JR Ramirez's Relationship Status: The Actor Is Reportedly Dating Melissa Roxburgh
J. R. Ramirez's wife in "Manifest" did not work out, with his character still holding a torch for his ex, portrayed by Melissa Roxburgh. His pining was not an act, as the colleagues have reportedly dated quietly for a few years.
J. R. Ramirez, born October 8, 1980, in Cuba, had his first acting credit in 2008 in a recurring role on "House of Payne." While doing the series, he starred in the 2009 comedy, "Tinslestars."
The following year, he made his TV debut as CTU Agent in two episodes of "24." He has also had recurring roles in "Emily Owens M.D.," "Arrow," "Jessica Jones," and "Power."
Ramirez and Melissa Roxburgh attend the men's final on day 14 of the US Open 2022, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, on September 11, 2022, in Queens, New York City. | Source: Getty Images
The actor portrayed Coyote Carl in Sean Hayes' comedy flick "Lazy Susan" in 2020 and played a staff sergeant in "Sun Dogs." His most recent role is in "Manifest" alongside Melissa Roxburgh.
The actress, born on December 10, 1992, in Vancouver, Canada, has played different parts in two "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" movies. She was Ensign Syl in "Star Trek Beyond" in 2016 and had a recurring role in "Supernatural."
She also starred in two episodes of the first season of "Arrow," but her time on the show did not cross over with Ramirez's time. He was on the action series in the third season. However, reports of Ramirez dating Roxburgh have followed the actors as closely as Netflix subscribers follow the ever-evolving plot of "Manifest."
J.R. Ramirez and Melissa Roxburgh attend ELLE, Women In Music at The Shed, on September 5, 2019, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
Off-Screen Romance Reportedly Blossomed between 'Manifest' Stars J.R. Ramirez and Melissa Roxburgh
Page Six reported in January 2020 that the co-stars who met on set have become a couple off-screen. According to their source, who is close to Ramirez, they had been dating for at least six months at the time of the article.
If this timeline is accurate, the dalliance began in mid-2019. When the news of the flirtation broke, the pair had been seen together at multiple industry events, not uncommon for castmates. The insider said:
"They try to keep it hush-hush for professional reasons, but they are definitely smitten with each other. It's serious."
Ramirez believes that Roxburgh is a "big part" of why "Manifest" is a hit. In an interview after the release of season four in November 2022, the actor joked that working with the Canadian actress is "always quite the challenge."
His co-star Matt Long, also in the interview, laughed as Ramirez explained that once their leading lady "starts her little cackles," it is hard to stop. He said that the cast has a lot of laughs on set, and she finds it the hardest to keep it together. In a more serious tone, he said:
"She is quite the example of what a leader, you know, really looks like on a show. She comes in prepared and ready to work. She has never lost sight of herself. "
J.R. Ramirez and Melissa Roxburgh attend the Chanel Party on December 10, 2019, at The Standard, High Line, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
"It's cool to see how passionate these fans are," Ramirez stated, referring to their dedicated viewership known as the "Manifesters."
Six slides into her post is a sensual selfie of Ramirez.
The Cuban star and Long find humor in the criticism they receive from different factions of the show's fanbase depending on who the viewers believe should be romantically involved with Roxburgh's character, Michaela.
J.R. Ramirez and Melissa Roxburgh Are Active Together on Social Media
For a private couple, they have been very generous with their social media content. The pair have shared multiple vacation snaps without explicitly expressing their love for each other in the captions.
The duo posted extensive galleries of their vacation on the Fijian Islands on December 8, 2022. They add a hidden layer to their social media by cleverly never making a photo together the first image in a carousel.
"[Tokoriki Island Resort Fiji] You were incredibly special. Vinaka," Roxburgh captioned her post punctuated with the Fijian term for thank you. Six slides into her post is a sensual selfie of Ramirez hugging her bikini-clad body in a glass door reflection.
They shared a snap of them sitting intertwined under shading in their bathing costumes. The couple spent time on the beach and boat, with their fresh meals being served on floating trays in the pool one day and as a beach picnic with tequila another time.
"I've been blessed enough to travel quite a bit of this world. I've never experienced such a happy, charismatic culture as these Fijians, " he wrote. While still not confirming the relationship, his caption revealed they were making future trip plans together:
"What an unforgettable experience. We'll be back."
As fans of "Manifest" drew their conclusions, their cast mates Josh Dallas and Leah Gibson expressed love and support in the comments. "How gorgeous," Gibson wrote, "Love you two." The actress who plays Tamara added a heart emoji for each of her colleagues, while Dallas left a raze of fire emojis in her comments.
While Netflix viewers who 'ship' parings like Kitty and Dae-heon in "XO, Kitty" can only live in the hope that the actors portraying the loved-up pair, Anna Cathcart and Minyeong Choi, are dating IRL, one Manifester took the vacation snaps as the confirmation they were waiting for.
An elated Instagram user commented on Roxburgh's post, highlighting their conviction by adding a fire emoji and heart, "It's official now."
On March 17, 2023, J. R. Ramirez's girlfriend did a photo dump geo-tagged in Riviera Maya, Mexico, with a blurry grey-scale photo of her hugging her beau in the middle.
The world travelers coordinated their schedules again in May 2023 for the grand opening of Nassau Cruise Port at the Goldwynn Resort & Residences on the island of Nassau in the Bahamas.
On May 27, 2023, Roxburgh shared a carousel of the multi-day event, including a clip of a congo line with a few other famous faces, Zosia Mamet and Evan Jonigkeit, with multiple photos showing the actress embracing and dancing with Ramirez.