Steve Carrell is one of comedy’s most well-known stars, particularly for his turn in The Office as the most loved and hated boss of all time, Michael Scott. The actor has been married for almost 30 years to a woman as funny as he is, Nancy Carrell. The actress and producer has appeared on the massive NBC sitcom alongside her husband, and she has a long history as a performer, writer, and producer without him.
Here’s everything to know about this entertainment industry duo and their long relationship.
Who is Nancy Carrell?
Nancy Carrell was born in 1966 as Nancy Ellen Walls in Cohasset, Massachusetts, the same state from which her husband hails. She graduated from Boston College, which is where she first got into comedy on the university’s improv team. She joined The Second City comedy theater in Chicago after graduating and eventually made her way into the entertainment industry.
Nancy was on the cast of Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1996 and then became a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, just like Steve. While he departed in 2005 to star in The Office, Nancy worked on the show from 1999 to 2015. She had time for other roles, appearing on her husband’s show in season two as his girlfriend and real estate agent Carol Stills, who dumps him after he photoshops his face into vacation photos with her kids.
She’s also had parts in comedies The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Anger Management, and Bridesmaids. Nancy isn’t just a performer; in 2016, she and Steve co-created the TBS comedy show Angie Tribeca, starring Rashida Jones
How did Steve and Nancy Carrell meet?
Nancy was actually one of Steve’s students in an improv class at Second City in the 1990s. She worked across the street at a bar, and Steve said in a 2015 interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he would go to the bar to flirt with her.
“The conversation would go something like, ‘Hey, you know, if I were ever to ask a woman out, it would be someone like you. Exactly like you,’” Steve said. “And she’d say, ‘If a guy like you were ever to ask a woman like me out, I would definitely do that.’ This went on for weeks. Other people at the bar must have been like, ‘Just do it! Put us all out of our misery.’ And finally, we did. It was great.”
In an interview with The Guardian, he shared more details, saying, “I was immediately attracted to my wife. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and really funny. She kind of checked all the boxes in my head, but I thought she hated me because she was very quiet around me.”
How long have they been together?
After meeting in the early ’90s, they were married on August 5, 1995. Of the big day, Steve has said, “There was an ethereal sense of how right it all was and more than anything, it was very empowering knowing that person was going to be my partner and have my back. It just made me feel strong and I’ll never forget it.”
When asked how they have kept their marriage going for almost 30 years, Steve said, “There’s no secret. I think you get lucky.”
What else have Nancy and Steve Carrell said about each other?
In his Guardian interview, Steve gave his wife high praise when he stated she’s funnier than him.
“My wife is way funnier than I am,” he admitted. “As much as I don’t really feel I share a sense of humor with my family, I definitely share one with her. We find the same things funny.”
In 2015, when Nancy walked the red carpet with her husband, she was asked about Oscar-nominated performance in Foxcatcher.
“I thought he was amazing,” she said simply.
Her husband then responded, “That means everything to me. I’m going to start crying before I get inside.”
In 2010, at the premiere of Date Night, Steve shared more about how he keeps their romance going.
“I tell her that I love her, and I will make her breakfast at times or at least coffee,” Steve said. “I will also take out the garbage and empty the dishwasher. She definitely likes that, but let’s put it this way, if I didn’t do those [chores] — she would not like that!”
Do they have any children?
They share two kids, a daughter named Elisabeth Anne, born in 2001, and a son named John, born in 2004. Steve has also said they’re pretty hilarious.
“[My kids] do something funny every day,” the actor told People. “Kids are funny in general because they’re unfiltered and they’re wise, but they’re not jaded by anything.”
He continued, “Their sense of humor is very pure, and they don’t even a lot of times know when they’re being funny, because it’s just so honest. And I think that’s what makes them so funny.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.