Supernatural: 6 Real-Life Couples Who Met on Set

Sets are where TV shows manufacture magic, but sometimes co-stars end up falling in love and becoming real-life couples.

On the CW, several co-stars started dating after meeting on set, like the star couple Jared Padelecki and Genevieve Padelecki, who met on Supernatural in the late 2000s. CW’s Supernatural has achieved plenty since premiering in 2005, but one thing fans really appreciate is the deeper connection that actors built with their co-stars while working together.

From lifelong friendships to marriage and business relationships, Supernatural has helped build connections that will last a lifetime. However, it isn’t just Sam and Ruby who find real love off-screen. There are other co-stars whose chemistry flourished long after the cameras turned off. Even four years after the show’s final season, their love keeps Supernatural fans going in the hopes of seeing all their favorite cast members on screen or at a convention once again.

Jared Padelecki and Genevieve Cortese’s Love Story Started on Supernatural
The most famous couple that met on Supernatural are Jared Padelecki and Genevieve Cortese Padelecki. Jared starred in the series for 15 seasons as Sam Winchester—the lawyer turned monster hunter who has demon blood in his veins. Genevieve had a recurring role in the show as the demon Ruby. Sam and Ruby’s relationship featured a lot of steamy moments, as well as some blood and tears. Padelecki shared in an interview that he was excited about meeting Genevieve on the first day she was on set in 2008, but he didn’t think she appreciated it because he disrupted her while she was reading.

The two started dating soon after and quickly fell in love. A year later, Padelecki popped the question, and the pair got married in 2010. They have been married for more than a decade and share three children. Genevieve shared in a blog post that because Jared’s job takes him out of the country for most of the year, keeping the spark alive in their marriage has been challenging, but she deals with it by planning date nights and “not sweating the small stuff.”

Because Genevieve took on most of the childcare as Jared worked on Supernatural in Canada, he was really excited to work with her again in their hometown, Texas, on their latest CW show, Walker. Although Walker was canceled after four seasons, fans were happy to see the couple share a screen after so many years. Genevieve’s character, Ruby, also made a return to Supernatural in its final season.

Rob Benedict and Ruth Connell Were Enemies on the Show, but a Team in Real Life
One relationship Supernatural birthed that fans never saw coming was between Rob Benedict (who plays Chuck/God) and Ruth Connell, who played the witch Rowena. Their characters are complete opposites, with one being the epitome of good and the other being a natural witch who gave birth to the King of Hell. The two aren’t the most public with their romance, but fans started speculating they were more than just friends around 2020, and it was confirmed when they started sharing pictures on social media.

Many fans suspect that the time they spent on the Supernatural con scene is what brought them closer together and eventually led them to fall in love. In 2024, Connell and Benedict announced they had welcomed their first child, daughter Margaret Vivian. During an interview with People, Connell responded to fans who were worried about her pregnancy, saying that things don’t always happen when one thinks they will.

She said she didn’t become famous when she thought she would, and finding love also happened when the time was right. When asked about her new show, Dead Boy Detectives, Ruth shared some details about her current relationship and parenting skills. She said:

“ Rob and I already decided that [Margaret] will not get a phone until she’s a teenager. However, the trailer [Dead Boy Detectives] got released last week, and I couldn’t help it… I try not to look at my phone while I’m with her but I watched the trailer, and she was mesmerized. It’s the first thing she ever really watched. ”

Meg Donnelly and Drake Rodger’s Onscreen Chemistry Was the Start of a Beautiful Relationship
Meg Donnelly and Drake Rodger didn’t meet on Supernatural, but instead, they met on its short-lived spin-off series on the CW, The Winchesters. Donnelly and Rodger starred in the series as a younger Mary Campbell and John Winchester, Dean and Sam’s parents, who meet and go monster hunting in search of John’s father. Their on-screen chemistry translated outside the show and the couple started dating soon after the show wrapped.

When asked about the dating rumors during an interview, Donnelly clarified that she wasn’t hiding the new relationship. Donnelly said that because of the public nature of her other relationships, she wasn’t so big on sharing every detail on social media anymore. She liked the added privacy in this relationship, but she couldn’t help but talk about Rodger because of the love they share. Donnelly added that she loves going to red carpet events with The Winchesters star because he has a calming energy that is great when she gets nervous. Although the show was canceled after one season on the CW, their love story is just beginning.

Mark Sheppard and Sarah Sheppard Found Love at a Supernatural Convention
Mark Sheppard is famously known for his iconic portrayal of Crowley in Supernatural, the powerful demon who oversees every deal at the Crossroads. He is the king of Hell while Lucifer is indisposed and instantly became a fan favorite upon his introduction. The actor, who also doubles as a musician, met his wife, Sarah Louise Fudge, during a Supernatural convention. While they didn’t meet on set, if it wasn’t for starring in Supernatural, Sheppard would never have met Fudge at the fan event. Fudge, however, isn’t just any ordinary fan. The 40-year-old is a wealthy heiress from Australia.

Her father is one of the richest men in Australia, with a mining business estimated to be worth more than $850 million. Before meeting Fudge, Sheppard was married for 11 years before getting divorced in 2014. He shares two children with his ex-wife. In 2015, Sheppard and Fudge announced that they were getting married on X. The pair welcomed their first child, a girl, Isabella Rose, in 2016. When Sheppard suffered six heart attacks on a normal day in his kitchen, it was Fudge who called the fire department to their home in California. When he recovered, she was one of the first people he thanked for being instrumental in saving his life.

DJ Qualls and Ty Olsson’s Years of Friendship Blossomed Into Something More
The most recent couple who found love on Supernatural are DJ Qualls and Ty Olsson. Although the pair never shared a scene on the show, they spent a lot of time together at Supernatural fan conventions and eventually started dating. Olsson played the vampire Benny in Supernatural from 2013 to 2019. Throughout the ten episodes he was on the show, he didn’t meet Qualls. Qualls played fan-favorite Garth, who helped the Winchesters on numerous occasions to save the innocent. DJ Qualls referenced his sexuality numerous times during his entertainment career but officially came out in 2020, a decision that mirrored his character, Garth’s journey in the fantasy series.

Olsson was married to Leanna Nash in 2005, and they had two daughters together before their divorce in 2012. He would later marry a nurse in 2019, but their marriage was short-lived. DJ Qualls actually attended this wedding in support of Olsson. During an interview with People, when asked about how their relationship grew from a friendship to what it is today, Qualls said:

“It’s just so crazy that this person who was just my friend, now I think about all the time, and he sends the best messages, and he supports me and loves me unconditionally in the right way.”

During a podcast episode on his show, Locked and Probably Loaded, Qualls says that the pair were inseparable when they started dating, and now, ten years on, their relationship has evolved. They are now engaged and about to be married.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Met His Wife Through a Supernatural Co-Star
Jensen Ackles and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who play father and son on Supernatural, are also good friends in real life. Fans may not know that without this friendship, Morgan wouldn’t have found the love of his life. Morgan has been in a relationship with One Tree Hill star Hilarie Burton since the night they met in 2009. Unbeknownst to them, Ackles and his wife, Danneel, had set them up on a blind date at an Irish bar. The couple share two children and live away from the public eye on a farm surrounded by animals, nature, and quiet.

According to Ackles, it was love at first sight when the pair met for the first time. Burton was on her way to Paris before Morgan, about to leave for New Mexico, convinced her to join him; that’s how their whirlwind romance began. The pair welcomed their first child, Augustus Morgan, a year later. Although fans thought they were married all this time, the couple tied the knot a year after welcoming their second child, George Virginia, in 2019.

Source: cbr.com