George Stephanopoulos and his wife, Ali Wentworth, have been married for over two decades. But before they realized they were meant to be, Wentworth did not want to meet up with Stephanopoulos. However, the couple lives happily in their $6.5 million New York apartment.
George Stephanopoulos is a television host primarily known for his political commentary and as a former Democratic advisor. Now he’s a co-host of the beloved show “Good morning America.”
But outside of his intensive journalistic work, Stephanopoulos has been married to his wife, Ali Wentworth, for 22 years.
The TV- host posted a picture from his wedding day and said marrying Wentworth was the best decision he had ever made, so much so that their marriage only gets better each day.
However, Wentworth almost let the love of her life pass her. On a podcast episode with Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue, she spoke about how their first date came about.
She said a friend suggested she meet with Stephanopoulos but immediately rejected the idea. Wentworth said she had grown up around journalists and politicians, so she wanted to avoid a partner involved in the field.
Nonetheless, she decided to go on a date regardless of her doubts. She went in with zero expectations, and no matter how bad it went, she thought their date would make an excellent story to tell at parties.
To prove her low expectations, Wentworth did not shower before the date nor put in the extra effort to shave her legs. But to her surprise, she left the date, realizing she was attracted to the TV host.
She remembered that they both ordered a crab salad, but she knew she had found the one by the end of the date. On the other hand, Stephanopoulos had a different impression of their first meeting.
Stephanopoulos was already prepared to get through the first 15 minutes of the date without overthinking what would happen next. But it did not take long for him to know the meeting was going well.
As soon as Wentworth leaned in and said something, Stephanopoulos remembered being lost in their world and forgetting what was happening around them. He said they went from strangers to friends to lovers in a few days.
Stephanopoulos said the date went so well that he forgot to eat his lunch, but by the end of it, he knew he did not want to live without Wentworth.
Stephanopoulos took time to settle down, he was a bachelor until he was 40 years old, but Wentworth came along and changed everything.
The couple was engaged within two months of dating, and the actress said, for some reason, she wondered why the former advisor was taking so long to pop the question.
Even though she had been engaged before, she could not wait to get married to him, but Stephanopoulos assured his wife that he knew they would end up walking down the aisle.
However, Wentworth said the rush to marry and the certainty that Stephanopoulos was the one came from how comfortable she was with him. The actress told Thomas and Donahue that she felt relaxed around him and was never insecure about her cellulite or any parts of her body.
Interestingly, the couple lived completely different lives before crossing paths. Stephanopoulos was an advisor to Bill Clinton and was known as one of New York’s eligible bachelors. As a joke about his long bachelor days, the TV host said, “captured before I went bad, I guess.”
On the other hand, Wentworth was also considered a good-looking actress and comic, but she lived in Los Angeles.
How George Stephanopoulos and His Wife Keep Their Marriage Strong
Wentworth was not only an instant hit to Stephanopoulos but to his family too. The political commentator’s father, Rev. Dr. Robert G. Stephanopoulos, the dean of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York, said the actress’s ability to make people laugh had a positive influence on his often serious son.
His mother, Nikki, also appreciated how Wentworth could make everyone comfortable around her with a charismatic character.
Although it seemed things were going well between the two families, the couple confessed that a big fight between the mothers-in-law broke out during the wedding preparations.
Firstly, Wentworth said she was never the girl with a vision board of what she wanted her marriage to look like, so she went with the flow.
However, Stephanopoulos’ mother was a very strict Greek woman, and her mother was the social secretary of the White House. So, the couple knew that their strong-willed mothers would be the ones to dominate the wedding planning, which turned into several fights.
But Stephanopoulos and Wentworth clarified that they all wanted to marry each other without any conflicts between their families. The couple’s wedding was beautiful, and Stephanopoulos’ father performed the ceremony.
The couple went on to welcome their daughter Elliot shortly after getting married and later had another daughter, Harper. Since Wentworth resided in Los Angeles, she sacrificed to move to New York and raise her children there.
Despite the significant downsizing of their home, the actress appreciated how she and her husband turned their three-bedroom New York apartment into a loving house where they have lived for over a decade.
The in-law fight led to the couple being asked about how they resolved issues. Stephanopoulos confessed that he was calmer and more logical during a fight, but his wife was on the louder side.
However, Wentworth agreed that she had to develop a more conducive attitude toward conflicts that would not to lead to any escalations.
The couple said they resolve all their issues no matter how long it takes. Stephanopoulos even remembered a time they argued for the whole night, but the goal for both of them was not to make sure that each party was heard and understood.
Therefore, because the TV host and his wife have taken time to understand each other, they feel confident to face any difficult situation.
One of those challenging moments was when their daughter had to undergo a long and complicated surgery. Wentworth knew that her husband was good and taking care of the bigger things like checking in with the surgeon, and she would take on the role of nurturing their daughter through the process.
But their connection is so strong that even in the chaos and stress, they know when one of them needs the other.
Later, the “Good Morning America” co-host revealed that his daughter Elliot was diagnosed with Scoliosis. Stephanopoulos shared a picture of his daughter wearing her back brace on vacation.
