The Real-Life Partners Of The Cast Of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
When Alex Borstein needed something to wear to the 2018 Emmys, she didn't have to look too hard. She already had the perfect outfit: her wedding dress! "The marriage didn't last, but the dress did, and I wanted to give it new life," Borstein told Glamour on the red carpet (via People). "So now it's my Emmys dress. That's the truth."
The three-time Emmy winner divorced actor Jackson Douglas in 2014 after 15 years of marriage and hasn't been publicly linked to any new loves since. As for the rest of her castmates on the smash Amazon Prime hit "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," many of their real-life partners also have ties to the entertainment industry. Onscreen exes Rachel Brosnahan and Michael Zegen were once linked. And one real-life partner even has a recurring role on the show!
Since its debut in 2017, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" has been a critical and fan darling, scoring 54 Emmy nominations and 20 wins in its first four seasons, among other awards. Will Midge Maisel ever make it big as a female comic in a man's world? Will her manager, Susie Myerson, be able to build a successful talent agency? The series' final season will reveal all about the fictional characters — including the will they/won't they of Midge and Lenny Brucebut — so here's what we know about the off-screen partnerships of the show's cast.
Rachel Brosnahan's husband, Jason Ralph, has a role on the show
Rachel Brosnahan's confident and bold portrayal of Miriam "Midge" Maisel on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" has earned her award after award since the series premiered in 2017, including the outstanding lead actress in a comedy series Emmy in 2018. Onscreen, Midge has to juggle an ex-husband who may or may not still be into her, two kids, a roster of good-looking men interested in her, and the strong ambitions she feels about pursuing a career in comedy.
Offscreen, Brosnahan's personal life is much more steady. She's married to actor Jason Ralph, who began a recurring role on "Maisel" starting in the fourth season. According to Elle, Brosnahan and Ralph met when they both appeared on the 2015 WGN show "Manhattan." Speculation about the private couple's marital status peaked in 2018, when they were both spotted with wedding bands on the Emmys red carpet.
Brosnahan confirmed their status to People in 2019, saying that she and Ralph had actually been married for some number of years. Keeping it to themselves was important. "Jason and I also noticed early on that, while we are both the leads of successful television series, he has almost never been asked about our relationship, while I have been asked on almost every red carpet I have walked in the last two years," Brosnahan told the magazine. "We both find this double standard problematic and frustrating and opted to redirect those conversations to our work."
Tony Shalhoub's wife appeared on his show Monk
As Midge Maisel's father, Abe Weissman, on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Tony Shalhoub has perfected the role of the always aggrieved but still lovable dad. In real life, the four-time Emmy winner (including one for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for "Maisel") is married to another actor, Brooke Adams. The two share adopted daughters Josie and Sophie.
Acting is in Brooke Adams' blood. In an American Theatre interview, she spoke about her father's summer theatre program in Michigan. "This is all my sister Lynne and I knew how to do," Adams said of acting. "We would often be woken up in the morning by auditions, by someone belting out 'Oklahoma!' in the next room. We would spend whole summers hunkered down in the theatre. What could be more fun? Neither my sister nor I went to college; we just went right to work," she added.
Adams' acting credits include "The Bob Newhart Show," "Moonlighting," "Days of Heaven," and notably, Shalhoub's long-running USA Network series, "Monk." During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Shalhoub reprised his private-detective-with-OCD role for Peacock's "The At-Home Variety Show," in which he shared that he and Adams had a tough bout with the virus themselves but were feeling better. "I hope you are all being careful and following the protocol. We really are all Monk now," Shalhoub said.
Marin Hinkle balances work and home life with her husband
Marin Hinkle's charming portrayal of Midge Maisel's mother, Rose Weissman, on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" has made her a fan favorite and brought well-deserved accolades. Hinkle's been nominated twice for the outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series Emmy. Prior to playing Rose, the matchmaker extraordinaire, you may have seen Hinkle in "Once and Again," "Two and a Half Men," or "Madam Secretary."
