Jane Kaczmarek's 'Fairytale' Rekindling With High School Sweetheart Proves Love Is Timeless

More than 50 years after they first dated as teenagers, Jane Kaczmarek and her husband Rusty Long proved that some love stories do come full circle –- even when Bumble predicts traditional dating is going out the window. The "Malcolm in the Middle" actor opened up about reconnecting with Long at their 50th high school reunion in Wisconsin. While on "Good Morning America," she mentioned that her friend played matchmaker and encouraged the two to catch up after decades. "My best friend had married my boyfriend then's best friend, and said, 'Would you like to see Rusty again?'" she explained.

Later that evening, they went to dinner with a group of friends, where Kaczmarek's feelings for Long reignited almost instantly. Afterward, they would spend hours on the phone, reconnecting, sharing their new interests, and making up for lost time, per People. Perhaps it could have been Long's active listening, which is one of the low-key things that are highly attractive, but Kaczmarek said, "I couldn't believe how interesting he'd become. I said to him, 'I could not make up a better man in my life right now than you' ... It's like a fairy tale." Before rekindling, Kaczmarek was married to actor Bradley Whitford from 1992 to 2010, sharing three children, while Long became an attorney and welcomed two children of his own.

After reuniting, Jane Kaczmarek said she and Rusty Long moved quickly, with him proposing in February 2025. During a gathering honoring the Scottish poet Robert Burns, guests were asked to make toasts during which Long popped the question. "Rusty said, 'I would like to toast to romance. I've been in love with Jane my entire life, and I want to ask her to marry me,'" Kaczmarek explained to People. The couple tied the knot on July 5, 2025, in Wisconsin, in a summer barn party wedding surrounded by their family, including their children and grandchildren.

After the wedding, the couple split their time between California and Wisconsin, embracing the unexpected chapter, feeling as magical as their first. Because, even if you hooked your crush from the get-go, Jane Kaczmarek and Rusty Long showed that sometimes connections won't fade; they just wait for the right time.