Strange Things About Kat Dennings' Marriage To Andrew W.K.
On the surface, Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K. seem like an odd couple. In addition to her starring role in "2 Broke Girls," Dennings is known for romcoms like "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," and the occasional superhero flick like "Thor: Love and Thunder." Meanwhile, Andrew W.K. is a rock and roll staple who gained recognition for his party anthems, wild live performances, and iconic album artwork depicting his own bloody face.
While you would assume they ran in different social circles, Dennings and W.K. first officially crossed paths in 2021 and began dating shortly thereafter. They were engaged before that year was even halfway over, and ultimately married in a private ceremony in late 2023. But while Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K.'s relationship may come off as somewhat peculiar to any outsiders looking in, all the details they've shared publicly about their relationship seem to suggest they're perfect for each other. Not only do they appear to match each other's freak, but their fast-moving romance has had so many unexpected coincidences that the "Dollface" actor and the "Party 'Til You Puke" singer might just get you to believe in fate.
Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K. met under 'mystical circumstances'
Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K. went public with their relationship in a rather unique way. The musician confirmed he and Dennings were an item in May 2021 via a press release announcing his sixth studio album, "God Is Partying." Per Exclaim!, the PR release also revealed that the two had met in Los Angeles earlier that year. Mere days after they made their romance known, Dennings took to Instagram to announce that she and Andrew W.K. had actually gotten engaged.
After the pair married two-and-a-half years later, Dennings told Vogue that she and her husband had met under "mystical circumstances." She said they had always been fans of each other, and just happened to finally meet 2021. Interestingly, though, their very first public interaction actually happened all the way back in 2014. In a now-deleted tweet, Dennings replied to a photo of Andrew W.K., calling him "a tall drink of milk." In a 2022 interview with Bustle, Dennings revealed that she had totally forgotten about this encounter. "I don't even remember doing that ... I've always just admired him," she said. "And so it is a very strange and magical update to that story."
The year she first tweeted at Andrew W.K. would have been around the time Dennings broke up with "2 Broke Girls" co-star Nick Zano and started dating singer Josh Groban. Meanwhile, Andrew W.K. was married to fellow musician Cherie Lily at the time. The two amicably parted ways in 2019.
Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K. were on the same TV show a decade apart
As previously mentioned, Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K. come from very different parts of the entertainment world. Dennings can often be found on a sound stage shooting a sitcom or movie, while Andrew W.K. is more at home presiding over mosh pits. Even Andrew W.K.'s various forays into film and television tend to be quite different from the kind of work Dennings is known for.
While Dennings had a recurring role on Season 12 of "ER," Andrew W.K. was guest-starring on "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." The same year "2 Broke Girls" debuted on CBS, co-lead Kat Dennings' future husband was wrapping up his time as host of the Cartoon Network reality show "Destroy Build Destroy." In another fun coincidence, though, Dennings and Andrew W.K. did actually appear on the same TV show, albeit more than a decade apart.
In 2009, Dennings guest-starred in an episode of the Fox animated series "American Dad!" as part of Season 5. She made a separate guest voice appearance on the show one year later during Season 6. Another 11 years later, Andrew W.K. guest-starred in a Season 16 episode of "American Dad!" which had since moved to TBS. The happy couple finally shared the screen for real in 2021, when Dennings appeared in the music video for Andrew W.K.'s song "Everybody Sins." The rocker then appeared in an episode of Dennings' Hulu series "Dollface" in 2022.
Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K. proposed to each other at the same time
Some couples finish each other's sentences, but how many can say they've finished each other's marriage proposals? Well, according to Kat Dennings, that's exactly what happened between her and Andrew W.K. when the two decided to tie the knot.
Dennings told the story during an appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show" in 2022. "We had a special moment that makes me believe in magic," she said. "We were doing kissing, and we had, like, a shared feeling. I felt this intense ... thing that I was like, 'This is my person. This is it. I can't live without him. This is the man I'm supposed to be with.' And we looked at each other, and we both proposed at the same time." Dennings added that neither her nor Andrew W.K. had initially planned to propose that day. "We just were like, 'Should we get married?' And, 'Yes.' I just burst into tears," she shared.
"It was like I never thought I had it in me, you know, because I'm kind of a toughie," Dennings continued. "But I did. I wept happy tears. I felt this sense of relief that I've done it. I made it through the wilderness and found this incredible person, and yeah. No one believes me. But I assure you, that's what happened. ... I'm so glad I waited until I found the right person."
Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K. wore their wedding rings before they got married
Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K. got engaged in May 2021 before saying "I do" in November 2023. In the interim, however, many suspected that the couple had already wed — and it's not hard to see why. After all, the actor and singer were wearing their wedding rings long before they actually exchanged vows. In fact, Andrew W.K. was spotted wearing a wedding band as early as one month into their engagement.
On June 13, 2021, Dennings celebrated her 35th birthday. Per People, the "Raising Dad" alum marked the occasion by posing for an Instagram photo with her rock 'n' roll beau. While Andrew W.K.'s original post has since been deleted, the "Party Hard" singer could clearly be seen wearing what appeared to be a wedding band on his left ring finger.
The rumor mill churned for a while, though Dennings eventually set the record straight during a Valentine's Day appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2022. "Well, listen, I am also wearing a ring," Dennings said when asked why Andrew W.K. had already been wearing his wedding band around. "We're not married yet, but we went to buy our wedding bands. Then, we were like, 'Why don't we just— why don't we just wear them, who cares?' ... Yeah, why not? There are no rules. No rules, just right."
Kat Dennings and Andrew W.K. had a very DIY wedding
Despite Kat Dennings' status as an A-list actor and Andrew W.K.'s larger-than-life musical persona, they decided to eschew a big, fancy wedding in favor of a smaller, more intimate ceremony at their Los Angeles home. What's more, the couple actually handled most of the wedding planning themselves — and Dennings certainly wasn't shy about putting in a little elbow grease.
"I wanted our wedding to feel completely different from an 'industry event' in every way," Dennings told Vogue. "I even handmade all of our wedding florals, aisle pieces, and our ceremony arch, which took three entire days. I wanted to be hands-on with the entire experience and feel like we had built our moment together from scratch." Dennings went into greater detail about building the arch in an Instagram post, calling the process "three days of literal blood, sweat, and tears." She also credited an audiobook by Barbra Streisand with getting her "through several breakdowns on the way to the final magical moment."
According to Vogue, Dennings also did her own hair and makeup on the big day, while Andrew W.K. had designed a custom Brioni wedding suit. "It was incredibly emotional for both of us, and the love surrounding us was very palpable. ... Everyone was happy and enjoying [themselves] and there wasn't a dull moment," Dennings told the publication regarding the ceremony itself, which she says was well worth the effort. "I took my shoes off immediately."