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Who Is Christy Carlson Romano’s Husband? Inside ‘Special Forces’ Star’s Marriage to Brendan Rooney
While Christy Carlson Romano made a name for herself as a childhood Disney star, she’s now coming into her own as a contestant on Season 3 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. With a husband who is a military veteran, Romano has a special connection to the competition.
The Even Stevens alum married Brendan Rooney on New Year’s Eve 2013 after meeting two years prior. Scroll down for everything we know about Rooney and the pair’s relationship.
How did Christy Carlson Romano meet her husband?
Romano and Rooney met in February 2011. At the time, the actress was “broken-hearted” and back in college studying at Barnard University, which is part of Columbia in New York City. Rooney was also back in school and studying at Columbia. “That’s where our paths first crossed,” Romano revealed. Although Rooney didn’t want to be in the public eye, the two clicked thanks to their “similar baggage.”
“I was the assistant director on an on-campus documentary about veterans,” Romano previously revealed. “Brendan was the president of the Military Veterans at Columbia and we met while we were interviewing him.”
Rooney proposed in Italy after less than a year of dating and the couple married in Alberta, Canada, in 2013, although they were living in Los Angeles at the time.
Do Christy Carlson Romano and Brendan Rooney have kids?
Romano and Rooney share two daughters. Isabella was born on Christmas Eve 2016, followed by Sophia in February 2019. The family also has a Bengal cat.
What does Christy Carlson Romano’s husband do?
Rooney is a former Marine. “It was definitely attractive to me that he was a veteran,” Romano admitted in a YouTube video. “Great tattoos, great confidence, and he can make anybody his friend immediately. He’s got a lot of charisma.” He was in the United States Marine Corps from 2001 to 2005.
In 2016, Romano referenced her husband’s military past in an Instagram post where she praised him for helping a woman who was being attacked. “You are a badass #Marine, a good man, and I am blessed to have you in my life. And also please stay home with the doors locked from now on while me and our fetus are out of town,” she wrote.
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After his time in the Marines, Rooney studied political science at Columbia and then received his MFA of screenwriting at the American Film Institute in California in 2014. He served as a content creator and branded content specialist at Thinking Cap Media from 2012 until 2023, according to LinkedIn.
In January 2023, Romano and Rooney started their podcast network, PodCo, which produces podcast that “focus on rewatches hosted by the stars of popular TV series.” He also helps Romano run her YouTube channel, and she’s credited with him coming up with the catchy titles for her videos. “I’m the muse, I would say. And my husband is the visionary,” the former Disney star explained.
Where do Christy Carlson Romano and Brendan Rooney live?
After years of living in Los Angeles, the family relocated to Austin, Texas, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. “I love that the girls can kind of be out of the Hollywood area,” she admitted. “I love California, we have our PodCo offices there. And I also truly feel at home in Austin. I have a really strong community of friends there, and I’ve really found a way to set down roots.”
She added that she’s “really happy” that they made the move.
Romano and Rooney decided on Austin after taking a cross-country road trip while she was making Comic-Con appearances.
Special Forces, Wednesdays, 8/7c, FOX
