Real-Life Loves
Inside the ‘Yellowjackets’ Cast’s Buzzy Real-Life Romances
The Yellowjackets have been through it.
Seriously, the young women at the center of Showtime’s thriller Yellowjackets have seen the worst of humanity and been a part of it themselves. Not only did the girls soccer team spend a year and a half fending off the endless dangers of the wilderness after a plane crash, the few survivors who walked away spent the next 20 years nursing the many traumas that left them with physical and metaphorical scars.
Only in a few instances were they able to find solace, and often it was in the arms of each other. As friends, and as lovers, the feelings of romance and passion that went hand in hand with surviving significantly affected how all the Yellowjackets faced love in the years after the crash. It’s what makes the series a twisted love story on so many levels, some of which are still being unraveled as it heads into Season 3.
But in real life, the actors behind the survivors have forged much more normal love stories that weren’t forged from horrifying experiences –– that we know of. Here are the real-life loves of the Yellowjackets cast.
Yellowjackets, Season 3 Premiere (two episodes), February 14 on Paramount+ With Showtime; February 16, 8/7c, Showtime
Melanie Lynskey and Jason Ritter
Few of the Yellowjackets have endured as much as Shauna, who lost her child and her best friend in the wilderness, and eventually led the charge in eating the latter. Needless to say, Shauna has deep-rooted demons that she battles every day, especially with her husband Jeff (Warren Kole). Which is ironic because offscreen, Melanie Lynskey is the complete opposite as one half of one of Hollywood’s cutest and most supportive couples. In 2017, she became engaged to actor Jason Ritter, whom she had been dating for four years. The couple didn’t marry until 2020, prior to which they welcomed a daughter. Since then, he’s joined her as a zombie in The Last of Us and was even supposed to appear in Season 2 of Yellowjackets. If you need any proof why this couple rocks, just watch their joint appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2023, where they both tear up talking about their love story. Protect them at all costs!
Tawny Cypress and Tom Dillon
While Tawny Cypress has to dig deep to play some of Tai’s darker tendencies in Yellowjackets, she does share something in common with her character. Cypress revealed in the 2022 docuseries Queer for Fear that she identifies as queer and has been attracted to women. Since 2011, she has been married to Tom Dillon, with whom she has a son.
Christina Ricci and Mark Hampton
A fixture of Hollywood since she was a child, Christina Ricci has grown up in front of the camera. But she has managed to keep relationships out of the spotlight for the most part. In 2013, she married dolly grip James Heerdegen, with whom she had a son in 2014. She filed for divorce in 2020, citing she had endured “physical and emotional abuse.” She received full custody of her son. Thankfully, she seems to have found a much better partner in hairstylist Mark Hampton, whom she married in 2021. They couple welcomed a daughter the same year.
Lauren Ambrose and Sam Handel
Her character, Van, has been put through the wringer since the plane crash that stranded the Yellowjackets. But Lauren Ambrose’s real-life story is much sweeter and simpler. After marrying photographer and writer Sam Handel in 2001, the two have since welcomed two children in 2007 and 2012.
Sophie Thatcher and Austin Feinstein
As teen Natalie, Sophie Thatcher has oscillated between reckless and surprisingly responsible, even finding romance with teen Travis (Kevin Alves). In real life, she has been dating Slow Hollows lead singer Austin Feinstein since 2022. The two met when he messaged her on Instagram. They have since moved in together and have a cat and dog. They aren’t shy about their love either, posting selfies all over social media.
Simone Kessell and Gregor Jordan
In the years after the devastating plane crash and wilderness survival, Lottie found serenity and peace (sort of) by building a purple-coded cult. But actress Simone Kessell built her own brood starting in 2004 when she married Australian director Gregor Jordan. The pair have two children together.
Ella Purnell and Max Bennett Kelly
While Jackie may have felt the icy touch of death in Season 1, her portrayer Ella Purnell continues to haunt the Yellowjackets, especially Shauna. When she isn’t in the Canadian wilderness in various states of decay, Purnell can be seen on Prime Video’s Fallout and Starz’s Sweetpea. In real life, she has been open about her relationship with musician Max Bennett Kelly on social media, and the couple even released a short film in 2023 called Junk Male, in conjunction with his debut album. Purnell directed the film!
Samantha "Sammi" Hanratty and Christian DeAnda
As Misty, Sammi Hanratty is the live-wire wildcard of the Yellowjackets that very few of her teammates trust. But Hanratty is the opposite offscreen, where she has become a wife and mother during her time on the show. In 2023, she married post-production assistant Christian DeAnda in Paso Rubles, California, in front of a number of her costars. A year later, the couple welcomed a son, whom she revealed on TikTok would be born with a cleft lip and require surgery. However, she reassured fans he was going to be okay.
Steven Krueger
The Vampire Diaries universe has brought about an endless supply of real-life romance over its run, and that extends to Yellowjackets Coach Ben himself, Steven Krueger. As Josh on The Originals, Krueger played the franchise’s first openly gay character. While on the show, he crossed paths with The Vampire Diaries fan-favorite bloodsucker Candice King (aka Caroline) in Season 5, and the two are now dating as of 2023. She confirmed the relationship in an Instagram Reel recapping her year, and clever followers noticed a quick clip of her planting a kiss on Krueger. Ever since, they have popped up on each other’s socials regularly.
Elijah Wood and Mette-Marie Kongsved
Elijah Wood may have spent the better part of a decade living in the spotlight of Middle Earth, but after he said goodbye to The Lord of the Rings franchise in the 2000s, he settled into a much quieter life, during which he met his partner, Danish film producer Mette-Marie Kongsved. The two worked on the 2017 film I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore and took their relationship public in 2018. They had a son the following year, and a daughter in 2022.
Hilary Swank and Philip Schneider
The newest addition to the Yellowjackets saga is two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank, whose role in the series is still a mystery — but the Season 3 teaser trailer shows her in some serious distress. In the real world though, Swank is living the good life with her husband, entrepreneur Philip Schneider, and their two twins, Aya and Ohm. Swank and Schneider married in 2018, and welcomed their two bundles of joy in 2023.
