Meet Lea Michele's Husband Zandy Reich
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Lea Michele is back in the public eye. The actress returned to Broadway to star in the Funny Girl revival as Fanny Brice, a role she's long coveted, in September 2022. But those who haven't followed Michele since her days starring on Glee may be unaware about more recent changes in the actress's personal life.
Here's everything you need to know about Lea Michele's husband, Zandy Reich.
Zandy grew up in Philadelphia.
Both his parents, Abraham Reich and Sherri Reich (née Engleman), are lawyers. His father, who was the first in his family to graduate from college, is the son of Holocaust survivors. Zandy has one older brother, Spencer Reich.
He attended University of Pennsylvania.
Zandy was recruited to play lacrosse, and was deciding between Penn and Dartmouth. "I initially didn't want to stay so close to home, but I realized that it was nice because I could be as close or as seemingly far as I wanted; that it was up to me," he told Penn Athletics. "I love Philly, I knew plenty of people who'd gone to Penn, and it just really proved to be the best mix between athletics and academics."
He served captain of the lacrosse team his senior year. "Lacrosse is a huge time commitment, and it really cuts into your social and academic life, leaving you little chance to be involved in other things on campus,” Reich said. "But, first and foremost, I love the guys on the team. They have become my group for the last four years, on and off the field. They're what has made it fun. They keep me going."
After studying economics at Penn, he graduated in 2005, and went on to work at Goldman Sachs in their equities division for five years. In 2010, he started at business school at Wharton. After graduating, he went to work at clothing brand Theory as their head of business strategy and development.
He co-founded clothing company AYR in 2016.
After leaving Theory, he launched AYR, which stands for "All Year Round." (We highly recommend the AYR wide-legged jeans.) In May 2020, he transitioned to an advisor role at the company.
Zandy and Lea met at a mutual friend's wedding.
In January 2018, in a birthday post for Zandy, Lea wrote, "Thank god your best friend married my best friend and sat us next to each other at their wedding.. and though that was some time ago and I had the pleasure of being your friend for these past few years..now we are on this journey together and I couldn’t be happier.. Happy Birthday Z❤️ I love you."
He appeared in a post on her feed in July 2016, too, with Stephanie Hart Levinson (née Herman) and Zack Levinson—the couple that introduced them. The Levinsons married in December 2015, and Lea wrote at the time she was attending "my best friend's wedding."
"They had their siblings as their best man and maid of honor, but we were sort of the closest in the friend area, and we sat next to each other," Michele recalled to Insider.
However, after the wedding, they didn't stay in close touch. "He moved, and I didn't see him for a little while," she said. "And then my best friend Stephanie kept being like, 'You should really hang out with Zandy.'"
They were friends before they started dating.
On her birthday in 2017, Lea wrote, "Last year, in this same spot, on this same day, you told me 30 was going to be the best year of my life.. it was. So much to be grateful for, but mostly you.. got a feeling 31 is going to be even better... ❤️ u Z" So in August 2016, they were close enough to spend Lea's birthday together.
By summer 2017, they were definitely dating, and they got engaged in April 2018 in the Hamptons.
"I think the first thing I said to him was, ‘Stop joking around!’ So I was super surprised,” she told People. “Everyone said, ‘Try to be present because it’ll happen so quickly.’ Which I didn’t listen to at all and blacked out and I barely remember. We both blacked out and were like, ‘What? Did we say yes? Is this happening?'"
Zandy designed her 4-carat elongated radiant cut ring with Leor Yerushalmi and the Jewelers of Las Vegas. "He really took care of everything himself. I think he knows me well enough but I give him all of the credit, and obviously the designer, but he really surprised me and did an amazing job," Lea told People of her dazzling ring.
Zandy and Lea married in March 2019.
“We are so excited to be married and grateful to be surrounded by our friends and family,” the couple told People. “And most of all, we’re so happy to spend the rest of our lives together.”
They got married under a chuppah in an intimate wedding in Northern California. Their wedding hashtag was #IfIWereAReichGirl, naturally.
Zandy became a dad in 2020.
He and Lea welcomed their first son, Ever Leo Reich, in August 2020. Lea often shares sweet photos of Zandy with their son on her Instagram:
"We hope in life that we meet like one soulmate, you know? I'm so fortunate every night that I get to go home to the most amazing husband and son, but even outside of that, that I have a soulmate in Jonathan," Michele told Town & Country in 2022.
In March 2024, Michele announced they were expecting their second child, posting on Instagram, "Mommy, Daddy and Ever are overjoyed."
He's an Aquarius.
Zandy was born on January 30. As Michele posted for his 40th birthday, "Happy 40th Birthday Z! I am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to you. Thank you for being the best husband and the worlds best daddy to Ever. We love you so so very much."
Zandy is a supportive husband to Lea.
During her run on Funny Girl on Broadway, he is right by Lea's side.
"Sundays are my favorite because I get to spend a great morning with my husband and our son," Michele shared in February 2023. "We usually go to the park, have a nice breakfast, and then I go to work. As soon as the show’s over on Sunday, I come right home. I’m able to give him a bath, put him to bed, and then my husband and I have dinner together. I haven’t done a show in 15 years. I’m figuring out how to be a good leader. I’m figuring out how to be a good mom. I’m figuring out how to be a good wife, a good daughter, a good friend. I’m getting so much gratification out of my relationships right now because I think everything’s falling so nicely into place and I’m so happy to be back home in New York. I was away from my family in L.A. for 13 years and that was really hard. During 2020, my life got turned upside down in so many ways and I didn’t know where it was going to take me. We moved back home to be closer to family, and I’m so grateful to be doing what I love so much and raising our son here."
In April 2023, he attended the Time 100 Gala with his wife. Michele shared, "My husband is wonderful, he's here tonight. The last event that he was this excited for was the NFL honors!"
His last name Reich is pronounced "Rich."
The more you know!
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