Hot Pocket! Comedian Jim Gaffigan has kept audiences rolling in the aisles with his comedy for years, and he’s mentioned his wife quite a bit in his standup.
The longtime comedian is married to Jeannie Gaffigan, who is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has eight siblings and went on to become an actress in regional theater. When she moved to New York, she was featured in sketch comedy groups and smaller plays. Beyond entertaining the public, she also pursued some important public service.
She founded a non-profit called Shakespeare on the Playground. This group was dedicated to teaching both literacy and production to urban children, and she did it all using Shakespearean plays.
According to CountryLiving, Jim and Jeannie both relocated to New York City in their 20s to pursue their respective careers, and ended up living on the same block in Manhattan. Jeannie had seen Jim perform in a sketch group and thought, "He’s really good." The two started talking after meeting at a Nolita Korean market in New York City in 2000 and quickly built a friendship. "I smiled at him and said hello," she told New York Times. "He said, 'Where do I know you from?' And I said, 'We've probably seen each other at the comedy clubs.'" After resisting his attempts at meeting for lunch, she finally agreed. And that’s when Jim told her they were "probably going to get married." He was right because they tied the knot on July 26, 2003, in New York City at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral. He was 37 at the time, and she was 33. Beyond their romantic connection, they were also collaborating professionally. She asked him to do a workshop for Shakespeare on the Playground. But he needed her help, too, requesting her assistance with his acting skills. Eventually, this led to his time on Welcome to New York, a short-lived CBS sitcom. He played a weatherman from Indiana who ends up as a meteorologist on a New York City morning show. Josh Radnor of How I Met Your Mother , Christine Baranski and Sara Gilbert also starred. Andy Kropa/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
There are five kids in the Gaffigan family! Their names are Jack, Marre, Katie, Patrick and Michael, and all of them were born at home. Tragedy struck the family in 2008 when Jeannie and Jim lost their newborn just a few hours after she was born. The couple later spoke candidly to Catholic New York about their loss. They were able to hold their baby "until she fell asleep and didn’t wake up," Jeannie said that Katie, their rainbow baby, was born on Mother’s Day in 2009. So, what kind of a mom is Jeannie? Her husband described her as "tireless" and "very good at making things special for the kids." This includes decorating rooms and "giving them actual attention," he teased. One of Jim’s famous jokes is about when people ask him what it’s like to have five children. He tells people to "Imagine you’re drowning, and someone hands you a baby." Sounds like the comedian has a lot of quality time with his kids! Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Jeannie is a producer and comedy writer who has been imperative to her husband’s comedy specials. This includes 2006’s Beyond the Pale, 2012’s Mr. Universe, 2018’s Noble Ape, and 2020’s The Pale Tourist. Several of these specials are currently available on Netflix. The comedy writer was also an important part of his sitcom, The Jim Gaffigan Show. It ran from 2015 to 2016 on TV Land. The show centered on a husband and wife trying to raise their five kids in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Jim played a fictionalized version of himself. The fictionalized "Jeannie Gaffigan" was played by Ashley Williams. Although, the real Jeannie was onscreen for four episodes in different roles, according to IMDb. The show also starred Michael Ian Black, Adam Goldberg, and even Macaulay Culkin in a few episodes! But producing all that comedy isn’t the only thing she’s done professionally. She founded another non-profit called The Imagine Society. It brings youth-led organizations together to help their communities. She can also add the title "author" to her resume: She penned the book When Life Gives You Pears: The Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People. Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
Jeannie was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor in April 2017. The tumor was the size of a pear, and it had been growing for about a year. She knew something was wrong when she experienced recurring dizziness, headaches and coughing fits. When Jeannie was with her children at the pediatrician, the doctor encouraged Jeannie to get checked out because she couldn’t hear out of one ear. She described herself to People in 2017 as a "ticking time bomb, waiting to be paralyzed," as the tumor was wrapping itself around her brain stem. Surgeons went in and carefully excised the tumor over the course of nine hours. But the battle wasn’t over yet. After the surgery, she came down with aspiration pneumonia and had to endure a feeding tube. Jeannie later said in an interview that she was making deals with God and then joked that all she wanted to do was "live and become a Victoria’s Secret model." Matt Baron/Shutterstock
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