The Truth About Megan Mullally's Marriage To Nick Offerman

When we think of Hollywood power couples, some of the more predictable (but not always long-lasting) relationships come to mind: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, and so on. And while we might swoon every time John Legend sings a ballad to Chrissy Teigen, there is one Hollywood couple that is so real, down-to-earth, and hysterical that they've captured hearts across the country. Of course, we're talking about Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman.

A comedian and actor, Mullally is best known for her role as Karen in the cast of "Will & Grace," and has lent her skills to a plethora of performances in the show's aftermath. Offerman, meanwhile, brought an original flair to the screen when he embodied Ron Swanson in "Parks and Recreation," with many fans coming to learn that he — like his character — is a master woodworker who builds canoes on the weekends. Put these two together, and they're comedy gold. If you'd like to learn more about their inspirational union, read on for the truth about their marriage.

Society may have us believe that we need to meet our soulmate at 24, get married by 26, have babies by 28, and once we hit 30 — well, everything goes downhill from there. That's simply not true, and Megan Mullally's marriage to Nick Offerman is a perfect example. Telling GQ that she met her husband "later in [her] life," Mullally offered the story of how their paths crossed — and it's likely to give singles hope that the perfect soulmate is worth the wait.

"We did a play together in LA, in 2000 — 'The Berlin Circle,' by Charles Mee," Mullally shared with New York Magazine of her early days with Offerman. Offerman, a self-described "theater snob," had just moved to the city from Chicago, and he was instantly taken aback by Mullally's talent. "Megan was the lead and was on a successful show, and I was like, 'This fancy TV chick thinks she's so great.' By the end of the first read-through, her comedy had melted my wall of ice," Offerman shared. "I introduced myself and said, 'I think you're really funny even though you're on TV.'"

Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman sometimes don't seem like a celebrity couple at times, given how relatable, funny, endearing, and open they are about their relationship. They enjoy sharing their stories with crowds and viewers so much that they developed a comedy show and took it on the road. As noted by Deadline, Mullally and Offerman's "Summer of 69: No Apostrophe" tour was a hit. Through funny jingles, classic stand-up, and wit that only comes from over two decades of marriage, the duo gave audiences direct insight into their lives together.

"We love to make sweet love to each other in general, so to be paid millions of dollars to do it in front of an audience is just that much sweeter," the couple said about the comedy show. The tour's success was noticed by the network Epix, which turned the unfiltered performance into a television special.

Given that Megan Mullally is a bit older than Nick Offerman, the former was quite a ways ahead of the latter in terms of career when they met. You might think that this dynamic led to a jealous or competitive streak on Offerman's part, given that he and his wife were in the same professional field — but that couldn't be further from the truth.

In an interview with Backstage, Offerman shared his perspective on Mullally's professional success, telling the host that his wife was a limitless resource for him.

"Our particular dichotomy is really great because Megan is 10, 11 years older, and she has hit all these high water marks that I've watched as she handles these things and gracefully surmounts all these hurdles," Offerman said. "Now, unbelievably, I've come to some of the same places. There's a real open student-teacher relationship, where Megan is years ahead of me as far as the work she's done and was on top of the game long before I was. It's like having a master teacher at home."

During Nick Offerman's time as Ron Swanson on "Parks and Recreation," his career hit new heights. Of all the Swanson storylines — from his love of Food and Stuff to the pyramid of greatness — nothing beat his hilarious dynamic with his ex-wife, "Tammy Two." Who brought the sex-craved, unfiltered librarian to life on-screen? None other than Mullally herself. Speaking about their infamous "hate-sex" scene, the couple sat down with New York Magazine to dish about working together.

"[The scene] was really good therapy, because in any relationship, you have love times and you have who-didn't-do-the-dishes times," Offerman said. "We've worked together before in different ways, but we've never had the opportunity to be a team, and in that episode we were like a two-fisted weapon, battering comedy in the audience's face."

"We basically destroyed the diner," Mullally added. "We ran the gamut of wild, crazy, exhibitionist sex acts and screaming at the other patrons, throwing things, berating the manager ... I didn't care. I didn't know anybody. It's not my set."

