Maya Rudolph has been private about her relationship with director Paul Thomas Anderson for years, though she has let some info slip from time to time.
The pair have been dating since 2001 and have started a family together over the course of the last 20 years.
They have an interesting arrangement, with Maya calling Paul her “husband,” despite not officially being married.
Celebrating her 50th birthday on July 27, Rudolph has appeared in some major films and TV shows over the decades.
Maya is best known for her role in Bridesmaids, as well as her time on Saturday Night Live (SNL). However, she has appeared in some of Paul’s films, including his most recent release, Licorice Pizza.
Paul has also directed There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread, Magnolia, and many other legendary films.
How did Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson meet?
(Image: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Reports first came of Maya and Paul dating way back in 2001, following the director’s breakup with musician Fiona Apple.
They were first seen together during a Q&A focused on Paul’s 2002 release Punch-Drunk Love.
Their relationship status at the time was unknown and it has not been revealed how they met.
However, it is likely the two first crossed paths on SNL, as Maya worked on the show from 2000 to 2020, with Paul also working on it in the early 2000s.
It wasn’t until 2018 during an interview with the New York Times that Maya first confirmed that the pair had been together for 17 years.
Are Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson married?
(Image: Getty Images)
During her New York Times interview, not only did she confirm how long the two have been together, but she also revealed she called Paul her “husband.”
The couple are not legally married, but Maya explained why she uses that label.
It started one day when Maya was at a restaurant and speaking to the waiter, who told a story of a man who labelled himself as “the unofficial mayor of the Valley.”
Maya replied: “I hope it wasn’t my husband,” and from then on it stuck.
She said she liked using “husband” because people know what that means. She explained: “It means he’s the father of my child, and I live with him, and we are a couple, and we are not going anywhere.”
Do Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson have children?
(Image: FilmMagic)
The couple do have children together, and it was thanks to the birth of their daughter that Maya felt it was “ooky” to keep calling Paul her boyfriend after.
Today they have four children together, Pearl Minnie, 15, Lucille, 11, Jack, nine, and Minnie Ida, seven.
During one of Maya’s SNL opening monologues, she said: “Some of you may know me because, well, I used to work here and some of you may know me by the name Mommy because I gave birth to you…”
She continued: “Just a heads-up to my kids, tonight Mommy’s going to put on a lot of wigs and do a lot of weird voices. So, it’s just going to be like a typical day at home. I’ll just be wearing a bra.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
