# Surprising Celebrity Couples That seem Far Fetched **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929 "2017-01-12T02:29:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/1 "2017-01-12T02:29:16Z")
Ever read about a big name celebrity, and found out they are coupled to someone else whom you have heard about, but they are too obscure that you would never have imagined it? Case in point, Mandy Moore of NBC’s “This Is Us” was married to indie singer Ryan Adams for six years, they divorced last year. Adams had a hit “New York, New York” in 2002. In 2004 he also released an excellent cover of Oasis’ “Wonderwall”. Make no mistake, he is prolific in terms of album release. Moore is now dating another singer, whom even I have never heard from. It’s her thing. Last year’s Golden Globe and Oscar winner, Brie Larson is engaged to Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet. This band had a hit called “California”, which was the theme to the show “OC” back in the 2000s. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Asiyu-wnYOo/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLB1Jpy2bgvh2nQFJVKa-jW4mccnYg "Phantom Planet - California (With Lyrics)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asiyu-wnYOo) Back in the summer I was listening to this obscure 90s dance pop song called “Jellyhead”, from 1996. Their name was Crush, and one of the chicks is actually dating Kate Middleton’s brother. Yes a singer from a one hit wonder is dating the brother of Duchess of Cambridge. She does have credits as an actress, but she is still obscure. Anyone have examples of this nature? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/2 "2017-01-12T02:40:22Z")
Peter Wolf, lead singer of the J. Geils Band, was married to actress Faye Dunaway in the 1970s. Would that qualify? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/3 "2017-01-12T03:00:42Z")
Sofia Loren married Carlo Ponti, the Italian director. While known in his own country, I think he was not so well known here. They seemed like an odd couple, but were married for over 40 years. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/4 "2017-01-12T03:07:21Z")
Ethel Merman and Ernest Borgnine (for 38 days). Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, OTOH, lasted 40 years. Brooks called the union “Beauty and the Beast.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/5 "2017-01-12T03:17:22Z")
Jane Pauley has been married to Garry Trudeau for more than 35 years, and I think the universe of people who recognize Jane Pauley only partly coincides with those who recognize Garry Trudeau. Similarly, Diane Sawyer was married to director Mike Nichols for more than 25 years. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/6 "2017-01-12T06:19:25Z")
Punk singer Richard Hell (real name Lester Myers) was briefly married in the mid 1980s to Scandal singer Patty Smyth, who is now married to John McEnroe, and is the father of her oldest child. The REALLY surprising thing is that before they met at a record industry function, neither had ever heard of the other; she had never followed the punk scene, and at the time, he didn’t watch MTV or listen to Top 40 radio. :eek: Chrissie Hynde and British singer Jim Kerr of Simple Minds were also briefly married and had a child together. People who knew them personally said they were incredibly mismatched. I was in high school when the National Enquirer reported that Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli were an item; we thought the story was fake until our local newspaper printed a picture of them at their wedding. :eek: IIRC, they lasted about 20 years before divorcing (amicably, by all accounts). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/7 "2017-01-12T06:22:01Z")
Another one that comes to mind: Jazz drummer Louie Bellson, who died just a few years ago, was married to Pearl Bailey for over 40 years. He was white, and it nearly destroyed both of their careers. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/8 "2017-01-12T06:29:10Z")
