Melissa McCarthy Has Been Married for Almost 20 Years, Proving Love Can Survive Hollywood
"I was like 'oh, he’s strange, I like him.' And we were friends from day one.”
Published May 1 2024, 3:00 p.m. ET
We’re in the golden age of comedy (despite what Jerry Seinfeld may think) and one of our favorite comedic stars is Melissa McCarthy, who not only inspires laughter but is also an Academy Award nominee for dramatic roles. But she didn’t get there alone. Melissa has been married since 2005 to her husband, Ben Falcone.
Melissa and Ben don’t flaunt their relationship, nor do they make Hollywood headlines, but that’s probably because their marriage seems to be pretty light on the drama. But after Melissa posted a picture in April 2024 with Hairspray director Adam Shankman, which elicited a controversial comment from Barbra Streisand about Ozempic, fans began to wonder more about Melissa’s personal life.
Melissa McCarthy has been married to husband Ben Falcone since 2005.
Ben and Melissa tied the knot in October 2005. But they met years before that in Illinois when Melissa was a freshman in college and Ben was still in high school in the 1990s. Ben shared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, “She was very, very goth. All my friends at that age were like, 'I wish my mom would let me dress like her.'”
While that didn’t kickstart their relationship, they met again in a 1998 comedy writing class with the Groundlings, which is still one of the top improv and comedy writing centers in the country. After celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary, Melissa recalled on The Ellen Show that they started dating during that course.
“We were together at a party when he was still in high school and I was in college,” she shared. “But we didn’t talk … And then we met at Groundlings 10 years later and Ben got up there and was so quiet and was just very peculiar. He’s playing an inmate that really liked his new roommate and I realized that everybody, myself included, we were leaning forward listening and he’s the only one that went really quiet. And immediately, I was like oh, he’s strange, I like him. And we were friends from day one.”
The couple had already been dating when they acted alongside one another in an episode of Gilmore Girls in 2003, and by 2005, they tied the knot in a private ceremony. They had their first child, Vivian, in 2007, followed by Georgette in 2010. By 2011, the couple starred in their first film together, Bridesmaids, in which Melissa played Megan and Ben played Jon, the undercover air marshal who Megan hits on.
Melissa McCarthy’s husband, Ben Falcone, is an actor and writer in his own right.
While they are still going strong, Ben’s success and Melissa’s success haven’t always followed the same path. However, Ben has always been supportive of Melissa as her number-one date at awards ceremonies and premieres. But Ben is also a successful actor, writer, and producer. He started taking on roles in the early 2000s on shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Yes, Dear, but by 2014, he directed, wrote, and executive produced Tammy with Melissa.
In 2022, Ben created God’s Favorite Idiot, a Netflix series in which he starred opposite Melissa that got some buzz for its unique premise and light perspective of a poignant subject matter. He was also a writer on The Looney Tunes Show, Life of the Party, and Thunder Force, and in 2013, he and Melissa started their own production company, On the Day Productions.
From public appearances together to private date nights, Ben and Melissa are easily one of our favorite Hollywood couples.
