The Real-Life Partners Of The Rookie Cast

"The Rookie" has featured many on-screen romances. While tragic events and twisty arcs like Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford's will they/won't they relationship tend to get all the attention, there are also some great love stories. Wade (Richard T. Jones) and Luna Grey (Angel Parker) have been married for over 25 years. Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Bailey (Jenna Dewan) tied the knot in Season 6. However, in real life, the star who got his start on "One Life to Live" is less fortunate in finding love. 

Fillion has been engaged three times but never married. "[I]f you're with someone and you're afraid of committing to her, then you shouldn't do it," he told Women's Health and added that from his experience, those who popped the question weren't afraid. "They've just found the right woman." He revealed that he remained in contact with most of his exes, though if they were ever in the same room with him, they'd probably have the same remark. "They would describe me as being unlucky in love."

On the other hand, many of the "Rookie" cast members are happily married. Some even had their pregnancies written into the show. Jones found love again after his 21-year marriage ended. Dewan has welcomed two children with fiancé Steve Kazee after her split from Channing Tatum. From Grammy-nominated musicians to actors and those outside the business, "The Rookie" cast's real-life partners are from all walks of life and are part of the support system that made the show great.

Eric Winter (the actor who plays Tim Bradford) got to bring his wife, the Grammy-nominated singer and actor Roselyn Sánchez, to the hit police procedural he stars on. Sánchez can be spotted very briefly in an episode of "The Rookie." She was already a big fan of the show and got to play journalist Valerie Castillo, who butts heads with Bradford and stirs up some tension with her husband's on-screen love interest, Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neill). "I loved having the opportunity to get to play on-screen with my husband and of course favorite actor Eric Winter," Sánchez told TV Insider about her brief cameo in Season 2 episode "The Overnight." She teased that Valerie brings conflict and chaos in addition to laughter. 

This certainly isn't the only time the couple collaborated professionally. Winter and Sánchez worked together on the 2019 flick "A Taste of Summer" again, though this time, it didn't turn out so well.

As for how their love story started, they met at a party in Los Angeles in 2005, and after two years of dating, Winter proposed on a midnight kayak ride in Puerto Rico. "I was petrified she would drop the ring," Winter told InStyle (via People). "It never left the box. She accepted; I shut the box and told her she could see it again on land." The couple tied the knot in 2008 and have welcomed two children: Sebella in 2012 and Dylan in 2017. 

Alyssa Diaz is engaged to Grammy-nominated musician Gustavo Galindo, with whom she shares two children and a daughter from Galindo's previous relationship. They first met through a dating app. Diaz was filming the Netflix show "Narcos" in Mexico City while Galindo was working on his second album. His debut album, "Entre La Ciudad Y El Mar," was shortlisted for the Grammys in 2012. "We actually met on Bumble," she said at the 2018 Latin American Music Awards. They hit it off right away, and Galindo was able to show her around town on their first date. On top of building a life together, their union also breathed inspiration into their creative lives. The two collaborated on a music video. In 2024, Galindo released an album titled "Between Two Worlds," partially inspired by the journey he had embarked on with Diaz.

In Season 3 Episode 1 of "The Rookie," Diaz's Detective Angela Lopez learned she was pregnant with her fiancé Wesley Evers' (Shawn Ashmore) child. Little did fans know that it coincided with Diaz's first pregnancy in real life. When the actor found out about the news, the writers changed Angela's storyline. "Alyssa just had a baby," show creator Alexi Hawley told Entertainment Weekly. "That was part of our journey this season was her calling up to say, 'I'm pregnant,' and us going, 'Okay, great, you're pregnant in the show.'" It ended up adding another layer of realism to the show.