[Adam Duritz](https://www.google.com/search?q=adam+duritz&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTgN7r-7vRAhXs24MKHaLhDQAQ_AUICCgB&biw=1600&bih=794), lead singer of Counting Crows, dated [Emmy Rossum](https://www.google.com/search?q=adam+duritz&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTgN7r-7vRAhXs24MKHaLhDQAQ_AUICCgB&biw=1600&bih=794#tbm=isch&q=+emmy+rossum) for quite a while. [Ben Folds](https://www.google.com/search?q=ben+folds&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjt4K2t_LvRAhWpzIMKHVRDAV8Q_AUICigD), singer/composer (and who has the greatest cover of [“Bitches Ain’t Shit”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-l-c3rTlnE) ever), dated [Alicia Witt](https://www.google.com/search?q=alicia+witt&biw=1600&bih=794&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjf0vac_bvRAhUL0YMKHY6sCNsQ_AUIBigB). Billy Joel/Christy Brinkley [Ric Ocasek/Paulina Porizkova](http://hubmesh.com/uploads/gossip/2016/02/11/model-paulina-porizkova-age-50-talks-about-how-she-makes-her-marriage-with-husband-ric-ocasek-work.jpg) [Ben Stiller/Christine Taylor](https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzOF98xnR57uRGlVAwVXu_fnYgaBHnRN4Dl9-tb3kOBlxN0MhV) ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/9 "2017-01-12T06:42:47Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Jane Pauley has been married to Garry Trudeau for more than 35 years, and I think the universe of people who recognize Jane Pauley only partly coincides with those who recognize Garry Trudeau. > > Similarly, Diane Sawyer was married to director Mike Nichols for more than 25 years. Also Andrea Mitchell and Alan Greenspan. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/10 "2017-01-12T07:59:37Z")
Political journalist [George Stephanopoulos](https://www.google.com/search?q=george+stephanopoulos&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_9ZzEkLzRAhVK4oMKHW3jA48Q_AUICSgC&biw=1600&bih=794#imgrc=drXu92Y4fJ-D5M%3A) has been married to his wife, _In Living Color_ cast member/comedian/actress (I think her biggest role was as Ron Livingston’s girlfriend in _Office Space_) [Alexandra Wentworth](https://www.google.com/search?q=alexandra+wentworth&biw=1600&bih=794&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjn6eGskbzRAhUF0YMKHajqA04Q_AUIBigB), since 2001. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/11 "2017-01-12T08:47:54Z")
How about rocker Elvis Costello’s marriage to jazz chanteuse Diana Krall? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/12 "2017-01-12T09:19:21Z")
Steve Coogan and Courtney Love was pretty surprising. This was before Coogan was confirmed as something of a serial dater of fellow celebrities and models. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/13 "2017-01-12T09:37:21Z")
Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller. One would not expect a blonde bombshell and a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright to move in the same circles. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/14 "2017-01-12T11:56:21Z")
Sandra Bullock and Jessie James. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/15 "2017-01-12T13:17:11Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Sandra Bullock and Jessie James. This is the one that came to mind. One of the few where I would love to hear the inside scoop about. Sandra Bullock comes across as a solid sitizen and JJ seemed sketchy at best, and then apprently proved it by sleeping around. What was she thinking? **Adam Duritz** dated Courtney Cox as well, didn’t he? That guy has _something_ that’s working for him. I had wondered about **Jason Sudeikis** and **Olivia Wilde** , but having heard a couple of interviews with him it seems less surprising. He was a star basketball player and a lot of fast success leading to SNL. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/16 "2017-01-12T13:23:40Z")
I don’t think anyone predicted Julie Roberts would marry Lyle Lovett, short-lived though it was. Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons from \*Fargo \*are rumored to be engaged. I don’t know why, but I never would have put them together. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/17 "2017-01-12T13:30:49Z")
Alexis Ohanian (one of the co-founders of Reddit) and Serena Williams (the tennis player) announced their engagement recently. Not two crowds that most people think would be intermingling. They seem pretty happy with each other and they’ve been dating for a while though. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/18 "2017-01-12T13:43:41Z")
Nothing could be more farfetched than old time big band singer Margaret Whiting marrying gay porn star Jack Wrangler. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/19 "2017-01-12T13:47:12Z")
Connie Chung and Maury Povich ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929/20 "2017-01-12T13:56:26Z")
Neil Young/Daryl Hannah. While she is a notorious rock groupie, he seems like the kind of guy with enough experience and attitude to avoid precisely that type. David Cross/Amber Tamblyn. Almost 20 year age difference. He’s a neanderthal with anger issues. She seems quite normal. What does she see in him? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-celebrity-couples-that-seem-far-fetched/776929.md?page=2)