Melissa McCarthy’s Husband of 16 Years Was ‘Afraid’ of Her - It Took Him 17 Years to Wed Her

Melissa McCarthy and her husband of sixteen years, Ben Falcone, worked in many memorable movies together, like “Bridesmaids,” “Identity Theft,” and “Spy.”

Renowned actress Melissa McCarthy previously admitted to feeling weird kissing other actors in front of her husband Ben Falcone even though it is part of her job as they enjoy working together.

Apart from making a lot of cameos in his wife’s films, Falcone has also had significant roles in some of her other movies. He and McCarthy co-wrote “The Boss,” which he also directed and starred in as Marty.

Naturally, he has his blockbuster movies, including “Office Christmas Party” and “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” In an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in November 2020, the couple talked about their working relationship on set.

McCarthy revealed their favorite thing to do was work together and that Falcone was “good at it and collaborative.” Here are more details about the Hollywood power couple’s relationship, marriage, and family life.

WHY BEN WAS AFRAID OF MELISSA

The dynamic duo first crossed paths in Illinois, where they grew up. McCarthy, 51, was a freshman at SIU Carbondale, and Falcone, 48, was still in high school.

They later became friends while in Los Angeles, a week into it. When Falcone bumped into his future wife, he told her he knew who she was. McCarthy tried to convince him otherwise but came to realize he was right.

In an interview on “The Night with Seth Meyers” in August 2021, “The Heat” star recounted the events of their first meeting and shared what her future husband said to her:

“I was afraid of you.”

“And I was like, 'oh my God, that was me,'” McCarthy continued to explain. Falcone added that once he mentioned that she was intimidating, “she was like, ‘Yep, that was me.’”

He further revealed what aura McCarthy gave off, saying, “She was very, very goth.” The filmmaker recalled the first time he laid eyes on her in the summer.

Falcone disclosed she was wearing a heavy cape and had a lovely shade of blue hair. “And his eyes just went to hearts,” McCarthy chimed in.

WHY IT TOOK 17 YEARS TO WED MELISSA

After their encounter at the party, when Falcone was still in high school, they did not meet until ten years later. It was in a comedy writing class in 1998 at the Groundlings theater when they eventually did.

The fashion designer thought Falcone was “strange” on their first day of class because while everyone else was loud and social, he was reticent. McCarthy told the story during her appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in October 2018:

“I realized that everybody, myself included, we had all, like, leaning forward, listening. And he’s the only one that went really quiet. And I immediately was like, 'oh, he’s strange. I like him.'”

According to her, they have been friends from day one and have been together ever since. The twosome got to know each other better while writing their skit, titled “All Seger’s Eve,” about a Bob Saget-themed holiday.

Falcone told Us Weekly in 2013 that from the first time they communicated, they were automatically on the same page. “We love each other, respect each other and try not to sweat the small stuff. And we make each other laugh,” he added.

The pair acted in several films together before they wed in 2005, and their first-ever collaboration was in one episode of the hit dramedy “Gilmore Girls.”

McCarthy played Sookie St. James (her breakout role) all seven seasons, while Falcone made a one-episode appearance in season three. The couple shared a scene.

They finally walked down the aisle in October 2005 after seven years of dating. In a 2013 interview with More magazine, the comedienne said:

“I got hit with the lucky stick with Ben.”

The man in question asked for her hand in marriage in the most comedic way. He knew her favorite place was this beautiful house that they lived in and that she was a homebody.

Falcone shared he wanted to keep the special occasion simple by popping the big question on the porch. He called McCarthy’s parents and admitted how nervous he was at the time.

He got iced coffee and bagels and dressed up nice on a Saturday morning. The "Smiley Face" star kept calling his girlfriend's name repeatedly, and according to McCarthy, Falcone never calls her by her name and calls her by her pet name, which is Mooch.

For that mere fact, she thought that he was breaking up with her and believed she was in trouble. The producer was watching an autopsy show on TV and playing Tetris at the time.

He ran at her full speed and said, “Melissa will you marry me!?” Falcone recalled. “He screamed at me like he hates me,” added McCarthy in an interview with Variety in June 2014.

She dropped the Tetris and began crying uncontrollably, and he told her he would need an answer. The two-time Emmy award winner revealed that she was so overwhelmed with emotions that she did not realize she had not said yes to his proposal.

On their 15th wedding anniversary in October 2020, the actor commemorated their special day on Instagram. He wrote that he was “so lucky and grateful to be married to such a lovely, smart, kind and wonderful person,” as McCarthy.

INSIDE THE COUPLE’S PARENTING

Today, the couple has two children, Vivian, 14, and Georgette, 11. They welcomed their oldest daughter in 2007, who made her screen debut in their 2017 movie “The Boss.”

Vivian played young McCarthy being returned to the orphanage in the film, but that was not her first rodeo. Technically, she was first on the “Gilmore Girls” set when her mother was pregnant with her as the pregnancy was written into the show.

The proud mom told E! News in 2018 that Vivian desperately wanted to be a part of the movie, sharing the producers of the film kept asking for their daughter, but she and Falcone refused for months.

Vivian then asked whether she was not allowed even to try, and McCarthy described her child as bright for that statement. The writer said that she told her child that her willingness was a good thing and that she could not have said no to her for wanting to try.

And so, they then spent the next month monitoring her performance to see whether she was cut for the part, and she did them exceptionally proud.

Young Vivian has also inherited her mother’s passion for interior design, evidently so. When she was eleven years old, her dad walked into her and her mom while they tried out a new bedspread. McCarthy recounted that moment to Ellen DeGeneres in 2018:

“Ben walked in, and Viv and I were trying out a new bedspread I got, and Viv’s like (thoughtfully), ‘I just think it might compete with the headboard.’ Ben turned around and went, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t have two of you.’”

Another daughter of the couple, Georgette, also made a brief appearance in “The Boss,” as one of the girls selling brownies, although it seems like her career might be as a stunt person instead of an actress.

The little one is such a daredevil that her mom bought her a stunt vest for her 10th birthday last year, which was all she ever wanted. McCarthy and Falcone welcomed their youngest child in February 2010.

Much like their parents, the girls are said to be hilarious. So much so that discipline can be challenging to apply when it comes to them. Their dad admitted to People in December:

“They get out of being disciplined because they are so funny. They’ll do something {to get a laugh}, and you’re like, ‘Alright, hold on, that’s not the point.’”

ROMANCE NEVER DIES IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP

In 2018, the kids were “horrified” by their mother’s gift for their dad on their 13th wedding anniversary. McCarthy told TV host DeGeneres on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” that she and her husband had a romantic evening with Richard E. Grant that day.

The three of them had hamburgers for dinner, and recalling back to what she gave Falcone as a present, the mom of two shared she gifted him a Jitterbug phone, “and my kids are horrified by it,” said McCarthy.

The device features jumbo fonts and a simplified menu. Meanwhile, the comedian bought her two rings, “one that said ‘love,’” McCarthy explained.

In October 2021, Falcone celebrated their 16th anniversary with a heartfelt message on Instagram, writing he was lucky enough to marry the most delightful person in the world, alongside a throwback image of their wedding day.

His wife also had something to say about their blissful marriage, telling People the year prior that “it’s about finding someone who you just are better with.”

McCarthy shared that the “Enough Said” star was nothing but supportive and super intelligent. “He makes me gut-laugh, like crazy gut-laugh, four or five times a day. I hit the jackpot!” she added.