Offscreen, Hinkle is married to Randall Sommer, and they are parents to a son, Ben. Sommer has one acting credit on IMDb; per Bloomberg, he went to Columbia Law School and was a partner at a law firm. The State Bar of California shows an inactive license status.
Over the years as a busy working actor, Hinkle has had to learn how to balance the demands of her career with her family life, something she has said she actively managed. She told Decider in 2019 that flexibility was key when deciding which opportunities to pursue. "There were moments particularly when Ben was young, where I would get cast in a play in New York," the actor said. After talking with her mother about such opportunities, Hinkle recalled, "The balancing act would be, 'What are you going to do? Pull your kid from school and bring him to New York?' And I said, 'I think I am.'"
Kevin Pollak's partner was once a writer on his talk show
On "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," the boisterous father of Midge's ex-husband, Joel, is played by comedian and actor Kevin Pollak. In addition to his work as Moishe Maisel, Pollak is best known for his roles in movies and television including "A Few Good Men," "The Usual Suspects," "Mom," and "Better Things." Pollak was married to actor Lucy Webb for 20 years, but the couple divorced.
After his relationship with Webb ended, Pollak found love again with a writer and producer on his YouTube series "Kevin Pollak's Chat Show." He and Jaime Fox have been together for more than 15 years. He told Closer Weekly in 2019 that he and Fox were equally on board with theirs being a child-free partnership. "I've been with a woman twice for long periods of time — 20 years [with ex-wife Lucy Webb] and 14 years with Jaime, my better half now," Pollak told the magazine. "I said to both of them, 'I am not a procreator in my bones, but if you are, I'll go on that journey with you.' And in both cases, they felt similarly. We have cats, and we treat them like children."
Caroline Aaron has been happily married for more than 40 years
If you've been watching "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and feeling like you recognize Joel Maisel's mother, Shirley Maisel — particularly her voice — you're not alone. Caroline Aaron, who plays the meddling yet charming Shirley, voiced the talk radio character Dr. Marcia Fieldstone in the classic 1993 rom-com "Sleepless in Seattle," starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.
Aaron's notable onscreen credits include "The Young and the Restless," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Episodes," and one episode of her "Maisel" co-star Tony Shalhoub's show, "Monk." Offscreen, Aaron has been married to James Foreman for more than four decades. They are parents to two kids. When their son Benjamin was married in 2018 (per The New York Times), James was working as a residential sales broker in Manhattan and an estates agent in California.
When asked by Page Six about the trick to multi-decade marital happiness, Aaron said bumps in the road are inevitable. Just keep them from being intentional, her mother suggested. "As simplistic and icky and Hallmark-y as that sounds, I think kindness is the only thing you can go with to make it all the way," she said. "It's a challenge to share your life with somebody, and I don't think any of us really know how to do it. I mean, nobody teaches you how to do that."
Luke Kirby's wife has worked in the entertainment industry
Since his guest appearance on the very first episode of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" as the legendary comedian Lenny Bruce, Luke Kirby has become a "Maisel" fan favorite — and one half of the fandom's Midge-Lenny shipping focus. As the show has developed, Midge and Lenny's mentor-mentee relationship has shifted into romantic territory, thanks in part to the chemistry between Kirby and "Maisel" star Rachel Brosnahan.
Kirby, who won the outstanding guest actor in a comedy series Emmy in 2019, told the Los Angeles Times in 2022 that he's happy with the way Lenny and Midge's relationship has progressed on the show. "It's so neat to get to live in that world. It's a cool experience," he said. "It feels like we executed it in a way that deepened their humanity and their relationship. I think we achieved something where the spell wasn't broken. It complicates the spell."
In real life, Kirby is married to Andrea Sarubbi, who has worked in wardrobe and costuming in the entertainment industry, according to IMDb. Although little is known about their marriage, Kirby and Sarubbi were reportedly linked in 2013 when Kirby was filming "Touched with Fire" alongside Katie Holmes. The Daily Mail floated romance rumors between Holmes and Kirby at the time, but Kirby worked with Holmes again in 2021 and told The Cut, "She's a good friend and a sweetheart."
