Who Is Paul Rudd's Wife? All About Julie Yaeger
Paul Rudd is at the top of his game.
The actor, who currently holds the title of PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, became a fan favorite after he got his big break in the 1995 hit Clueless, and his career hasn't slowed down since. In 2021 alone, Rudd was crowned Sexiest Man Alive, earned a spot in SNL's coveted Five-Timers Club, and joined yet another beloved franchise — he's already Ant-Man in the Marvel universe — when he starred in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
But when it comes to Rudd's biggest supporters throughout his rollercoaster of a career, one name stands out: Julie Yaeger, his wife of almost 20 years. The pair first met shortly after the actor shot to fame with Clueless, and are parents to two children together.
So who is Paul Rudd's other half? From meeting in a publicist's office to becoming unlikely business partners, here's everything to know about Julie Yaeger and her relationship with Rudd.
She's a producer and screenwriter
After getting her career start as a publicist in the 1990s, Yaeger has since switched roles and become a producer and screenwriter. In 2017, Yaeger and Rudd collaborated on the film Fun Mom Dinner, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Yaeger wrote the screenplay, while her husband served as executive producer and made a cameo in the movie.
She met Rudd in his publicist's office
Talk about the perfect meet-cute. Shortly after the success of Clueless, Rudd set himself up in New York to get a publicist. When he walked into the office, he was introduced to Yaeger, who was working at the office at the time. He took her to lunch a few days later, and their romance blossomed.
"She was the first person I met in New York," he explained to Marie Claire UK in 2018. "We started talking and there was a maturity with her – she had experienced some tragedy in her life, I had too, and the impression I got was, wow, this is a woman. This isn't a girl."
They've been married for almost 20 yearsÂ
The couple tied the knot in a private ceremony in 2003, and have since welcomed two children together. Their son Jack Sullivan was born in 2006, followed by their daughter Darby in 2010.
In 2015, the family posed for a sweet photo when Rudd was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, as the actor told Marie Claire UK, his and Yaeger's children are anything but impressed by their dad's fame.
"Oh, I'm still the embarrassing dad," he said. "My daughter is eight and thinks I'm the bee's knees. My son is 13 and doesn't even want me going to his school. I make jokes to a series of eye rolls."
She and Rudd are business partners
Not only are Yaeger and Rudd partners in marriage and parenthood, but they also happen to be business partners, too. After Rudd kept finding himself walking into a store called Samuel's Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck, NY, he decided to purchase the store after the previous owner died.
However, he and Yaeger aren't the only celebrities involved — they co-own the shop with The Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his wife (and One Tree Hill alum) Hilarie Burton.
Rudd says he's happiest at home with Yaeger and their children
Despite his high-profile career, Rudd told PEOPLE in 2021 that the couple's home life is pretty low-key.
"When I think about myself, I think of myself as a husband and a father, like I'm that," he shared. "I just hang out with my family when I'm not working. That's what I kind of like the most."
Back in 2011, Rudd revealed to Elle that he doesn't think his personal life is "going to sell a lot of tabloids."
"My wife [Julie Yaeger, a former publicist] and I have been together for 16 years," he said. "My parents were married my whole life until my father passed away a few years ago."
Their marriage inspired parts of This Is 40 and Knocked Up
While Yaeger and Rudd might keep their private lives out of the tabloids, they're not against using their relationship to inform the actor's roles. In a 2012 interview with the Los Angeles Times, director Judd Apatow revealed that Yaeger and Judd's marriage — along with his own relationship with wife Leslie Mann — inspired some of the scenes in This Is 40 and Knocked Up.
Rudd and Apatow would sit with their wives during rehearsal and ask them to share their biggest pet peeves about their partners to inspire the scenes and dialogue in the movies.
"We'll have the 'What is annoying you about each other?' conversation, and a lot of that makes its way into the movie," he said.
In an interview with the Jewish Journal, Rudd shared a specific quote from Yaeger that made it into Knocked Up.
"When Judd was writing that movie, my wife once said, 'I'm so sick of looking at your back,' because I was just on the computer all day, checking my fantasy football scores."
She is Rudd's biggest supporter
When it comes to Rudd's career, Yaeger is nothing but supportive of her husband's achievements. But when the actor was named PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive in November 2021, Rudd said that his wife was momentarily "stupefied."
"But you know she was very sweet about it," he shared. "After some giggling and shock, she said 'Oh, they got it right.' "
Rudd also joked that if Yaeger had a choice, she would've put another actor on the cover instead.
"No, she would have voted for Keanu Reeves," he told Extra at the time, saying, "Come on, he's Keanu, I'd vote for him."
Rudd calls Yaeger his most attractive feature
When asked in a 2015 ELLE UK interview what his most attractive feature is, Rudd had just four words: "I'd say my wife."