Venus Williams in a potpourri of stunts. "I'm the team captain," said the athletic co-host in a behind-the scenes teaser, "so the athletic ability is right there, the skill set is right there, it's just second to none." Alas, the CBS series, introduced in 2020, tanked after three months. Fortunately, Gronk and Kostek are still going strong.
Chris Hardwick received critical support from Lydia Hearst
For years, zombie fans have tuned into Chris Hardwick hosting "Talking Dead," the gabfest that followed each episode of "The Walking Dead" and its other AMC sequels. Others have found Hardwick to be an empathetic bingo caller on NBC's "The Wall," a game show he's hosted since 2016. But both careers could have wound up dead in the water thanks to a Medium article written by his ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra, claiming her relationship with the celeb was frequently marred with abuse, although she never mentioned him by name. AMC briefly suspended Harwick until an investigation cleared him while NBC asked him back to host "The Wall" in 2018.
Fortunately, Hardwick's wife, Lydia Hearst, had his back. "Chris Hardwick is a good man," she said on Instagram. "I remain in complete support of my husband, and I believe that the truth will always win." The Dykstra incident has been the only public red flag in what seems to be a blissful relationship with Hearst, ever since they tied the knot in 2016. "It's definitely made me more grounded and comfortable," said Hardwick to Larry King about being married to Hearst. "She's the best." That said, it's no secret that Hardwick's wife is no stranger to scandal, given that her mother is Patty Hearst, is a media heiress who was kidnapped in 1974 by terrorist group the Symbionese Liberation Army, with whom she eventually joined until the FBI arrested her a year later.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Steve Harvey hardly feuds with wife Marjorie
Probably one of the most laid-back and hilarious game show hosts in recent history is Steve Harvey, who quickly put his stamp on the beloved quiz program "Family Feud" when he took over hosting duties of the rebooted show in 2010. Always looking for anything risque to get the studio audience rolling in the aisles, Harvey comes across as smooth as century-old bourbon. Behind the scenes, however, Harvey has wife Marjorie who's kept him on the straight and narrow since they were married in 2010. "Marjorie changed the way I existed," said Steve, previously married twice, to People. "I'd never been in a healthy adult relationship. I'd never been loyal, I'd never been fully respected." They still find ways to keep the magic, even though Steve has his fingers in a great deal of pies these days, from writing self-help books and hosting videocasts to designing ties and selling his own merch. Between them they're also raising seven children, including three Marjorie had from a previous relationship.
The two first met when Marjorie showed up late to attend one of Harvey's standup comedy shows and thought he would ream her out in front of the audience. "He was just staring at me... I thought I was gonna become part of the show," she said in Parade. "He finally realized he's gotta say something, he was like, 'Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know who this is, but I'm gonna marry her.'"
Ken Jeong sent messages to his wife via The Hangover
The first time we saw Ken Jeong was in 2009's "The Hangover," when his mobster character Mr. Chow sprang out of a trunk in a Las Vegas backlot clad only in socks. Evidently it was Jeong's idea to go starkers when chatting with director Todd Phillips. "I said, 'Would, what do you think about Mr. Chow jumping out naked?'" Jeong said to Kelly Clarkson. "He's like, 'You don't have to tell me twice.'" Somehow, he managed to parlay that scene into more work on shows like "Community and "Crazy Rich Asians," as well as more in-studio projects like "The Masked Singer," and his latest outing "I Can See Your Voice," a game show he hosts and produces.
Looking back, Jeong, who had gravitated from his job as a physician to acting, used his memorable "Hangover" scene to deal with the illness affecting his wife, Tran Ho, even slipping a few nuggets into the script for her benefit. "It was just a shout-out to my wife who was recovering from chemotherapy from breast cancer," he said to The Wrap. "Eleven years cancer-free; she's doing well. But there's a lot of little Easter eggs that were just for me and my wife." He also said Tran doesn't mind the zaniness he exudes during his more lively stints on TV. "No, she's really good about that," he said to NPR. "That's why I married her."
Jane Lynch is legally linked with Jennifer Cheyne
One attribute about Jane Lynch that seems to surface in her work is that she doesn't suffer fools gladly, From "Glee's' villainous cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester to "Two and a Half Men's" wisecracking psychiatrist Dr. Linda Freeman, her rapier wit was all she needed to debase anyone in her proximity. It's an ideal trait to host for a remount of "The Weakest Link," previously ringmastered by sharp-tongued Brit Anne Robinson during the 2000s. Heralding the show's launch in 2023, NBC even took to its "Weakest Link" splash page to ask browsers "Do your trivia skills deserve a Jane Lynch insult?"
