Milo Ventimiglia knew immediately that his now-wife Jarah Mariano was The One.
“When I saw my wife, I was always just like, ‘Oh no, she’s my wife,'” Ventimiglia, 46, recalled during an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Sunday, February 25, at the Indie Spirit Awards. “Right away, I just kinda knew.”
The actor noted that their relationship has only gotten better since they tied the knot, adding, “I think if anything, you know [that] you just got a partner that you’re gonna be there with, you’re gonna work with, you’re gonna find the joy [with]. And when pain hits you guys, you got to get through it together.”
Us Weekly broke the news in October 2023 that Ventimiglia and Mariano, 39, secretly exchanged vows in a private wedding ceremony among family and close friends. The couple, who were first linked in 2022, have kept their romance out of the spotlight.
Since getting married, however, Ventimiglia has shared more details about his connection with Mariano. Earlier this year, Ventimiglia appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he was asked what his response was for the fans heartbroken by his relationship status.
“I’m sure there’s a few broken hearts. Female and male, I don’t know. Maybe?” he replied during the January appearance. “The point is there’s a lot of life and there’s a lot of Milo Ventimiglias out there.”
Ventimiglia also discussed how Mariano’s last name is identical to that of his former Gilmore Girls character, Jess Mariano.
“It’s a very easy connection to make,” he quipped before praising his wife. “[I’m] very happy. [She’s a] wonderful woman.”
Before finding love with Mariano, Ventimiglia opened up about how his fan favorite role on This Is Us affected his plans for fatherhood.
“It doesn’t make me want to have a family any more than I think I’m built to want a strong family unit,” Ventimiglia, who played Jack on the hit NBC series, exclusively told Us in 2017. “It will happen when it happens. I’m not out seeking it. It’s just kind of, I’m present in the space in my life that when it presents itself and it’s right, I’m sure it will work out.”
Ventimiglia called it a “blast” getting to bring the patriarch to life. “I don’t have kids, I have nieces and nephews,” he continued. “I feel like I get to act out a little bit of my own paternal want to influence a young mind, shape a young mind, to approach life in a positive way.”
