CELEBRITY COUPLES

Celebrity Couples Who Are Surprisingly Not Married


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AFP Contributor/Getty Images

It can be surprising to discover that a celebrity couple has been together for a long while, let alone that they were never betrothed. Take Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson for example: One of Hollywood’s most understated power couples has actually been together since the turn of the century, but what’s even more surprising is the fact that after 17 years and four children together, the two are not officially married (though Rudolph does refer to Anderson as her “husband” for simplicity’s sake). Some couples have been together for so long that their union must at least be considered a common law marriage by now (looking at you Oprah and Stedman), but, with all apologies to Beyoncé, not everyone needs to put a ring on it in order to superglue their romantic bond. Here, celebrity couples in long-term relationships who never officially married.

1
Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham
Kevin Mazur

Together since 1986, and engaged in 1992, the couple have famously never married. “We would not have stayed together, because marriage requires a different way of being in this world,” Oprah once told Vogue. “His interpretation of what it means to be a husband and what it would mean for me to be a wife would have been pretty traditional, and I would not have been able to fit into that.” Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

2
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell
Jon Kopaloff

Though they’ve dated since 1983, the A-list couple remains unbetrothed. “If you need to be bound to someone, then it’s important to be married,” Hawn once told a British chat show. “If you are independent, then it’s important to not be married.” Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

3
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Yvan Attal
Pascal Le Segretain

Charlotte Gainsbourg’s famous parents, Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, never married each other, and she seems in no rush to either. She’s been with the director Yvan Attal since 1991, and the couple have three kids. They got engaged in 2014, but since revealed they’re not serious about actually tying the knot. Photo courtesy Getty Images.

4
Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias
John Parra

They’ve been together since 2001, and the status of their relationship was unclear for many of those years, until they welcomed twins last years. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

5
John Corbett and Bo Derek
Daniele Venturelli

Together since 2002, the former Sex and the City hunk and Ten babe have kept it together without worrying about a marriage license. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

6
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling
Sonia Recchia

The couple remains notoriously private, but they’ve been dating since 2011 and now have two daughters together. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

7
Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough
Ben Gabbe

They stylish duo behind Proenza Schouler met back in 2002 as design students at Parsons and have been together for most of that time since, but they seem in no hurry to get married or even talk about it publicly. An inquiry about the matter at a talk at the Met last year was met with eye rolls and a “no comment.” Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

8
Shakira and Gerard Pique
James Devaney

The singer and the soccer player have been together since 2011 and have two children together. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

9
Sandra Bernhard and Sara Switzer
Clint Spaulding

The comedian has been with the former magazine editor and writer for almost two decades, and the pair have raised a daughter together. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

10
Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson
Frazer Harrison

The Saturday Night Live alum and the celebrated director have been together since about 2000 and have four children together. They’re not married, but Anderson’s latest film, Phantom Thread, was said to be inspired by their love. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

11
Wallace Shawn and Deborah Eisenberg
Amy Sussman

To some, Wallace Shawn is Mr. Hall in Clueless; to others, he’s a celebrated playwright; to the award-winning short-story writer Deborah Eisenberg, he’s her partner. They’ve been a New York literary power couple for years, but don’t need to put a ring on it. Photo courtesy Getty Images.

12
Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon
Laura Cavanaugh

Together since 1982, the creator of The Office and the popular English novelist don’t believe in marriage as an institution. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.