If you're in your teens, 20s, or 30s and haven't found love yet, you may be comforted to know that Megan Mullally was 41 when she met Nick Offerman, and at the time, she wanted to be pursued by men her own age. Telling GQ that younger guys had a habit of chasing her, the actress divulged that when she met Offerman, she thought to herself, "Oh, great, 'cause this guy's like 38!" As it happens, that was not the case.

Offerman — who had that steely demeanor that became synonymous with his portrayal of Ron Swanson — was actually just 29 years old when his path first crossed Mullally's, and the "Will & Grace" star was "p***ed" that yet another younger guy was after her.

"I thought he looked old! And he was mature, so when I found out he was 29, I said these two words: YOU MOTHERF***ER," Mullally shared with GQ, before adding, "And I almost ran my car off the road."

If you can't get enough of Megan Mullally's marriage to Nick Offerman, you're in for a treat. Amid their "Summer of 69" comedy tour, the dynamic duo found themselves on the road a lot, living in hotels and making audiences laugh. The tour didn't just allow them to spread unfiltered cheer, however. Mullally told USA Today that the time spent traveling across the country gave her and Offerman the chance to pursue yet another joint venture — their book, "The Greatest Love Story Ever Told," which was released in 2018.

"We were on tour, so we were never in our own bed, we were in beds strewn across the country and perhaps around the world. Every once in a while, I'd say, 'Hey, want to lay down a couple chapters?' And Nick would get his phone out and put on the recorder," Mullally explained of their creative process. "I wouldn't tell him in advance what the topic was, he might front-load. So I'd say, 'okay, the topic is families.' And then we'd just start having a conversation about families. And it was very interesting."

If you've taken anything from this deep dive into Megan Mullally's marriage to Nick Offerman so far, it's likely that the duo is fun, down to earth, and always ready to jump into the deep end feet first. Their wedding itself was no exception. After popping the question to Mullally in 2002, Offerman and the "Will & Grace" star set their wedding plans into motion — sort of. 

It was September 20, 2003, the day before the Emmy Awards, where Mullally was nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. Inviting about 20 unsuspecting friends over to celebrate the occasion, Mullally and Offerman shocked everyone when they announced that the get-together was actually their wedding, as detailed by Vulture. Anyone thinking about the surprise wedding between Andy and April on "Parks and Recreation?"

Of the decision to throw a surprise, low-key wedding, the couple wrote for AV Club that their focus was on love, not the pomp and circumstance that can come with a ceremony. "We wanted to declare to each other and our friends and family that we were in it to win it," the duo wrote.

Between their "Summer of 69" comedy tour, book venture, and individual shows, Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman clearly have busy schedules. But everyone needs some downtime, and these two have a particular way of bonding: They complete puzzles together. As noted by E! News, not only do they complete the dissected images fairly quickly, but they then pose like the subjects of the puzzles and snap a photo.

Often taking to social media with their creations, Mullally and Offerman have offered fans hilarious poses at all different times of the year. One Christmas recreation saw Offerman dressed up as Santa, carrying a Mullally-shaped "sack of presents." A Valentine's Day creation pictured the couple posing like the soap opera subjects of their puzzle. Clearly, fans can't get enough of the pair's pastime, with one follower (and "Parks & Rec" fan) commenting, "Ron could never stay away from Tammy 2, could he?"

It seems as though the dating, marriage, and babies sequence of events is as old as time — but Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman never fell victim to external forces. In 2017, the couple sat down with GQ to discuss their marriage and how they make it work after all these years. The "Will & Grace" star offered a few points: She and her husband never go more than two weeks without seeing each other, and not having kids has helped keep their bond fresh. 

When asked if having kids was ever part of their plans, Mullally offered a rather point-blank answer. "I never had a burning desire to have children. But then I met Nick, and I thought, 'This is the only person I'd do this with,'" Mullally explained. "So we tried, but I was a little long in the tooth for that sort of thing. But we didn't turn it into a soap opera. We tried for about a year or so, and it didn't happen, and took that to mean it wasn't meant to be."

