Who Is Ethan Sandler? All About Kathryn Hahn’s Husband

Kathryn Hahn may not be a household name (yet), but she’s instantly recognizable for being a scene-stealer in shows like Crossing Jordan, Transparent, Happyish, and WandaVision. The 47-year-old actress has also appeared in dozens of films like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Bad Moms. Throughout her entire career, fellow actor and producer Ethan Sandler has been by her side. Here’s everything you need to know about Kathryn Hahn’s husband.

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Born on December 4, 1972, Ethan Sandler got his start as an actor with small parts on popular TV shows like Sex and the City and Will & Grace. He also had recurring roles alongside Hahn on Crossing Jordan (he played ADA Jeffrey Brandau) and Transparent. Additionally, he appeared in movies such as The Bourne Supremacy and The Princess Diaries.

Eventually, Sandler transitioned to working mostly behind the camera, serving as a writer/producer on comedy shows like My Boys, Whitney, and New Girl. In 2017, he signed a deal to join the CBS sitcom Man With a Plan as executive producer, which he worked on until the sitcom’s cancellation in 2020.

Ethan Sandler met Kathryn Hahn in college at Northwestern University, where both were studying theater. The pair instantly hit it off and started living with each other in the dorms. After graduation, the couple moved to New York City to begin pursuing their acting careers.

Hahn, who trained post-college at the prestigious Yale School of Drama, admits that she was naïve and insecure about herself when she was just starting out. When asked what advice she’d give her older self, Hahn told IndieWire:

“If I could’ve shaken hands with that awesome, insecure, passionate, 22-year-old that moved to New York, I would have told her that same thing. The person I knew who knew could do it, who was really passionate. I knew she wanted to do plays and she wanted to rehearse ‘Hamlet’ at 2:00 in the morning and was all messy and passionate and chain-smoking in some theater group, but thought that she just wasn’t quite polished or good enough to make it in the business. Because you’re trying to be somebody you’re not, instead of just being who you are.”

Hahn and Sandler married in 2002. The couple lived together in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen. In the mid-2000s—when both of their careers were starting to take off—they moved to Los Angeles, where they still live today. They have two children together, Leonard, born in 2006, and Mae, born in 2009.

“I live a pretty normal life,” Hahn told Parade in 2018. “I have cute kids and a hubby forever and two dogs and a rabbit and now a hamster. We’re turning into animal hoarders. So I have this rich and creative life but also a normal life, and I’ve been able to keep the two separate and holy. I don’t do social media either.”

In addition to their kids, Hahn and Sandler love taking care of animals. “We’re fostering kittens currently,” she told W Magazine last year. “This is our third litter. My 11-year-old convinced me it would be a good thing to do since there are a lot of shelters that need help. But, you know, you walk into my guest room, and it’s urine-town right now, for sure. But it’s cute as hell.”

Because of his familiar last name, many people assume Ethan Sandler is related to funnyman Adam Sandler. But while they do bear a bit of a resemblance (we think they could totally pass as cousins), the truth is that they are not related. The fact that they share a surname is simply a coincidence.

While working behind the camera may not come with as much celebrity fanfare and red carpet glamor as acting, Ethan Sandler has done very well for himself. He’s estimated to have a net worth of $3 million, which nearly doubles when coupled with his wife’s reported net worth of $2 million.

But despite their Hollywood success, Hahn says she and Sandler do their best to keep their family life as normal and private as possible. “I love being mother to those two kids and I love my husband and my dogs and my rabbit,” she told The Independent in 2018. “Being a parent is beautiful chaos, and not at all like how you imagine.”