Relive Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone's 24-Year Love Story

McCarthy and Falcone first crossed paths when they were teenagers, but McCarthy didn't realize it until after Falcone jogged her memory. Though they hadn't talked, the two had seen each other in passing. During their joint appearance on the Aug. 24, 2021, episode of "Late Night with Seth Meyers," McCarthy recounted their first encounter. "I went to college at SIU Carbondale, Southern Illinois, which is where Ben grew up. He's three years younger than me. So I was a freshman when he was still in high school. And when we became friends in LA, like a week into it, he was like, 'Oh, my God. I know who you were,'" the "Bridesmaids" actress revealed.

While McCarthy didn't believe he was telling the truth, when Falcone recalled that he was "afraid" of her, she instantly went, "Oh, my God. That was me!"

"It was probably the dead of summer, and she had a very heavy cape and kind of a nice shade of blue hair," Falcone added, to which McCarthy quipped, "And his eyes just went to hearts."

McCarthy and Falcone shared the screen in Amy Sherman-Palladino's beloved dramedy, "Gilmore Girls." While McCarthy starred in the show as the talented chef and Lorelai Gilmore's best friend, Sookie St. James, for its seven-season run, Falcone made a cameo in season three, episode 20, titled "Say Goodnight, Gracie." Playing Mr. Brinke, a lawyer attending Fran's funeral, Falcone shared a scene with McCarthy in the episode.

After a seven-year courtship, the two comedians tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in 2005.

In Jan 2007, McCarthy and Falcone announced they were expecting their first baby together. "We are so excited about the baby," McCarthy told People, adding, "I hope the baby has a lot of Ben's calm traits and less of my spazzy ones." On May 5, 2007, the "Life Of The Party" actress and Falcone welcomed a baby girl, who they named Vivian Falcone.

The pair announced they had welcomed their second daughter, Georgette, into the world on March 22, 2010. At the time, McCarthy was gearing up to film the CBS sitcom "Mike & Molly" and returned to the set only four months after giving birth to Georgette.

In a June 2022 interview with E! News, McCarthy opened up about her daughters' potential acting careers. "I think we both just want them to do something they really love and to feel good about themselves doing it," she said. "It could be a gecko catcher in the Galapagos Islands or could be acting or — they're both very artistic. So, I just want them to be happy and to kind of lead with kindness."

When McCarthy's sidesplitting performance in "Bridesmaids" earned an Oscar nomination, the couple hit the red carpet at the 2012 ceremony all smiles. Though McCarthy lost the Best Supporting Actress category to Octavia Spector for her role in "The Help", McCarthy and Falcone's loved-up snaps from the red carpet were the real winners of the night.

You know what they say about how couples eventually morph into one another over time. That seemed to be the case for the McCarthy and Falcone who showed up at the Vanity Fair Oscars Afterparty wearing matching Adidas tracksuits.

McCarthy was behind the creative wardrobe choice, but Falcone was so into the idea that he was on board instantly. "I just thought, like, 'Should we change?' And I was like, "Oh, I have an idea!'" McCarthy told Entertainment Reporter about the outfit switch.

"When I heard that, I was like, 'Oh, God, yes. 150 percent yes; let's do this,'" Falcone added. Rocking a comfy coordinated athleisure outdoors has got to be an advanced level rite of passage in a relationship, and these two are the living proof of it!

For their 15th wedding anniversary, both artists shared sweet messages on social media, with a little spritz of humor, as per usual. "15 years ago today I married the kindest, funniest and weirdest human I've ever met. Grateful every single day!!!" wrote McCarthy alongside a throwback picture of the couple kissing on their big day.

Meanwhile, Falcone posted a cryptic photo of his wife wearing a blond wig with a floral headband and boho-chic attire while holding two cute rabbits in her arms. "Was scrolling through my phone and came across this photo. Can't remember seeing it before," he wrote in his message. "Two things: A) I'm so lucky and grateful to be married to such a lovely, smart, kind, and wonderful person B) why is there a skunk in the picture? Happy fifteenth Anniversary, Mooch! Here's to 500 more (I am assuming we will kinda be robots for 400 of those years)."

Bringing back last year's robotic anniversary inside joke, Falcone shared a happy picture of the two cutting a rug as husband and wife for the very first time. "Sixteen years ago today, I was lucky enough to marry the most wonderful person in the world. Happy Anniversary Mooch! Love you, here's to 400 more (for a few of those I am assuming we shall need to be at least partially robotic beeeeeep!)," he captioned the image.