Having a shared sense of commitment to the job — both professionally and personally — is invaluable, and Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman are true embodiments of spousal support. In an interview with IndieWire, Offerman opened up about watching Mullally thrive as Karen on "Will & Grace," admitting that apart from the very infrequent occasion, he never missed a taping of the show.

"I was a fast convert," Offerman said of his "Will & Grace" fandom, with Mullally adding, "From the third season to the end, I think there was one to two tapings you had to miss."

Telling the outlet that watching Mullally thrive on-camera was "the greatest job," Offerman continued, "Getting to be on the floor as the spouse of Megan, I sort of had an all-day pass. I could go wherever I wanted to. I took complete advantage of it. It was so amazing to watch them make that show masterfully."

When Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman graced the digital cover of a New York Magazine feature, wearing absolutely nothing but their birthday suits and a handful of green grapes, fans knew they were in for a treat. Not only was the sit-down hilarious and relatable, but both Offerman and Mullally opened up about their relationships with their bodies, not a particularly common topic of conversation for two Hollywood stars.

For her part, Mullally shared that she pitched the naked photo concept to New York Magazine "as if we were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but of course, we're not.

"Yet before we met with [New York Magazine], Nick told me how beautiful I looked in my pajamas in the hotel. I didn't really, by somebody else's standards, but it's very nice to hear that, especially as an actress in Hollywood," Mullally said. "Nick has said he would divorce me if I got Botox." As for Offerman, he shared that he's embraced being a "very hairy" man in Hollywood.

Many of us stress about what to buy our significant others for birthdays and other occasions, but Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman don't trouble themselves with that concern. While answering reader questions for AV Club, the couple opened up about their avoidance of significant gift-giving, advising a concerned reader that the less stressful practice of giving smaller, more thoughtful gifts throughout the year.

"Instead of feeling the pressure to do something significant for each holiday, we instead have a standing deal that we often skip Christmas gifts, and instead just get each other presents at any time, if we should see something that seems like our spouse would love it," the duo wrote. "We also really appreciate a personal touch more than anything. A small handmade trinket or card is much more meaningful than anything you can purchase."

Their advice to the reader if their partner "scoffs" at something less than diamonds? "Kick their d*** out."

If you weren't able to catch Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman's live performances of "Summer of 69," and just can't find the time to read their book, "The Greatest Love Story Ever Told," perhaps try listening to their podcast during your next commute. The couple's foray into the podcasting world, "In Bed with Nick and Megan," offers hilarious and intimate conversations with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

"Cozying up with their famous friends, your favorite couple provides a funny, revealing, and very candid look into their relationship and life at large," the podcast description reads. In some episodes, they'll even kick the guest out of bed and get extra personal in what some have called the most searing and rawly sexual conversations ever to burn their way through a voice recorder." (Maybe don't listen to this one while your kids are in the car.)

Episodes have featured the likes of Jonathan Van Ness, Whoopi Goldberg, and "Parks and Recreation" alum Aubrey Plaza, who joined the couple "in bed" for a tarot card reading.

If you love Rob Lowe, you're in good company. Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman also seem to share an affinity for the "Parks and Recreation" alum. The Ron Swanson aficionado shared some insight into his and Mullally's relationship with the Chris Traeger funny man during an interview on "The Kelly Clarkson Show." After telling the songstress host that Mullally shared a "throat-kissing scene" with Lowe during the 1986 project "About Last Night," Offerman joked that he and his wife have shared a "ménage à trois" with the actor.

"In an episode where I think Rob Lowe's character [Chris Traeger] finds out that it's [my character] Ron Swanson's birthday and he ends up kissing me on the mouth ... at which point I was like 'Okay honey, I get it. Everything's cool, everything's fine,'" Offerman said, noting that Mullally had clearly been taken by Lowe all the way back in the 1980s.

"If you step back a little ways and squint, you could say we've had a threesome," Offerman chuckled. "That's how it is in Hollywood."