But Lynch, who previously hosted "Hollywood Game Night," believes it's all in good fun. "I enjoy hosting — making sure people feel comfortable and bringing out the best in people," she said to Vanity Fair. "And I was able to do that on 'Hollywood Game Night.' I think that people felt safe that they were not going to be made a fool of, even though I might have sharp things to say to them." She's far more pragmatic in her relationship with Jennifer Cheyne, whom she married in 2021. "Jennifer and I have been together forever and we were shopping for insurance for her and I said, 'Let's just get married.”' she said on The Today Show. "So that's how romantic it went." She even parlayed her business trip to a TV festival in Monte Carlo into a honeymoon by bringing Cheyne along.
Howie and Terry Mandel have been married since 1980
Regardless of the subject matter, you can always expect a nutty response from funnyman Howie Mandel. Take the time when he first met his future wife Terry while waiting in line at a McDonald's outlet in Toronto. "I actually borrowed money from her," he said on "Today with Hoda & Jenna." "I didn't know her, and I was short a couple of bucks for French fries ... and she lent me money. She was, like, 14 at the time, and she lent me money. And I've been paying her back ever since." That debt must have been more than for an order of taters, given the paychecks Mandel has brought home over the years as a standup comedian, heartthrob doctor Wayne Fiscus on the medical drama "St. Elsewhere," game show host on "Deal or No Deal" and talent competition judge in two countries via "America's Got Talent' and "Canada's Got Talent."
Despite all that bread winning, his anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders jeopardized his marriage at one point, with Terry pushing Mandel to seek treatment. It also helped that Mandel had support from his loved ones to help keep those mental issues under control. "Even on days where I'm in a dark pit, I know that at some point I'm going to climb out of it," he said to People. "I'm going to see the faces of my family, and that sunshine will be worth the pain."
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
Dirty talk keeps Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos together
Unlike most other halves covered in this space, Kelly Ripa's spouse isn't one to shy away from the paparazzi or avoid the headlines any chance they get. In fact, on one of her shows, he's right up there with her on the front lines. That would be Mark Consuelos, who took over for Ryan Seacrest on the daytime talk show "Live! With Kelly and Mark" in April 2023. It's not the first time the two, who married in 1996, have worked together, having met a year earlier on the set of the soap "All My Children" when Consuelos joined the show. It didn't take long for the chemistry between the two to translate to wedding bells in Las Vegas. "We're very lucky that we found each other, that's what I have to say," said Ripa in a 2015 interview with AOL. "I would say to Mark, 'Who would we have married if not each other.'"
Currently raising three children, the duo apparently have a very active love life, punctuated by some rather naughty verbosity from Consuelos. "Only in Spanish," noted Consuelos on "Watch What Happens Live." You won't catch Consuelos or any of his NSFW chatter on Ripa's sideline gig hosting the game show "Generation Gap." The quiz show pits children against adults answering trivia questions in pursuit of a grand prize.
Pat Sajak and Lesly Brown have been married for years
Even game show detractors would have a tough time arguing that vowel merchant Pat Sajak doesn't rank as the GOAT in the TV genre. Spinning financial fates for contestants on "Wheel of Fortune," and accompanied by videogenic letter turner Vanna White for four decades, he's among the most durable game show hosts around, beating colleagues like "The Price Is Right" host Bob Barker (35 seasons) and the late Alex Trebek of "Jeopardy!" (37 seasons). It's a legacy that will end in 2024, when he announced in June 2023 that he will be leaving the show. "Well, the time has come," Sajak tweeted. "I've decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It's been a wonderful ride, and I'll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it'll keep the clickbait sites busy!)."
Sajak will apparently remain with the show as a consultant for at least a couple of seasons, but otherwise, he's likely to spend time at home with Lesley Brown, a former model he married in 1989. "I knew she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with," Sajak said to People. The couple has raised two children, who have appeared a few times on "Wheel of Fortune," while Brown shied away. More recently, their daughter Maggie has her sights on a country music career, while son Patrick became a doctor.