Meet Ms. Rachel's Husband, Aron Accurso

If you have any young children in your life, chances are you already know plenty of facts about Ms. Rachel, the YouTube stars kids love. The popular online character is the brainchild of Rachel Griffin Accurso, and thanks to her bright, colorful videos and her emphasis on teaching children skills they can use in real life, her YouTube channel, "Songs for Littles," has exploded in popularity. In fact, kids are now as attached to the kooky yet calming figure the way they used to depend on "Sesame Street." That's a vibe she intentionally tries to curate, as she explained in an interview with The New York Times. Her success is evident in the way she often gets stopped on the street. "It's a great experience because really sweet people come up and say thanks for the show," Rachel reflected. "It almost feels like we're in a TV neighborhood because they'll say: 'Hi, Ms. Rachel. Hi, Mr. Aron.'"

Yes, that's right — despite the honorific title she goes by when she's in character, Ms. Rachel is married. Her husband, Aron Accurso, is an entertainer in his own right; he can often be spotted on the channel singing and dancing right alongside his wife. While Rachel is an open book, her husband isn't in the spotlight quite as much. That doesn't mean he's a totally tightlipped though. Here's what we know about Mr. Aron.

Though Aron Accurso eventually became a musical educator, his own musical education began at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. While he was there, he threw himself into the school's musical offerings, including participating in the choir. He told the St. Olaf News that the education he received helped prepare him for his later career, specifically focusing on the way choir encourages collaboration with other musicians. "Singing in a St. Olaf choir is a lot like playing in the pit of a Broadway show," he reflected, "because of the attention to detail and musicianship. We're listening carefully, following a conductor, and making a cohesive sound together as an ensemble."

Aron is proud of where he went to school, carrying the spirit of St. Olaf with him into the future. "To me what it means to be an Ole is to be somebody who is caring," he mused. "Both supportive to other people, but also who cares about things in the world and helping people."

To that end, Aron said he's endeavored to use music to care for others. "Even though I love entertaining and putting on shows, of course, what really gets me jazzed these days is the idea of affecting people in a profound way using music and theater," he mused. That outlook would affect everything he tried to do after graduating from the school in 2001.

Before Aron Accurso linked up with the woman who would become his wife and creative partner, he built a thriving career all his own on Broadway. He's played several instruments in numerous bands on Broadway, including for musicals like "The Little Mermaid," "Sister Act," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," and "Billy Elliot." He also worked as the conductor at several of those shows, managing the musicians down in the pit.

Even several years into his time with "Songs for Littles," Aron served as the musical director for "Aladdin" on Broadway. That meant several television appearances, including on "The View" and "The Bachelorette" alongside cast members from the Disney show, though he's also been on TV before in his own right. He appeared on the cult NBC musical show "Smash" and as an accompanist on "American Idol."

In other words, Aron's lengthy musical experience made him the perfect partner for the educator who would become Ms. Rachel. Even before the YouTube channel started, Aron was ready for the world stage.

In 2010, nearly a decade before "Songs for Littles," Rachel Griffin met Aron Accurso while they were attending the same church service. In a Facebook video about that memorable day, Rachel explained, "It was my first time at that church, and it was coffee hour. He was putting his name tag away and leaving, but then he saw my smile, and he came over." Aron approached Rachel and started a conversation, and it didn't take long for them to fall madly in love with each other. Rachel previously dished about her husband on Instagram, writing, "I remember dating him and realizing being around him made me a better version of myself as well. He lifted me up."

For his part, Aron has a memory of Rachel in those early days that would later seem to be prophetic. He told The New York Times that on their second-ever date, she asked him, "Don't you just love Mister Rogers?" They were both big fans of the children's entertainer, laying the groundwork for their own career shift to come.

In 2016, approximately six years after meeting, Aron Accurso married the entertainer who would soon be Ms. Rachel. Two years later, they welcomed a son, Thomas. When the couple learned their son had a speech delay, it led them down a path to their eventual YouTube channel. As they began to research ways to help kids learn language, they realized that their particular talents — Rachel Griffin Accurso with her master's in music education and past experience as a music teacher and Aron with his bachelor's in music theory/composition — would lend themselves well to making the exact videos they hoped already existed. After seeing that the videos seemed to be helping their son, the couple decided to put their videos on YouTube. "It makes so much sense to everyone else, but to me, it feels accidental," she told The New York Times.

Rachel shouted out her husband's dad skills on Instagram, writing a lengthy post in which she praised the attention he gives Thomas. After all, she said, she grew up with a single mother, so she never had that kind of father energy around her when she was younger. "Sometimes I get teary watching Aron with our son because I am so moved by seeing such an involved, fun, caring dad," she wrote. "It's not something I had as a kid and it's just so wonderful and so important."

