Celebrity - News
Inside Jamie
Lee Curtis' Marriage To Christopher Guest
By NATASHA REDA
AND KRISTIN MCCARTHY
she knew they'd marry
Jamie Lee Curtis told the Today show, “I met my husband by seeing his picture in a magazine and saying out loud to a friend of mine, ‘I’m going to marry that dude.’” She and Guest shared an agent, and Curtis asked the agent to have Guest give her a call, but the call never came; eventually they ran into each other at a West Hollywood restaurant, and they married six months later.
their long-lasting marriage
They had their first date days after they met, and were married in December 1984. In 2018, Curtis told Good Housekeeping the secret to their long-lasting marriage: “Don’t leave. There’s a recovery phrase that says, ‘Stay on the bus … the scenery will change [...] I think it can apply to almost anything where you feel unhappy in that moment. [...] I’m a realist. I respect him.”
she feared divorce
Curtis had reservations regarding love due to a family history of divorce, including that of her own parents, Hollywood legends Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Jamie Lee also had a sturdy relationship model in her mother and stepfather, who were married for 43 years, which likely played a part in her and Guest’s navigation through a nearly four decade long high-profile romance.
her unusual pet name
It’s not unusual for people to have nicknames for their partners, and Guest is no different, calling his wife Janie in private. Curtis explained to James Corden that she went by Janie Curtis for a short time since she thought it was more feminine and disliked three-word names — her family respected the new name for about a week, but her husband still calls her by the pet name years later.
they prove opposites attract
The couple share a deep love and respect for one another, but not a ton of common hobbies or interests. Curtis explained to Good Housekeeping, “[We] are opposites. [...] We don’t listen to the same radio station; we don’t read the same paper, we don’t go to bed at the same time;” however, they share some key similarities in their talent, humor, and devotion to their children.