'Walker' Star Jared Padalecki Fell for His Now-Wife Genevieve Her First Day on 'Supernatural'

With more than two decades of working in the entertainment industry, Jared Padalecki has proven he could do it all. From playing the boy next door on Gilmore Girls to a monster hunter on Supernatural, fans are loving his turn as a Texas ranger on Walker. And with all of this success under his belt, he's had his wife, Genevieve Padalecki (Cortese) by his side through everything.

How did Jared Padalecki meet his wife?

Like a lot of Hollywood love stories, Jared and Genevieve's road to romance started on a TV set. According to People, the two first met in 2008, when Genevieve, who's also an actress, joined the cast of Supernatural as a demon named Ruby in season 4. When they were introduced ahead of filming, Jared couldn't get over how pretty his scene partner was. Genevieve, on the other hand, had a different reaction to meeting her future husband.

"I was a single dude, and she was a pretty girl... on her first day on set," he shared about their meet-cute during a Supernatural panel in 2012. "I was very excited to meet her. Meanwhile, I think she was like, 'Who is this long-haired A-hole who thinks he can come talk to me while I'm reading a book?' … I interrupted her while she was reading a book and I think she got kind of fussy about it."

While it seemed like love at first sight for Jared, it took him and Genevieve four months before they went out on their first date. The rest was history, and the twosome eventually got engaged in October 2009. Sun Valley Magazine reported at the time Jared received permission from Genevieve's stepfather and brothers before proposing in front of the "Joan of Arc" painting by Jules Bastien-Lepage at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Just a few months after Jared proposed to Genevieve, the two tied the knot in her hometown of Sun Valley, Idaho in February 2010. They wed while overlooking the snowy landscape, and Jared later posted a sweet throwback photo from the wedding on Instagram in September 2015.

Who are Jared Padalecki's kids?

While Jared and Genevieve each had jobs working in Vancouver and Los Angeles, the two decided they would start their family by moving to a farm in Austin, Texas. What's more, by October 2011, the couple announced they were awaiting the birth of their first child. They welcomed son Thomas "Tom" Colton in March 2012, and in December 2013, they expanded their brood again with the birth of their second son Shepherd "Shep" at their home.

"Ok. For real ;) My amazingly strong wife home-birthed a happy and healthy baby boy last night:)," Jared wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) at the time. "Please send love:))."

In March 2017, Genevieve gave birth to their third child (and first daughter), Odette Elliott. Shortly after, in May 2017, Jared told People he is definitely protective over his youngest.

"It's a really cool experience, and I'm really excited for her to grow and hopefully have a Daddy's girl," Jared said at the time. "With boys, you're like, 'Go skin your knees and go break your arms like I did.' But with a girl, you're like, 'If somebody ever touches her, I'll go off the handle!' " he shared.

As Jared and Genevieve continue to find success in the public eye with acting and other initiatives (Genevieve starred alongside Jared on Walker season 1 and is the founder of Take Only What We Need), they also aren't afraid to share their love for one another on social media. When it came time to celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary in February 2020, Jared used a sweet post of the couple on vacation to share how much he appreciated having Genevieve in his life.

"Ten years ago today, I was able to convince my best friend to marry me," he affectionately penned on Instagram. "I can’t even imagine what I must have done in a past life to deserve to be able spend THIS one with this phenomenal women. I am the luckiest man alive. Love you baby. Here’s to 10 THOUSAND more."

Although the married duo lead incredibly busy lives with work and parenting, they still try to make time for one another. When speaking out about how they make their relationship last, Genevieve commented how she and Jared pride themselves on trying to find moments where they could just be a couple.

"Jared and I have been together for 11 years and married for nine," she wrote on her blog, Now and Gen in August 2019. "As boring as it sounds, we’ve found that the best way to reconnect is to schedule a date night (or day) as often as possible. Our goal is weekly, but that happens pretty much never. I’m happy if we can reconnect and do something fun together, just us, twice a month."

Well, if this is what they do, maybe we should take a cue from Jared and Genevieve on making a romance work...

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