Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall's Relationship Timeline
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus may be known for playing the perpetually single Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, but in real life, she has been happily married to Brad Hall since 1987.
Louis-Dreyfus and Hall are college sweethearts who first met while attending Northwestern University in the early 1980s. They got married in 1987 and have been going strong ever since.
The couple have celebrated several milestones over the years, including welcoming two sons and beating cancer.
On their 35th anniversary in June 2022, the Veep star posted a photo of her and Hall on their wedding day. "Even though we're surrounded by a lot of bad news, I'm celebrating some good news today," she captioned the photo. "Been tied to this superb guy for 35 years!"
From their days in a college comedy troupe to working together on Saturday Night Live, here's everything to know about Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall's relationship.
Early 1980s: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall meet at Northwestern University
Louis-Dreyfus and Hall first met as students at Northwestern University in the '80s. The young actress auditioned for a performance that Hall was producing with his comedy troupe, the Practical Theatre Company.
Louis-Dreyfus then joined the troupe during her freshman year. PTC had a successful run both on the school's campus in Evanston, Illinois, and in nearby Chicago in the '80s.
1982: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall join the cast of Saturday Night Live
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In 1982, all four members of the Practical Theatre Company, including Louis-Dreyfus and Hall, were hired for SNL by producers Dick Ebersol and Bob Tischler, according to an essay in New York Magazine by former castmate and PTC member Gary Kroeger.
At 21, Louis-Dreyfus was the youngest female cast member on the sketch comedy show at the time.
Their SNL cast featured a number of now-famous actors, including Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy and Martin Short. The couple worked side by side until Hall left the show in 1984. Louis-Dreyfus left SNL in 1985. She later hosted SNL in 2006, 2007 and 2016.
RELATED: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Remembers 'Sexist' 'Saturday Night Live' Set: 'People Were Doing Crazy Drugs'
June 25, 1987: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall get married
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Instagram
On June 25, 1987, Louis-Dreyfus and Hall each said "I do." The couple wed in a church in Santa Barbara, California, where Hall grew up. Hall's father was the minister, according to a profile by The New Yorker.
Louis-Dreyfus walked down the aisle with her father Gérard "William" Louis-Dreyfus and her stepfather Tom Bowles.
June 30, 1992: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall welcome their first baby
Five years later, Louis-Dreyfus and Hall welcomed a son, Henry Hall.
At the time, Louis-Dreyfus was a few years into Seinfeld and she sneakily hid the pregnancy on camera with quirky, oversized clothing.
"This [oversized] clothing was very helpful to me as a pregnant person," Louis-Dreyfus told Vogue in 2019. "Both getting more and more pregnant and then becoming less and less pregnant after giving birth."
May 30, 1997: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall welcome their second baby
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On May 30, 1997, Louis-Dreyfus and Hall welcomed their second child, son Charles "Charlie" Hall, in Los Angeles.
Although she worked hard to hide her pregnancies on Seinfeld, she recalled it being an uphill battle.
"I went through two pregnancies over a nine-year period on Seinfeld, and I gained 45 pounds both times. Maybe it was 40 pounds, but not less than that, and I'm five foot three," Louis-Dreyfus told Harper's Bazaar in 2008. "I really tried not to put those 40 pounds on, but I was hungry, man. I craved red meat and lemonade, and I cannot believe the amount of food I could take in. And it's really documented on TV. I was trying to hide the weight."
August 1, 2003: Julia Louis-Dreyfus says she was "head over heels in love" with Brad Hall in college
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In an interview with Grist, the couple recalled how they met and what it was like to be a part of the comedy troupe — but all Louis-Dreyfus could remember of that time was just how in love she was with Hall.
"In our skits we parodied the problems of the day — oil dependency, environmental negligence, a lot of the issues we're now seeing reemerge on the public radar," Hall said.
Louis-Dreyfus responded: "Ha! I don't even remember those skits. I was about 19 at the time and had fallen head over heels in love with Brad. He was a senior with a big old beard and Jesus hair. I may have been just taking his word for it at that point."
April 27, 2012: Julia Louis-Dreyfus reflects on working with Brad Hall on Picture Paris
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In 2012, Hall wrote and directed the short film Picture Paris. Louis-Dreyfus played the role of Ellen Larson, a mother who emerges from a case of empty nest syndrome by planning a big move to Paris.
"We have worked with each other a number of times in the past, but this was particularly elevating and thrilling because we were calling the shots," she told the Huffington Post in 2012. "We both felt like we were back in Chicago doing theater — like we were, 25 or 30 years ago. We were our own bosses then, and if he was happy and I was happy; we'd move on together. This had a very indie feeling and I loved it."
April 10, 2013: Julia Louis-Dreyfus says she knew Brad Hall was the one "almost immediately"
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Louis-Dreyfus said meeting Hall was love at first sight. During an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, the actress recalled quickly realizing that she'd found her other half.
"There were a couple of moments, some of which I will not share," she said. "But I would say that I knew almost immediately. It's really the truth."
April 6, 2015: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall attend premiere of Veep season 4
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Louis-Dreyfus and Hall are no strangers to the red carpet. On April 6, 2015, the couple attended the season 4 premiere of Veep held at the SVA Theatre in New York City.
