13 Long-Term Celebrity Couples Who Aren't Married, And Why They Chose Not To Tie The Knot

"His interpretation of what it means to be a husband and what it would mean for me to be a wife would have been pretty traditional, and I would not have been able to fit into that.”

1. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn

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Among the list of one of the longest-standing couples in Hollywood, actors Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn have been together since 1983 and have parented four children together (Kate and Oliver Hudson from Goldie's previous marriage, Boston Russell from Kurt's previous marriage, and Wyatt Russell, whom the pair welcomed together). 

Even after 40+ years together, marriage is nowhere near their radar. Goldie told CNN in 2023 that part of the reason they won't marry is because she and Kurt both know how messy it can get after a marriage ends, saying, "When it doesn't work out, it ends up to be big business." Goldie also explained how she favors autonomy in her relationship: “I like the idea that I can wake up in the morning and make decisions every day if I want to be here.” 

When Kurt spoke to People in 2020 regarding their marital status, it's clear he believes that marriage isn't the end all be all of a relationship, saying, "For people like us, the marriage certificate wasn’t going to create anything that otherwise we wouldn’t have."

2. Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham

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Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham began dating in 1986 and have been together ever since. Although the pair got engaged in 1992, they never actually married. As years and years went on, the very private couple became more open about their decision not to walk down the aisle, and what it all boils down to is pretty simple. 

When Oprah spoke to Vogue in 2017, she told them that marriage just never came up again. She told Vogue, “Nobody believes it, but it’s true. The only time I brought it up was when I said to Stedman, ‘What would have happened if we had actually gotten married?’ And the answer is, ‘We wouldn’t be together.’ We would not have stayed together because marriage requires a different way of being in this world. His interpretation of what it means to be a husband and what it would mean for me to be a wife would have been pretty traditional, and I would not have been able to fit into that.”

When Stedman spoke to Ellen Degeneres back in 2019, he explained what makes their nearly four-decade-long relationship work. “Well, the thing about our relationship is, I’m dedicated to her happiness, so that’s great for her, and I want her to be the best she can possibly be, and she’s done a pretty good job of doing that, and so for me, I’ve been able to find my own happiness, my own skills, my own talents, and my own abilities, and I’m satisfied with that. I’m happy with that.”

3. Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova

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Singer Enrique Iglesias and former tennis player Anna Kournikova have been together since 2001. Back in 2008, when Anna was asked about any plans to marry Enrique, she responded, "I'm never getting married," and continued on to clarify that everything was good with the relationship. Days later, Enrique told reporters that he had been trying to get Anna to marry him for years. "I always try, but she pays me no attention." 

However, it seems like Enrique's stance changed as the years went on. By 2012, he spoke with Parade about why marriage wasn't at the top of their list as a couple, saying, "I've never really thought marriage would make a difference. Maybe it's because I come from divorced parents, but I don't think you love somebody more because of a piece of paper. Nowadays, it's not taboo to have kids and not be married. What makes a difference is that you're a good parent, period." The couple later welcomed twins Nicholas and Lucy in 2017 and their daughter Mary in 2020. 

4. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez

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Fashion designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez met at a nightclub in NYC at the tail end of the '90s, the day before they started school at Parsons School of Design. The pair started dating during their junior year and eventually went on to be not only romantic partners but business partners as well. During their senior year, they collaborated on a senior thesis, which eventually became the first line from their 2002-founded luxury womenswear and accessories brand, Proenza Schouler. 

Although it seems like the pair rarely speak about their desire (or lack thereof) to be wed, during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Lazaro gave a particular indication that let everyone know the topic was not a discussion point. During the interview, they were asked if they would ever get married, and Lazaro simply responded with a roll of the eyes and a "no comment." So, it seems like we'll just have to wait and see what eventually happens with this decades-long couple. 

5. Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson

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Although she refers to Paul as her "husband," the pair are not actually married. Actor Maya Rudolph and filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson began dating in 2001 and have since had four children together. In 2018, Maya did an interview with the New York Times on why she decided to start calling Paul her husband instead of boyfriend despite them not actually being married, saying, "People know what that means. It means he’s the father of my child, and I live with him, and we are a couple, and we are not going anywhere.”

