Milo Ventimiglia Says It Was Love at First Sight With Wife Jarah Mariano: 'I Just Kinda Knew' (Exclusive)

Milo Ventimiglia is opening up about his secret wedding to Jarah Mariano and how he knew she was the one from the very beginning.

Talking with ET's Denny Directo from the carpet of the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday, the 46-year-old This Is Us star said it was love at first sight when it came to meeting the 39-year-old model.

"When I saw my wife, I was always just like, 'Oh no, she's my wife,'" Ventimiglia told ET. "Right away, I just kinda knew."

Their love may have been written in the stars, too, given that Mariano happened to be the surname of Ventimiglia's character, Jess, on Gilmore Girls. The pair typically keep their relationship out of the spotlight, but were first linked as a couple in 2022.

In October, ET confirmed that the pair tied the knot in a private ceremony earlier in the year with close friends and family. Us Weekly was first to report the news.

As for whether or not their relationship has changed since getting married, the Heroes actor was all too happy to admit that things have only gotten better since they put their wedding rings on in 2023.

"No, I think if anything, you know, you just got a partner that you're gonna be there with, you're gonna work with, you're gonna find the joy [with]. And, you know, when pain hits you guys, you got to get through it together," he said.

Ventimiglia also said that while he is proud of his illustrious and prolific career as an actor, he is far from what some would consider "method" and is happy to "turn it off" at will in order to not take his work home with him.

"I switch it off all the time, I turn it off all the time," Ventimiglia told ET. "I do my character, then I go home. The second 'cut' is called, I'm back to Milo -- I'm just Milo."

As for whether or not he has managed to keep in touch with his This Is Us family -- including Sterling K. Brown who was nominated Sunday at the Spirit Awards for American Fiction -- Ventimiglia reported that the Pearson family's connection is alive and well.

"There's still a pretty active chain, you know, between the This Is Us cast and crew," he said, adding that -- much like his character from the hit NBC series -- he still watches his former co-stars and on-screen children, Brown, Justin Hartley and Chrissy Metz, in awe of their accomplishments.

"It's funny, I get emotional -- I feel like a proud father, which is strange because, you know, we're all peers," Ventimiglia joked. "But it's true...  it was a wonderful set to be on. It was a wonderful group of people and everybody was crazy talented, so it doesn't surprise me that Sterling gets his accolades or Justin's got a new show or that Chrissy has new music."

During a recent set visit with ET, Hartley, 47, actually said that as he continues to work on his new CBS series, Tracker, he would love to have his character track down his former on-screen dad.

"Maybe we could find out [my character's] such a good tracker, maybe he finds Jack [Pearson]," Hartley quipped, referring to the This Is Us character played by Ventimiglia. "Like [maybe] he never died, something like that?"

ET asked Ventimiglia if he would be open to a guest appearance and his answer certainly leaves room for a potential surprise spot on the new show.

"I hear," he said. "I'll go up to Vancouver whenever."

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