Leslie Mann has a refreshingly unpolished answer when asked how she and Judd Apatow have stayed married for nearly three decades, she does not pretend that marriage is easy.
The actress addressed their 29-year marriage during the August 20 episode of Kylie Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie podcast. When Kelce pointed out that Mann and Apatow are approaching their 30th anniversary and asked whether the years had flown by, Mann immediately answered, “No,” before admitting, “It’s so hard.”
Mann also said that hearing other couples describe seemingly perfect relationships can make her question her own. She told Kelce she sometimes feels bad about herself or her marriage when people say they never fight because that experience does not resemble hers, according to E! News.
She also described him as her best friend and explained why humor, friendship and accepting the difficult parts have helped keep them together as they approach three decades of marriage.
Mann Says Accepting That Marriage Is Hard Is ‘the Secret’
Asked what has kept the marriage going, Mann told Kelce, “Just accepting how hard it is, and not trying to fool yourself.” She then called that acceptance “the secret,” adding, “It’s really hard.”
Comparing her marriage with other couples can make those difficult periods feel worse. Mann said she sometimes hears people talking about their “perfect marriages” or claiming they never fight and wonders whether her own relationship is harder than it should be.
She quickly turned that insecurity into a joke. After questioning what she was still doing with Apatow, Mann said she could not leave now because they were already approaching 30 years and doing so at this point would be “lame.”
Humor and Friendship Are Also Part of Their Marriage
Mann offered a more affectionate explanation when Kelce asked what continues to connect her and Apatow. “We find each other entertaining and funny sometimes,” she said, according to InStyle.
“He’s my best friend and I tell him everything,” Mann added. She described the value of having someone who has witnessed the course of her life, while Kelce compared that dynamic to using husband Jason Kelce as her own sounding board. he called the relationship one of her biggest lessons and said she is “constantly learning” from it.
Mann and Apatow Met Before The Cable Guy Made Her a Star
Mann met Apatow while auditioning for the 1996 comedy The Cable Guy, which he produced and Ben Stiller directed. Apatow was reading opposite actresses during auditions as a stand-in for Jim Carrey when Mann came into the room.
Apatow has long maintained that his reaction was immediate. In a Vanity Fair interview, he recalled turning to Stiller afterward and saying, “I can’t believe Mrs. Apatow just walked into the room.”
Mann jokingly admitted that the feeling was not initially mutual because she barely remembered meeting him. The prediction nevertheless worked out. Mann and Apatow married on June 9, 1997, and later welcomed daughters Maude and Iris.
Their Marriage and Family Have Repeatedly Made It Onto the Screen
Mann and Apatow have repeatedly mixed their family life with their work. She appeared in Apatow projects including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People and This Is 40, while Maude and Iris appeared as the daughters of Mann’s characters in several of their parents’ movies when they were children.
Both daughters have since built entertainment careers of their own. Maude became widely known for playing Lexi Howard on Euphoria and moved into directing, while Iris has continued acting in film and television.