September 20, 2015: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall share a kiss at the Emmy Awards
Amazon
In 2015, Louis-Dreyfus won an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role as Selina Meyer on Veep. Following her win, Hall gave her a congratulatory kiss.
Two years later, Louis-Dreyfus won her eighth Emmy, tying with Cloris Leachman for the most Primetime Emmy wins as an actor in history.
June 25, 2016: Julia Louis-Dreyfus celebrates 29 years of marriage with Brad Hall
Every year, Louis-Dreyfus posts an Instagram photo in celebration of her and Hall's wedding anniversary. In 2016, she shared a throwback photo from their wedding day. "29 years ago today," she wrote in the caption. "A good choice."
March 9, 2017: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall cheer on son Charlie at his basketball game
Louis-Dreyfus and Hall cheered on their son Charlie as their alma mater's basketball team competed in the Big Ten men's basketball tournament.
"We think he is outstanding in every regard," the proud mom said of Charlie, whose games she and her husband never missed. "We're his biggest fans."
June 24, 2017: Julia Louis-Dreyfus attends Brad Hall's play
Amazon
In summer 2017, Louis-Dreyfus attended Hall's performance in the play The Effect, written by Succession writer Lucy Prebble, at Gloucester Stage Company in Massachusetts.
Hall costarred in the production with Lindsay Crouse, and Louis-Dreyfus watched the show one day before the couple's 30th wedding anniversary.
September 18, 2017: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall learn of her breast cancer diagnosis
The day after her historic Emmy win, Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with breast cancer. She announced the news on Twitter later that month.
"1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I'm the one," the actress wrote. "The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let's fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality."
December 24, 2017: Julia Louis-Dreyfus kisses Brad Hall under the mistletoe
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On Dec. 27, 2017, Louis-Dreyfus shared an Instagram photo of her and Hall sharing a kiss underneath the mistletoe. Hall held the sprig above their heads.
"Our pal, @stevenrstroud captured this #mistletoe moment on Xmas eve," she wrote, adding the hashtags #love and #myhero.
June 25, 2018: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall celebrate 31st wedding anniversary
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Instagram
For their 31st wedding anniversary, Louis-Dreyfus posted the annual photo of her and Hall on Instagram.
"31,000 years ago today, I married my current boyfriend," she captioned a throwback photo of the couple smiling on a boat in their swimwear.
September 18, 2018: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall make a PSA to encourage voting
Louis-Dreyfus and Hall teamed up to create a PSA to encourage voting in the 2018 midterm elections. Hall directed the PSA, while Louis-Dreyfus appeared on camera to advocate for affordable health care — especially for those with cancer.
"I'm a cancer survivor, and I am really lucky because I had access to excellent health insurance, even with a preexisting condition," she says in the video. "That's the way it should be for absolutely everybody, and it's not. The Republican Congress is making it worse, but the Democrats can change that."
October 21, 2019: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brad Hall and their kids pose for a photo on the red carpet
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The couple hit the red carpet again at the 2019 InStyle Awards, where she was honored with her newest title: icon. This time, however, they had their two sons in tow.
"I have never viewed myself as a style icon," she joked in her acceptance speech, according to the Los Angeles Times. "In fact, I think tonight may be a huge mistake on their part."
April 15, 2020: Julia Louis-Dreyfus credits Brad Hall, family and friends for helping her through cancer
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In April 2020, Louis-Dreyfus told PEOPLE that she leaned on her family and closest friends following her cancer diagnosis.
"You hear it all the time, but the people that I relied on the most, besides the very capable doctors and nurses who took care of me, were my family and my close friends," she said. "I was surrounded by people who were supporting me. That was hugely meaningful, and I needed it. It helped me to believe I was going to get through. It was like they had their hands underneath me holding me up."
She continued, "I think whenever a family goes through a crisis and comes out the other end, you're bound to have an intimacy that, perhaps, wasn't quite there like it was before ... I mean, we were very close before, but I know how precious life is."
RELATED: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Opens Up About Why She Went Public with Her Cancer Battle
June 25, 2021: Julia Louis-Dreyfus calls Brad Hall the "love of my life"
On the couple's 34th anniversary, Louis-Dreyfus had some sweet words for her longtime husband. "34 years in, keeping our head above water. Love and love to the love of my life," she captioned photos of her and Hall swimming in the ocean and sharing a kiss on the cheek.
June 7, 2022: Julia Louis-Dreyfus shares the secret to long-lasting marriage with Brad Hall
While attending the NRDC's Night of Comedy event, where she was honored for her environmentalism work, Louis-Dreyfus shared the key to a long, happy marriage.
"You gotta marry Brad Hall, that's what you gotta do," she told Extra.
June 25, 2022: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall celebrate 35 years of marriage
In honor of their 35th wedding anniversary, Louis-Dreyfus shared a throwback photo of her and Hall at their wedding. "What in the living hell? How did that happen so quick?" she wrote in part, referencing their 35 years together.
In her caption, the political activist also encouraged her fans to donate to "inspiring" political candidates "in the spirit of all things good."
