Who Is Jesse Spencer's Wife? All About Kali Woodruff Carr

Jesse Spencer and his wife Dr. Kali Woodruff Carr first started dating in 2014

Jesse Spencer has been married to his wife Dr. Kali Woodruff Carr since 2020.

The pair have been linked since they met at a Chicago music festival in 2014. At that time, Spencer was starring as Captain Matthew Casey in Chicago Fire while Woodruff Carr was earning her Master of Science in communication from Northwestern University.

In 2019, the couple got engaged when Spencer proposed to Woodruff Carr during a hiking trip along the Inca trail in the Peruvian Andes. The two got married in Woodruff Carr’s hometown of Neptune Beach, Florida, on June 27, 2020.

Spencer spoke with The Daily Telegraph about his feelings for his wife and getting married during a global pandemic in October 2020.

“What a silver lining to 2020,” Spencer said. “She’s pretty, smart and way ahead of her years. We’re very happy. She is my port in every storm, and we’re already excited to be moving on to the next phase of our lives.”

While Spencer is known for playing Dr. Robert Chase on TV in the popular medical drama House, his wife is a doctor in real life, working as a research scientist at the Boston Children’s Hospital. The couple welcomed their first and only child in April 2022 — about six months after Spencer announced he was leaving Chicago Fire to spend more time with his family.

So who is Jesse Spencer’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Dr. Kali Woodruff Carr and her relationship with the Australian actor.

Woodruff Carr has four degrees — including a Ph.D — and works as a neuroscientist

Dr. Woodruff Carr works as a research scientist at the Boston Children’s Hospital and got to her esteemed position through a great deal of hard work and extensive education.

She graduated with two bachelor’s degrees — in both psychology and music performance — from the University of Florida between August of 2008 and May of 2012. By September 2012, she was back in school as she graduated with her Master of Science in communication and a Ph.D in communication sciences and disorders — both from Northwestern University.

“I am interested in the biology of listening and learning, and how life experiences shape our perception of the world,” Woodruff Carr wrote on her ResearchGate.net profile. “My current research projects include: 1) how children use temporal rhythmic cues to make sense of speech, 2) how we learn to incorporate acoustic variability in speech and use variability to inform listening strategies when encountering new speech information, and 3) how infants learn to identify the sounds that are "for them" and use these sounds for thinking and reasoning.”

Spencer was happy that Woodruff Carr wasn’t in the entertainment industry

Spencer has had notable relationships with actresses including his House costar Jennifer Morrison and Louise Griffiths, as well as four-time Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Award-winning surfer Maya Gabeira. In 2012, Spencer told Time Out that he hoped to date someone outside the entertainment industry after his previous experiences.

"All of my girlfriends have been actors, and I’ve realized that maybe it’s not for me — and [I hope to] find something else outside of the industry,” Spencer said.

By meeting Woodruff Carr, Spencer found someone outside the world of acting and the entertainment field.

They love to travel

Spencer and Woodruff Carr are a well-traveled couple with many trips under their belt that Woodruff Carr documented on X (formerly Twitter). While in Kenya in 2015, they went on a safari, took a hot air balloon ride, posed in front of waterfalls.

“We’re now in #Solio & having such fun spotting rhinos. Thanks for a magical time #Kenya @Jesse_Spencer @giraffe_Manor,” she wrote on X.

The pair travelled to Italy in 2016, visiting the scenic terrain and landscapes of Cinque Terre. They also visited Florence— where they took a snapshot of the iconic Statue of David — and San Gimignano.

They attended the Kentucky Derby

In 2018, Spencer and Woodruff Carr attended the Kentucky Derby. Spencer posted on X about how much the couple enjoyed their experience at the most watched and attended horse-racing event in the United States, as well as how much they loved Woodruff Carr’s custom-designed hat.

“@LoretaCorsetti thanks for the amazingly unique hat for the derby. Kali and I loved it! And thanks @KentuckyDerby for a brilliant weekend!” Spencer wrote on X.

They got married on Woodruff Carr’s parents’ and grandparents’ anniversaries

Spencer and Woodruff Carr got married on June 27, 2020, which was a date that held significance to Woodruff Carr because it was her parents’ and grandparents’ anniversaries. They wed in Woodruff Carr’s hometown of Neptune Beach with just a few family and friends gathered for the ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.

“Despite a spike in COVID, a venue change, a Saharan dust plume, not to mention a torrential thunderstorm, we made it across the line on our wedding day and I’m a very lucky man,” Spencer said to The Daily Telegraph.

She shares one child with Spencer

Woodruff Carr became a mother when she and Spencer welcomed their first and only child together in April 2022. According to NBC, the baby was born five months after Australian-born Spencer obtained his U.S. citizenship in November 2021.

The two have not shared much information about their child. However, Spencer announced he would be leaving his role as Captain Casey on Chicago Fire after nine years and 200 episodes to spend more time with his family while Woodruff Carr was pregnant with their child in October 2021.

“This was a difficult decision because I have loved the show from the start but there are other things that I would like to do in the future, and there’s some family that I need to take care of and 18 years is a long time,” Spencer explained in a roundtable interview (The Australian actor starred on House before jumping straight into Chicago Fire.) “I was marking off these milestones and looking to the future … and it was time.

Although Spencer has returned for guest appearances, he is no longer a series regular.

She supports Spencer and his career

Woodruff Carr is supportive of her husband and his career endeavors. She even showed up to a taping of Chicago Fire to watch Spencer in action and ended up taking a picture of herself holding the camera, which she posted on X.

She also paid tribute to Spencer after he wrote a song honoring his time on Chicago Fire after announcing he would be departing the series in 2021.

“Proud doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about this beautiful song my husband wrote to commemorate 10 years and 200 episodes on #NBCChicagoFire,” she wrote on X. “We are so grateful to our @NBCOneChicago forever family ❤️‍🔥.”

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