The father of two expressed how proud he was of Ellion for embracing her back brace and her withstanding the extensive surgery. “So proud of my daughter Elliott. Wearing brace every day,” he wrote.
Regarding their parenting style, Wentworth said her husband was more of a disciplined parent, and she was a helicopter parent, which she admitted had pros and cons.
For instance, the comic admitted that she tends to let the fears of what is happening in the world get to her, but as the mother of teenagers, she also has a fair amount of the latest vocabulary that develops among the youth.
The actress also told Jimmy Kimmel that she often does not know what she’s doing as a parent and is honest with her kids about it. Wentworth even joked that disciplining her children sometimes felt like reading a sitcom script.
On the contrary, she described Stephanopoulos as a high-achieving parent, but despite their differences, Wentworth said there is a good balance between them.
Although Stephanopoulos has adjusted to his wife’s outgoing character, Wentworth mentioned a time when she publicly revealed something about their relationship, which upset the TV host.
Stephanopoulos had traveled to North Korea for work, and there had been reports about them getting a divorce. When Wentworth was asked how she felt about the rumors, she said, “You show me a couple that has sex twice a day that is getting a divorce.”
However, Stephanopoulos did not like how she handled the situation, but Wentworth explained that she wanted to talk and share bits of her life. After much learning, the actress said her husband has gotten used to her, so she hardly gets into trouble now.
Additionally, the actress revealed that since Stephanopoulos is the only man in the house, he has gotten used to losing to his girls. But the couple is now preparing for an empty nest. Their daughter Elliot had already left for college, and Haper will be on her way soon.
Although it’s a big step and a proud moment for the parents, it is also bittersweet. But Stephanopoulos and Wentworth still spend quality time with their offspring on vacation.
22 Years of Bliss and Counting
Stephanopoulos and Wentworth have lived in New York for many years, and the actress shared a glimpse of the home on social media.
In the photos, the couple’s living could be seen. French doors divided the open space, and black and white framed photos were on the wall.
The two moved to their New York apartment from Washington D.C after Stephanopoulos landed his job on “Good Morning America.”
Wentworth remembered how their furniture could not fit their much smaller apartment, which was featured in Architectural Digest. She worried if they would be able to adjust to the space.
But since 2010, the couple has made a comfortable home in their $6.5 million Manhattan apartment, where they raised their two daughters.
As much as the couple has an aesthetically pleasing kitchen, it is still lived in without the clutter. They also have shelves in their living room stacked with many books to entertain their guests. Not forget the beautiful Foyer that leads into their home.
Wentworth might have worried about how long it would take to settle into their home, but their designer created a warm home in no time.
Their daughter Elliot also worried about how she would fit in with her friend since she had to wear her brace all day unless she was showering or swimming.
However, she found herself fitting right in and even became a cheerleader, horseback rider and participated in gymnastics. Eliot said it might have looked unusual, but she did not care.
The Stephanopoulos family is close, and Wentworth gave us a glimpse into the bedtime routine as a brood. She said she made it her mission to ensure that she, her husband, and their kids all go to bed simultaneously.
The actress did not want to be without her husband during bedtime because she believed that if she did not fall asleep next to him she would wake up without him, making him her roommate.
Stephanopoulos also said that he and his wife committed to having dinner as a family every night when they moved to New York.
However, the TV host was honest that dinner was not always had around the table and that some days he did not want to cook, but he appreciated the moments when his family sat together and engaged in various discussions.
After Wentworth joked that the secret to their marriage was her always being right, she said it was mainly humor, their attraction to each other, and their healthy physical relationship.
The connection the couple share also makes them secure in their marriage. Wentworth said if anyone told her her husband was cheating on her, she would laugh because she knew how he was and trusted him not to step outside their marriage.
Wentworth also loves for her family to celebrate every milestone. For her anniversary, she said she does not want the day to be taken lightly.
The actress clarified that she did not want a diamond necklace. Instead, she prepared something thoughtful, like a love letter reflecting on the years she has spent with her partner.
Stephanopoulos and his wife agreed that marrying each other has made them better people. Wentworth is proud to have made her husband never doubt himself, and the TV host loves how much life she brings into their family.
The “Good Morning America” host is also a supportive husband. He usually shares his wife’s latest podcast episodes and TV show appearances on his social media. He had a proud husband moment when Wentworth visited “The View.”
For one of his birthdays, Stephanopoulos thanked fans for their good wishes and told his followers that he was being treated to lunch by his wife and kids.
Wentworth also loves to share special moments with her family. She posted a picture of her and her husband attentively reading menus and captioned, “Here we are growing old.”
The actress also shared an image of her and her husband dressed up for date night and one of when they took over Paris. Wentworth also shared a funny picture of Stephanopoulos using his phone to navigate shopping at Target.
The proud mother of two also shared a special moment of witnessing her eldest daughter Eliiot graduate from college. For her birthday, Wentworth shared a picture of herself cleaning dog poop.