Mike and Molly, the 2010 to 2016 sitcom, is full of love, laughter and deep friendship. Chicago police officer Mike Biggs is best friends with co-worker and partner on the force Carl McMillan; while Molly Flynn is close to younger sister Victoria, but are the cast members just as friendly behind-the-scenes? And while Mike and Molly get married in the series, who are the stars married to in real life?
It’s the latter question we’re addressing first, looking back at the marriages of the different cast members.
‘Mike & Molly’ Cast Then and Now: Catch Up With Melissa McCarthy, Billy Gardell and More!
The real-life couples of ‘Mike and Molly’
Billy Gardell and Patty Knight
Billy Gardell’s Mike is head over heels for Melissa McCarthy’s Molly on-screen, but in real life the actor has been married to the former Patty Knight since 2001. The Gardell’s have one son together, William III, and have been happily married for 23 years.
“My wife deserves my time because, for 23 years, she has stood beside me, behind me, in front of me, whatever was needed… I would say spending time with my wife [puts a smile on my face].”
Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone
Molly met Mike at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, but Melissa McCarthey met real-life love, actor and comedian Ben Falcone, while attending a comedy class in 1998. They married in 2005 and have been co-starring and co-creating massive films ever since. The couple have two children, Vivian (17) and Georgette (14).
McCarthy says that her home with Falcone and their kids is full of laughter and joy. “It’s not the most serious household. There’s a lot of serious stuff happening in the world, and we don’t have to have it in the house.”
“He’s nothing but supportive, and he’s super smart,” McCarthy said of her husband. “He makes me gut-laugh, like crazy gut-laugh, four or five times a day. I hit the jackpot!”
Katy Mixon and Breaux Greer
Katy Mixon, who plays Molly’s frequently partying sister Victoria has been married to Breaux Greer since 2016. Greer is a retired three-time track and field Olympian who competed in the javelin throw. The couple coincidentally met when Mixon was in need of a trainer, a role Greer thought he could fill.
“We met one day on a Saturday morning at 7:30,” she revealed on Live With Kelly and Ryan in 2017. “My trainer was going to leave for the month, and he thought that he would be an incredible trainer for me… we locked eyes, [and] I never saw the trainer again. It’s been unbelievable ever since. I’m a blessed girl.” And they’ve been blessed with two children.
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Louis Mustillo and Tricia Brown
Louis Mustillo, who plays Vincent “Vince” Moranto, the character never at a loss for words and husband of Swoosie Kurtz’ Joyce Flynn-Moranto, has been married to Tricia Brown since 2005. Given that Louis is not one to share much about his private life, there isn’t much known about their relationship.
Rondi Reed and Stephen Eich
On Mike and Molly, Rondi Reed was an absolute scene-stealer as Mike’s mother, Peggy. Also on the show, she was abandoned by her husband but found love a couple of times. In her real life, the most serious relationship the public is aware of was her marriage with theatrical producer and director Stephen Eich, to whom she was married from 1976 to 2016. Eich served as the managing director of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company for many years, and that was a group that Rondi was closely associated with as well.
The real-life friendships of ‘Mike and Molly’
On-screen, Billy Gardell’s character Mike is best buddies with Reno Wilson’s Carl McMillan, but is their real relationship the same? You’ll be happy to learn that, yes, Gardell and Wilson are just as good buddies in real life as they are on TV. The two friends are still close and catch up every once and again. Wilson shared a photo with Gardell, writing, “Spent some time with my road dog Billy Gardell yesterday. We just pick up where [we] left off.”
Similarly, the bond between Melissa and Katy Mixon didn’t end when the cameras stopped rolling, with Mixon sharing, “One of the most incredible things was that I got to see the world witness her and her divine destiny. It was one of the most amazing things to watch her live her dream and just have a ball doing it. She’s just unbelievably special to me.”