Jane Lynch proposed to her wife — while shopping for insurance!
Shopping around for insurance is not exactly the most romantic of activities, but for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" star Jane Lynch, the occasion was an opportunity to get a couple of important things done at once. Lynch said on "Sunday Today with Willie Geist" in 2022 that she and her wife, Jennifer Cheyne (who has also acted), have been together so long that when it came time to update Cheyne's insurance, a marriage proposal seemed like another task in need of being accomplished.
Lynch, the winner of five Emmys (including one for "Maisel"), had previously dated Cheyne in the early 2000s. Lynch's 2010 marriage to psychologist Lara Embry ended in 2013. She told Parade in 2019 that she and Cheyne appreciate the ease in their relationship after getting back together. "...[We] fell back together so easily and lovingly," she said. "We're very different people now. We don't have the same insecurities we used to have. We live very peacefully. We have our own routines and separate spaces to retreat to within our home, but then we'll have coffee together in the morning and meet for a meal." Lynch also told People that Cheyne is a great handyman with a knack for fixing things.
Zachary Levi worked on himself after his 2014 divorce
For the role of Dr. Benjamin Ettenberg on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Zachary Levi traded his 'Shazam!' superhero suit for a more era-appropriate '50s wardrobe. Levi played Midge's love interest primarily in the second season of the series. Offscreen, the "Tangled" and "Chuck" star has kept his dating life mostly private since his 2015 divorce from actor Missy Peregrym after less than a year of marriage.
In 2021, he made his red carpet debut with his rumored girlfriend, Caroline Tyler, at the ESPY Awards. Levi wrote on Instagram, "Thank you @dzojchen for another banger of a suit, and @warrenalfiebaker for stylin up such a fine lewks for me and my special lady friend." Though he hasn't been forthcoming with any other details, calling Tyler his "special lady friend" is pretty adorable.
A few years earlier, in 2019, the actor told "Access Live" that he'd been trying to stay focused on self-growth and self-love. "I've been in this really kind of very good, healthy moment of just, I don't know, being with me — loving myself, working on myself," Levi said. "Getting stronger and healthier and waiting for that right woman to enter my life. I don't know where she is, but I'm trusting that that's all gonna time out the way it's supposed to."
Stephanie Hsu shares a love of gardening with her partner
As Mei, Joel Maisel's no-nonsense love interest on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Stephanie Hsu quickly became an important character on the show, especially for the trajectory of Joel and his future with Midge. In addition to "Maisel," you might recognize Hsu from her roles in the films "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and "Everything Everywhere All at Once." She's also appeared in a number of TV series, including "The Path," "Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens," and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
Offscreen, not much is known about Hsu's personal life. But she has shared some glimpses of it on her Instagram page, including sweet messages to the person she calls her "life partner." In one of Hsu's posts about their shared love of gardening, Hsu specified, "What a literal dream reality it is to grow things alongside this soul sister, spirit, schemestress, life partner, potato making, healer, love of mine."
Bailey De Young's husband is a contemporary Christian musician
When Midge Maisel needs a good chat, or a retro workout, on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," she turns to her spunky, cheerful BFF, Imogene Cleary, played by Bailey De Young. Prior to "Maisel," De Young was best known for her roles in the series "Bunheads" and "Faking It." She also appeared in an episode of "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," the long-running WB series' revival also created by "Maisel" showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Since 2014, De Young is married to contemporary Christian musician Tyler De Young, and they are parents to kids Penny, Fulton, and Knightly. Their most recent child arrived in the spring of 2022. When she's not acting in buzzworthy shows, Bailey told ClicheMag in 2015 that she relishes her downtime and being off-set. "I hang out with my husband and family!" she said. "We like hiking and going to the movies. We love a good Netflix documentary and binge-watching TV seasons."