Matthew Morrison’s Wife Renee Puente: 5 Things to Know

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Matthew Morrison's Wife Renee Puente: 5 Things to Know

Matthew Morrison may be more well-known than his wife Renee Puente, but the Hawaii native has gushed over the actor every chance she gets. "When he came up to me, I had no idea who he was," she told Martha Stewart.com about meeting the Glee star for the first time at a Grammys afterparty in 2011. "I just started laughing because it was so adorable to see this cute white boy talking pidgin [Hawaiian slang]." As Morrison said, "The rest was history!" The Music and Lyrics actor popped the question two years later, during a romantic horseback ride in her home state. "I didn't realize what was happening until I saw the tears in his eyes — and Matthew's not a crier," Puente told the outlet in April 2015 of the proposal. "The whole world just stopped. And so I hadn't answered him yet, and he asked, ‘So will you marry me?' Then I finally said, ‘Oh, yes!'" The actress and model also confessed that she wasn't particularly interested in marriage until she fell in love with her now-husband. "I was always that girl who dreamt of her wedding until I got older, and then I didn't want to get married anymore. But Matthew changed my world," she noted. The twosome went on to welcome son Revel in October 2017 and daughter Phoenix in June 2021. In February 2021, 10 years after their first meeting, Puente once again opened up about the ways her life had changed as the result of their romance. "The tapestry we have created together is so complex, so colorful, wild & free. I couldn’t have imagined a life like the one we’ve manifested for ourselves," she wrote via Instagram at the time. "Full of wonder, imagination, play... Thank you for helping me become the expression of the woman I AM today." [jwplayer dhfIis7n-zhNYySv2] Puente continued: "Thank you for the purest, most precious love. Thank you for holding me, physically, emotionally, spiritually. It sounds so simple as we do not have the language that represents what you are to me.. but thank you." However, the duo's romance was hit with controversy when Us Weekly broke the news that Morrison was leaving So You Think You Can Dance in the midst of filming season 17. “Having the opportunity to be a judge on So You Think You Can Dance was an incredible honor for me,” he said in a statement in May 2022. “Therefore, it is my deepest regret to inform you that I will be leaving the show. After filming the audition rounds for the show and completing the selection of the 12 finalists, I did not follow competition production protocols, preventing me from being able to judge the competition fairly." A source subsequently told Us that the musician had sent text messages to a female contestant that “were deemed inappropriate and broke protocol” by Fox and he was fired as a result. “The messages contained sexual innuendos and were flirty to the extent he was overstepping boundaries,” the insider said. “He didn’t have sex with the contestant, but she complained to producers about him because the messages made her feel uncomfortable and awkward and then they took it to HR.” Puente has not yet publicly commented on her husband's firing. Keep scrolling to learn more about Puente: [podcast_block]

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She Grew Up in Hawaii

Puente and Morrison have celebrated many of their relationship milestones in Hawaii, where the Tell Me I Love You actress spent her childhood and adolescence. "The Spiritual Essence of Hawaii, the Aloha Spirit, was infused into my BEING at 8 years old. I was rescued by her grace. Captivated by her beauty. And grounded by her Mana, her strength and life force," she wrote via Instagram in January. "It is my home, my salvation. It is where I rejuvenate and sink IN. It is where I heal and absolve myself from all the worries of the world."

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She Had a Difficult Childhood

Though she hasn't shared too many details about her upbringing, Puente has opened up about her difficult childhood, revealing that her move to Hawaii occurred when she was "taken away from my mom and siblings" as a young girl. In March, she touched on growing up around abuse and addiction in a post about forgiveness. "[My mother and I] have been through hell and back together," she wrote via Instagram. "I saw and felt her pain through her abuse. I rode the roller coaster ride of her addictions. I buried my baby brothers because of the choices she made keeping her children in dangerous environments until the day she died. ... And mama… I forgive You."

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She's An Entrepreneur and Life Coach

Puente has used her own experiences as the inspiration to help others through her coaching courses. "I specialize in empowering people to Break Destructive Cycles by openly identifying self-sabotage and moving toward self-awareness as they discover a life of self mastery & love," the mother of two says on her social media accounts, through her business Breaking Cycles.

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She Appeared in 'Divergent'

Prior to launching her own projects, Puente worked as a model and actress for many years, appearing in campaigns for Calvin Klein and Bebe and landing roles in Tell Me I Love You and The Exes. Her most high-profile role came in 2014, when she had a small role in the first Divergent film as part of the Dauntless faction.

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Elton John Announced Her Engagement to Morrison

Shortly after Morrison proposed during their Hawaiian getaway, she and her then-fiancé were serenaded by the legendary musician at the White Tie and Tiara Ball in London. John and his husband, David Furnish, announced the happy news to attendees, before dedicating a performance of "Your Song" to the couple.