Alyssa Diaz isn't the only actor to have her pregnancy written into the show. Mekia Cox's second pregnancy was celebrated on-screen through her character Detective Nyla Harper's storyline in "The Rookie" as well. The actor, who also starred in "Once Upon a Time" and "Chicago Med," married basketball analyst Britt Leach in April 2018. While it's unclear when and how they met and very little is known about Leach, he appears to be the actor's first love. In her Instagram wedding announcement in 2018, the actor wrote, "This weekend I married my best friend, my soulmate, my first love." According to The Knot, the couple had a Caribbean-inspired wedding in honor of Cox's heritage. Born on the island of St. Croix with her father's side of the family from Barbados, the actor is proud of her roots. "Being from the Islands is a large part of who I am and I wanted to be able to incorporate that into my wedding."

The couple welcomed their first daughter in December 2018. In 2022, Cox took to Instagram to announce her second pregnancy and praised "The Rookie" for celebrating it with her. "Much love to @alexihawley and the rest of #TheRookie writing team for writing my pregnancy into the show," she wrote. "Happy to be on a show where pregnancy is acknowledged and celebrated." While the couple keeps details about their lives private, Leach can be seen accompanying his wife to red-carpet events.

Richard T. Jones, who plays Sgt. Wade Grey, was married to Nancy Jones from 1996 until 2021. The couple share three children: Sydney, Aubrey, and Elijah. According to court documents, Nancy filed for divorce in Los Angeles on March 12, 2021, and they officially declared separation in October. After sorting out child support and other complicated issues, the case was eventually closed in 2024. However, in 2023, Richard T. Jones shared a series of photos of him and his new wife, Kristy. Given that the actor never publicly announced his divorce from Nancy nor when the case was finalized, fans were shocked by the revelation. Many speculated that Richard may have started the relationship before he split from Nancy. The actor also took some heat for finding love so soon after ending his 27-year marriage. 

In October 2023, the actor celebrated their relationship on an Instagram post about a night out at a restaurant. "I love my beautiful wife. Thanks for loving me Kris. You're my heart." In December 2023, they went to a football game together with other family members. "What a great time with family at the Rams last home game," he captioned the Instagram post. "Wish we could have beat Ravens like we did the Browns. But time to focus on the Saints..... GO RAMS !!!" In 2024, the actor shared that they were celebrating their second anniversary together, indicating that they had been together for two years.

Jenna Dewan's relationship timeline with Steve Kazee proves that no two couples are the same. Just like the "Rookie" star, Kazee has equally impressive TV credits, including "Shameless" and "Nashville." From Broadway to being featured in a "Twilight" song, the Tony Award winner has many talents. The pair initially sparked dating rumors in October 2018, six months after Dewan's split from ex-husband Channing Tatum. In December, they made their relationship official when Kazee posted a birthday wish for Dewan on Instagram with photo booth shots of the two together. "Happy Birthday Jenna! Somehow it feels like my birthday over and over again because I keep getting the gift of you every day."

The untold truth about Jenna Dewan is that she has become a wrestling fan thanks to Kazee. "Steve, my boyfriend, is a huge wrestling fan, and he got me so into it," she said on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "I watched WrestleMania by myself, like, he wasn't even in town."

In February 2020, Dewan announced that she was engaged. In less than a month, the pair welcomed their first child together. "And just like that, our hearts exploded into all of eternity and beyond," she wrote in an Instagram post. The couple welcomed their second child in 2024, and as for their wedding — they are still planning it. "I promise, we're getting there," she told Us Weekly in 2023. "[I]t's just been so busy, honestly."

Besides playing attorney Wesley Evers in "The Rookie," Shawn Ashmore has been in many movies, including the "X-Men" films, "Devil's Gate," and "Acts of Violence," but a 2010 film changed his life in an unexpected way. Ashmore met his wife Dana Renee Ashmore on the set of the psychological thriller "Frozen" where she was working as the film's assistant director. Ashmore played one of the main characters, Joe Lynch, and the two quickly and quietly started dating. In 2012, the pair were married in Los Angeles through an intimate ceremony consisting of only friends and family. In an interview with ET Canada (via People), Shawn revealed that he popped the question after a year of dating. "I just got down on my knee on the couch in our living room and just proposed and she was shocked." 