A second child followed in 2025, this one born via surrogate. Rachel announced the arrival of their daughter, whom they gave a rather traditional baby name that many people aren't using anymore: Susannah. Rachel took to Instagram, writing, "Aron – Thank you for being the best husband and dada!"

Even before the rise of beauty content on YouTube, children's entertainment was taking off — and it continues to do so. In 2019, the year Rachel Griffin Accurso started posting on YouTube, the highest-paid YouTube star was Ryan Kaji, a child famous for his toy unboxing videos. By 2024, Forbes named both Ryan and Rachel as top creators. Although Aron Accurso's name was absent from this list, he is intimately involved with the famous YouTube channel as well. The husband-and-wife duo write their original children's music together, with Aron often tackling the music and Rachel writing the lyrics. They make super catchy music (like "Baby Shark," but arguably better).

He appears onscreen as "Mr. Aron," singing and dancing his own songs for the entertainment and education of children around the world. "Aron brings such an excellence and creativity to the show in songwriting, puppeteering, scriptwriting, incredible musical arrangements, underscoring, silly Mr Aron moments, etc.," Rachel wrote on Instagram. "There's no Ms Rachel without Mr Aron and I'm so grateful."

Sometimes, Aron appears just off-screen. That is to say: He's a puppeteer, providing the movement and voice behind Herbie, the show's lovably furry orange character who cracks jokes alongside Ms. Rachel. In an Instagram post about the character, Rachel wrote, "When your husband says yes immediately when you ask him to be an orange puppet for a YouTube show you want to make."

Though Aron Accurso and Rachel Griffin Accurso have become world-famous for "Songs for Littles," the couple also has an interest in mental health for adults. To that end, they collaborated together on a musical piece for grown-ups called "You Are Enough: A Mental Health Suite," a piece that was commissioned by the Michigan Men's Glee Club. As with their children's songs, Aron handled the music and collaborated with his wife on the lyrics. "'You Are Enough: A Mental Health Suite' was written to advocate for, and elevate conversations about, mental health awareness," Aron wrote on his website.

In 2022, Aron released a music video for the suite's title track. On his own YouTube channel, away from the kid-friendly branding of "Songs for Littles," Aron took the opportunity to raise awareness of an organization that helps support adults who are struggling with their mental health. "Please consider donating to Bring Change To Mind to help end the stigma surrounding mental illness," he urged in the video's description.

In early 2025, the Children's Museum of Manhattan took to Instagram to announce that they'd had a couple of special visitors. They shared some snaps of a youngster hanging out at the museum with Ms. Rachel and Mr. Aron. The child, one of the many amazing kids who've refused to let life's obstacles get in their way, attended the museum alongside Rachel Griffin Accurso and Aron Accurso as part of a Make-a-Wish Foundation wish. "Watching their laughter and excitement reminds us of the magic that happens when kids are free to learn, discover, and just be kids," the museum wrote. "Here's to many more smiles, laughter, and adventures to come!"

The Instagram carousel of memories from the day included a video from Aron and his wife, shouting out the museum for hosting the event. "Thank you so much to CMOM for always having us for Make-a-Wish," Rachel said, suggesting that this wasn't the first time they'd helped out. "And for supporting all the children in this community," Aron added before they both concluded: "We love CMOM!"

Fans of the entertainers were touched by their support of the charity. In a comment on the museum's post, one supporter wrote about her personal experience. "They are the most incredible people! They were also my little one's wish and we had such a magical day!" the commenter said. "Rachel and Aron played with Lillyth like she was just like any other kid and it really healed something in me."

In the years since Aron Accurso and Rachel Griffin Accurso began posting "Songs for Littles" on YouTube, their online empire has taken off. In addition to YouTube, they're now bona fide TikTok and Instagram stars, cross-posting their videos everywhere so they can help as many children as possible.

It helps parents, too, to know that their kids have safe, family-friendly entertainment opportunities that'll also teach them something along the way. For that reason, the couple collaborated with Spin Master in 2024 to launch a line of Ms. Rachel-branded toys. They insisted on keeping prices low, remembering what it felt like to grow up in a family in which expensive toys were a luxury. Additionally, when they made a video featuring their toys, they also included a downloadable PDF where parents could print free paper dolls instead. "We wanted them to be really thoughtful and really high quality and affordable. We have the parents' trust and we never want to take that lightly," Rachel told The New York Times.

In addition to a toy based on Herbie, the orange puppet that Aron plays on his wife's show, there's also a Ms. Rachel doll dressed in her trademark blue overalls and pink t-shirt. Aron and his wife designed the toys together, but he told the newspaper that he's the one who took special care with the Ms. Rachel doll. "I made sure that the doll had dimples," he said, "and that they represented Rachel's beautiful smile."