When it comes to American comedy, there’s no one quite like Jane Lynch. The 61-year-old actress has appeared in scores of TV shows and movies, including The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, Best in Show, Arrested Development, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Glee. She’s also been featured in tons of commercials and has hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards, The Weakest Link, Hollywood Game Night, and other popular TV specials.
But when it comes to her love life, the versatile performer likes to keep things pretty private, though we do know about two of her most significant romantic relationships. Here’s everything you need to know about Jane Lynch’s ex-wife, Dr. Lara Embry, and her current flame, Jennifer Cheyne.
Jane Lynch Was Previously Married To Dr. Lara Embry
Jane Lynch was 49 years old when she met ex-wife Dr. Lara Embry in 2009. The pair were introduced at a fundraiser that was honoring Dr. Embry, an accomplished clinical psychologist. According to the couple’s wedding announcement in the New York Times, Dr. Embry approached Lynch and asked if she could have her picture taken with her. “I thought she was cute,” Dr. Embry said.
The following year, the couple tied the knot in a small private ceremony held on Memorial Day. Lynch gained an eight-year-old step-daughter from the union, Haden, which the actress was thrilled about. “I’m almost 50, and I thought that possibility was behind me, so this is a real delight,” she told People magazine in 2010. “I never even heard it ticking.”
Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last. The couple announced their split in 2013 and divorced in 2014. Luckily, the breakup was civil. “It’s not dramatic. It’s not a horrible thing. It’s something that we’re dealing with,” Lynch said in an interview with Larry King (as reported by US magazine). “It’s two people who just decided it’s better to go apart than stay together.”
The Glee star added that both she and Dr. Embry made a conscious effort to keep things amicable for the sake of Dr. Embry’s daughter. “We have to remain adults, which we have. We keep everybody’s—especially Haden’s—good in our mind.”
She Reunited With An Old Flame In 2019
After her divorce from Dr. Embry, Lynch’s love life was pretty low-key, until she ran into an ex she had dated back in the early ’00s, Jennifer Cheyne. Lynch says they reconnected almost instantly and it was clear they had both changed (in good ways) during their time apart.
“[We] just fell back together so easily and lovingly,” Lynch said in a 2019 interview with Parade. “We’re very different people now—we don’t have the same insecurities we used to have. We live very peacefully. We have our own routines and separate spaces to retreat to within our home, but then we’ll have coffee together in the morning and meet for a meal.”
Lynch also says she feels lucky to have been given another shot at love at an older age. “Finding love in my 50s has been a blessing,” she told Parade. “[Cheyne’s] really smart. We work so well and we’re really grateful that we found each other.”
While Cheyne isn’t an actress like her famous partner, she is a screenwriter. According to her Stage 32 profile, she earned an MFA in screenwriting from the University of California, Berkeley, and has been writing professionally for years. She also mentions Lynch in her profile, writing, “I live in Los Angeles with my sweet son Harry and my fabulous partner, Jane Lynch.”
We also know that the couple shares their home with a number of rescue dogs, including a pitbull-shepherd mix named Millie and a cocker spaniel named Bernice, both pictured below.
“As long as I am healthy and financially stable enough to take care of them, you bet I’m going to have dogs,” Lynch said in her interview with Parade. “My dogs have it really good. A friend of mine said, ‘I want to come back in my next life as one of your dogs!’ Behind my house is a canyon with a lot of trees and plants and grass. It’s just a wonderful place for a dog to romp. We go out into the protected area, and they run around.”
We’re so glad Lynch and Cheyne found each other again—and are filling their home with lots of puppy love!