The pair are notoriously private and have been since they started dating. When asked about the early days of their relationship and how they got together, Maya made it clear, "No, it's a sweet thing... Too personal. I don't want to share it." So, there's not much info out there as to why this couple never decided to tie the knot, but it's clear they're deeply in love just as they are. 

6. Krysten Ritter and Adam Granduciel

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Actor Krysten Ritter and musician Adam Granduciel met back in 2014 at one of Adam's shows with his band, The War on Drugs. The pair welcomed a son, Bruce, together in 2019, and while they are very private, it didn't stop rumors from circulating about their relationship. In 2019, reports started spilling from In Touch Weekly that a source close to the couple had told the publication they had drifted apart and would continue to coparent their son. Those claims were quickly disputed by a source close to Krysten, and the pair have been seen together as recently as November 2023.

When it comes to walking down the aisle, it seems like marriage was never something that struck a chord with Krysten to begin with. During an interview with Playboy, she was asked if her parents' divorce soured her views on marriage, and she responded, "I was never the little girl who dreamed about a wedding or a big white dress. It was never my thing, but I don’t think I’m sour on marriage. I just don’t know if I’m the type. Marriage seems scary to me. I’m in a serious relationship. We have a dog together. We live five minutes from each other. It’s heaven. I think that might be the key: separate houses, separate bank accounts. Why mess with that?"

7. Winona Ryder and Scott Mackinlay Hahn

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Actor Winona Ryder and fashion designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn have been together since 2011. The out-of-the-limelight relationship that Winona "really did try and keep quiet" has been going strong ever since. Funnily enough, when they first met, Scott was so far removed from the Hollywood limelight that he thought Winona was someone else. "He thought I was Milla Jovovich; he told me I was great in The Fifth Element." The mistaken identity obviously didn't deter them from a relationship; Winona only has praises to sing for her man, saying things like, "We have so much in common" and "We connected on so many levels."

While the relationship is obviously strong, Winona felt like her parents' successful marriage set a very high standard for her when it comes to walking down the aisle. In a 2016 interview, Winona had this to say about marriage: "Marriage? I don't know. I'd rather never have been married than been divorced a few times. Not that there's anything wrong with divorce, but I don't think I could do it if that was a possibility. When your parents are madly in love for 45 years, your standards are really high."

8. Sandra Bernhard and Sara Switzer

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Actor Sandra Bernhard and her partner TV producer Sara Switzer met in the late '90s, just shortly after Sandra had her daughter Cicely, whom they raised together in New York. Sandra spoke about how they met to W Magazine in 2023, saying, “We’ve been together 24 years. We’re not married, but we are married, essentially. She was an editor at Harper’s Bazaar, and she asked me to write a first-person essay about the millennium. We lived around the corner from each other and started hanging out, and then everything else is history.”

In 2016, Sandra actually spoke to EDGE about why marriage wasn't the next step in her relationship. She was directly asked if she was married to her long-time girlfriend, to which she responded, "My girlfriend and I are not married. We became domestic partners before the whole marriage thing. It is all based on finances for us and me, and so far, it doesn't make sense. The economics don't work out. So we are not married. But we're good. We're good as gold."

9. Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale

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Actors Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale met in the fall of 2012 through mutual friends. After years of being together, the pair welcomed their first child, Rocco, in 2016, and their second child, Rafael, in 2017. The couple has been together for almost 12 years and even call each other husband and wife, but they aren't legally married. Unique to this list, these two have every intention of getting married. 

In a 2023 exclusive with People, Rose said, “I'm more married to him than anybody I've ever been with my whole life." She continued on to explain how she and Bobby will "absolutely" get married, but their schedules make it difficult for them to plan and find the perfect time to get it done. Optimistic and determined as ever amongst busy schedules, she ended it all by saying that tying the knot is “definitely something that we will do; we'll get around to it.”

