Jamie Lee Curtis Opens Up About the Key to Her Almost Four-Decade Marriage and the Supportive Role of Her Husband in Raising Kids

Jamie Lee Curtis is married to Christopher Guest, who is not only an actor but also a musician and screenwriter. The couple, who are of British-American descent, have two adopted children, Ruby, 27, and Annie, 37.

Their love story began in 1984 when Curtis first saw a picture of Guest in a Rolling Stone magazine. Freshly out of a relationship, Curtis was with her friend Debra Hill in her Los Angeles apartment, where they came across a photograph of three men. Curtis’s attention was drawn to the man on the right, wearing a plaid shirt and sporting a mischievous smile. Despite never having met him before, she confidently told Hill, “I’m going to marry that man.”

As fate would have it, Hill knew Guest’s agent. Curtis contacted the agent the next day, leaving her number and a message for Guest to call her if he was interested. However, Guest never called. Curtis, undeterred, moved on with her life and dated someone else.

Eventually realizing that things wouldn’t work out with the new man, Curtis bid him farewell at the airport. After parting ways, she headed to Hugo’s restaurant in West Hollywood for dinner with friends and spotted Guest sitting nearby. He waved to her but left without speaking. The next day, he called her, and they went on their first date at Chianti Ristorante on Melrose. A few months later, they fell in love and got married on December 18, 1984, marking 39 years of marriage.

Reflecting on why she believed they would understand each other when she first saw his photograph, Curtis admitted uncertainty but noted, “Hidden in that smirk, I think, was a little secret that only I knew.”

Curtis described their marriage as complicated and “very real,” acknowledging imperfections and challenges, including her past struggles with addiction. In December 1998, at their vacation home in Idaho, she confronted her addiction by washing down a handful of Vicodin tablets with wine. Seeking recovery in February 1999 was a turning point, giving her a much-needed community and a new identity.

Curtis emphasized that her sobriety journey saved her life, describing herself now as “just a sober person — flawed, contradictory, broken and redeemed.”

Beyond their vacation home, Curtis and Guest have a residence in the Los Angeles area, where they spend most of their time. Their domestic life includes raising their adopted daughters, Annie and Ruby. Curtis treasures family values instilled by her mother, emphasizing respect, the importance of family and friends, and the impact of those values on her own life.

Now, as the couple’s children have grown into adults, Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest continue to find love and comfort in each other. Curtis, who never considered her looks as one of her positive attributes, believes her pragmatic approach to matters of the heart contributes to the happiness she shares with Guest.

The actress, known for her roles in various genres, admitted she has never lost herself in the romantic comedies she portrays on screen. Curtis stated, “I have the problem of going back home and trying to deal with a real marriage, which is very different from that.” Regarding collaboration, she dismissed the idea of working on joint projects with her husband, humorously noting that they already collaborate in bed.

While Curtis doesn’t view life as a romantic comedy, she describes herself as a “deep, serious romantic” and refers to Guest as her “one and only.” Despite this, she remains realistic and doesn’t get lost in romantic fantasies.

For their 35th anniversary, Curtis wrote a song for Guest, with a chorus expressing the security she feels when she sees his car in the garage. She explained that, in her long marriage, the presence of her husband brings her a sense of safety and assurance.

In revealing the secret to their enduring marriage, Curtis shared that she and Guest are opposites. He is an intellectual, while Curtis comes from a background where education wasn’t a priority. They don’t share musical tastes, reading preferences, or bedtime routines, yet they both delve into the same history books.

Despite their differences, Curtis and Guest celebrated their 30th anniversary by reading “Undaunted Courage” and embarking on a journey with friends, retracing a segment of the Missouri River in canoes, mirroring Lewis and Clark’s expedition. Curtis affectionately described their shared interests as a bit nerdy.

Guest, with his diverse hobbies including golf, skiing, cycling, and playing various musical instruments, adds richness to their relationship. Curtis appreciates the comfort, contact, and connection they find in each other.

On their 36th wedding anniversary, Curtis shared an emotional post on Instagram alongside a picture of them holding hands. She conveyed that their connection spans children, family, and friends, portraying their nearly 40-year bond as a human emotional chain guiding them through triumphs and tragedies.