The pair welcomed a boy in 2017. Shawn took to Instagram to share the news: "Couldn't be more in love with my new baby boy and my incredible wife." On top of producing movies and acting, Dana also runs the Gratitude Collaborative, a company that customizes gift boxes, though having more kids has always been on her mind. "I always thought I'd have a big family — six kids (okay, maybe four)," she wrote on Instagram in 2025. "Two would have been amazing. But life has its own plans, and unless one magically shows up on our doorstep, it looks like it'll be just one." 

Mercedes Mason, who played Cpt. Zoe Andersen in Season 1, is married to another familiar face on television. Her husband, David Denman, played Roy Anderson in "The Office." It's unclear whether it was a complete coincidence that Mason's police procedural character happened to share the same last name as her husband's character in the famed NBC sitcom, but the detail certainly didn't go unnoticed. Aside from "The Office," Denman has been in "Big Fish," "13 Hours," and "Logan Lucky." The pair also co-starred in the pilot episode of "Traffic Lights."

Outside of their professional lives, the couple share two children. In 2018, their eldest son was born. "Caius Kane arrived 1/10/18 Happy and Healthy," Denman shared on Instagram along with a photo of holding the newborn baby's foot. "Love this little man so much." He tagged and mentioned Mason in the post and revealed that she had an unmedicated birth. "We finally understand that love that no one can put into words. We're all on cloud 9." 

In 2021, they had another boy, Sagan, and Mason opted for an all-natural birth again. Denman took to Instagram to announce the news, "My baby momma is a straight up Gangster. No drugs. All natural," he captioned the carousel. In 2024, the happy couple celebrated their 10th anniversary. Denman shared a series of photos. "10 years! Wow," he wrote on Instagram. "Feels like yesterday when @mercedesmason walked into my life and changed it forever."

While Brent Huff is best known for playing Quigley Smitty in "The Rookie," he is also an award-winning director. He has been married to model and actor Shawn Huff for over three decades. The two are partners not only in real life but in their professional pursuits as well. They have worked on several movies together, including "Last Will," "100 Mile Rule," and "Cat City" — all directed by Brent and starring Shawn. When Shoutout LA asked whom he'd like to give more credit and recognition to, Brent Huff stressed that all credits go to his wife. "It's not easy living with someone who is focused on the entertainment business," he said. "She has been someone who I have leaned heavily on." The actor shared that they have stuck together through thick and thin in the business, which certainly had some difficult times. "She's been at my side for both." 

Shawn Huff started out as a model at 15 when she was discovered by a French modeling agent in New Mexico. She moved to Paris and spent some time working in Europe before heading back to the U.S. "I did everything from editorial for Seventeen, Health, Vogue, and Glamour to advertising campaigns for L'Oréal, Physicians Formula, Levi's, Noxzema, and many more," she told CanvasRebel. She was told that she had a talent for commercials, so she moved to LA and started taking gigs as well as acting classes. "It was during this time that I also met my husband," she said.

Ali Larter, the actor behind Dr. Grace Sawyer in "The Rookie" has been married to actor-comedian Hayes MacArthur for more than a decade. They met on the set of "Homo Erectus," which also happened to be MacArthur's feature debut. Off-screen, they started dating. Larter told Cosmopolitan in 2007 that she had marriage in mind very early. "I told my boyfriend after three weeks that I wanted to marry him and that we could do it tomorrow." She was also looking forward to having kids with him. If this relationship taught her anything, it was what love really feels like when it comes along. Ali Larter has gone through quite a transformation, but time would later prove that her gut feelings were right. In 2007, the two were engaged, and two years later, they were married at MacArthur's parents' home in Maine. They have since shared two children, son Theodore in 2010 and daughter Vivienne in 2015. 

In 2024, the couple moved to Idaho. "We fell in love with the beauty of the mountains and their quiet grandness," Larter told Rue Magazine. "Neither of us had ever lived in a small town before. People look out for each other. There's a real sense of community here." In addition to raising kids, they both kept acting. MacArthur starred in "Perfect Couples," "Dear Santa," and "A Haunted House 2," and Larter joined "Landman."