10. Wallace Shawn and Deborah Eisenberg

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Another relationship that's on the list of longest standing in Hollywood is between author and professor Deborah Eisenberg and actor and playwright Wallace Shawn, who have been together since 1972. After over five decades together, they never married and have no plans to. 

Wallace and Deborah seem to want to keep their private lives private and keep the woes of societal constructs out of their relationship. During an interview with Senior Planet in 2022, Wallace was asked if he and Deborah would ever get married, to which he responded, "There’s a lot of associations with marriage that neither of us was ever interested in, including a possessiveness. 'My wife,' I don’t particularly care for that, and I don’t want anybody saying, 'This is my husband.' It has aspects of bringing society into your relationship where it's nobody’s business really."

11. Vin Diesel and Paloma Jiménez

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Actor Vin Diesel and Mexican model Paloma Jiménez have been together since 2007 and now have three children together: Hania, Vincent, and Pauline. While the extremely low-key relationship is seldom ever mentioned by Vin or Paloma, he did tell Parade in 2008 after they had their first child, Hania, "I remember while I was doing Pacifier, working with babies on the set for so long, it really started to bring out this desire to have a child. And it took a couple years after that to find the right person and to hopefully be mature enough to be a great father, which is really all you want to do."

The pair have always remained extremely private throughout their careers, even before they met. Vin Diesel told Details in 2006 how private he likes to be, saying, "I’m not gonna put it out there on a magazine cover like some other actors, I come from the Harrison Ford, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino code of silence.” I love that they've decided to keep their relationship and personal lives consistently under lock and key. It's the reason we may never know why the couple hasn't gotten married yet or if they ever will. However, it's no secret that these two have held each other down over the last 17 years. 

12. Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb

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Actors Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb have been together since 2007. They met at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood while Sam was filming Frost/Nixon. A week later, Sam took Leslie on a date to the Getty Museum, and they've been together ever since. While they're not married, nor do they have any kids, Sam had this to say to Us Weekly in 2018 about his relationship: "She’s my beloved. She keeps me laughing, and we take care of each other. She’s really talented and funny herself. She reminds me of a young Mary Tyler Moore.”

When it comes to actually making the trip down the aisle, Sam has strongly spoken up about what he thinks when it comes to marriage and families. "Leslie and I are very happy; we have a good life. We just like it the way it is. We don’t want kids. It’s interesting when you tell people this. They get very upset with you. I know more and more couples who don’t have kids." He then went on to speak about marrying Leslie, saying the two are "basically married. She’s in my will. I feel like we are married. We live like a married couple. I’m really proud of her... She’s very kind to me and takes care of me." 

13. Courteney Cox and Johnny McDaid

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Actor Courteney Cox and musician and member of the band Snow Patrol, Johnny McDaid, have been together for over a decade now. They met in 2013 at a party at Courteney's house. The pair soon got engaged in February 2014, but it wasn't announced until several months later. However, after reported problems in the relationship, the couple broke off their engagement in December 2015.

After such a whirlwind, the couple was thankfully able to reunite in March 2016, and their relationship was back on track by May. In August, Courteney opened up about her quick split, saying, "We were engaged for over a year, and then we broke up. He's from Ireland, and the way he regards love is precious. We have to treat it in a different way. It's more special — you coddle it. So I didn't know how to regard love the way he does. And I definitely made a lot of mistakes that I see — whether it's codependency or people-pleasing. I didn't know how to bring it in. It was always external." She ended it all by letting us know it was the start of a completely new relationship: "Everything's new. We have both really worked on ourselves, on the parts that needed the most attention. And it feels really different."

While the pair have reconciled and seem to be on amazing terms now with their fresh start, it still seems like they're taking it slow. In 2018, the couple spoke with People, and Cox let them know she was "married in her heart," while McDaid let them know, “My thoughts are never without Court. She’s my best friend. She’s my partner in everything. When I write her poems, it’s just an extension of how I feel every second anyway, and that’s true for me.” More recently, in 2022, when Courteney was asked if she would ever marry again, she responded, "I don't know. I'm definitely not opposed to it. I just don't think about it." 

Have a favorite long-term celebrity couple that's in no rush to tie the knot? Let me know in the comments!