Entertainment TV Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys' Relationship Timeline The romance between Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys sparked on the set of The Americans in 2013 By Jolene Latimer Jolene Latimer Contributor, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 9, 2024 07:33PM EST Close Photo: Rich Fury/Getty While playing married KGB spies on the set of The Americans, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys' on-screen chemistry translated into a real-life romance. The actors have been romantically linked since late 2013. After Russell's separation from her now ex-husband Shane Deary — with whom she shares a son and daughter, River and Willa Lou — fans suspected it was only a matter of time before Russell and Rhys coupled up off-screen. When asked about the rumors that he was dating Russell, Rhys told PEOPLE in March 2014, "That's the best [rumor]." Weeks later, PEOPLE confirmed their relationship after the two were spotted on a date at The Public Theater in New York City. In May 2016, Rhys and Russell welcomed their first son together, Sam. Here's everything to know about Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys' relationship. 2002: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys meet for the first time Toni Anne Barson/WireImage It wasn't necessarily love at first sight for Russell and Rhys. In 2017, the pair recalled their first encounter on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, with Rhys explaining he initially asked Russell out after a kickball game in 2002. "I very drunkenly asked for her number," said Rhys. The two met up in a parking lot after a kickball party, where they talked, and Russell asked Rhys to help open her beer. Rhys remembered he left Russell a drunken message — and she didn't return the call. Russell forgot about the encounter until the two started filming The Americans nearly a decade later. She reminded Rhys, "... at a lunch, you said, 'You know, we've met before, I said, 'No, we haven't.' You said, 'Yeah, 10 years ago at a kickball party.' As soon as you said that, I went, 'Of course I remember that!' " 2012: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys reconnect on The Americans DISCIULLO/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Russell and Rhys later reconnected in 2012 — this time as costars — when they were cast as Elizabeth and Philip Jennings on The Americans, a drama about KGB spies living in suburban Washington, D.C. During their 2017 appearance on WWHL, host Andy Cohen asked Rhys if they fell in love on the show. "Yes, absolutely," Rhys said December 2013: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys spark dating rumors Roughly one month after Russell announced her separation from Deary, she and Rhys were spotted walking around her Brooklyn Heights neighborhood in New York, casually shopping and looking at furniture on the street. A source told PEOPLE that the costars "looked very much like a couple," adding, "They were laughing and walking closely together." January 23, 2014: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys pose for GQ Though they had yet to confirm their relationship, Rhys and Russell further proved their off-screen chemistry in a provocative spread for GQ in January 2014. In one photo, Russell posed with her leg over Rhys' shoulder. April 1, 2014: PEOPLE confirms Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are dating Taylor Hill/Getty After months of speculation, PEOPLE confirmed the rumors were true — Russell and Rhys were an item. The pair were spotted on a date at The Public Theater in New York City, watching Steven Soderbergh's play The Library. January 2016: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys announce they're expecting their first child together Tal Rubin/GC Images In 2016, the acting duo announced Russell was expecting. The baby would be their first child together. During a Television Critics Association panel in January, reporters asked Rhys how he felt about his impending fatherhood. "As soon as I find out if it's verified or true, I'll be over the moon," he joked. A friend of the couple told PEOPLE at the time of the announcement that Russell and Rhys were "thrilled." May 2016: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys welcome a baby boy Russell gave birth to son Sam in May but waited until July to confirm the baby's name. She announced it on the Today show after former host Matt Lauer teased her for keeping quiet about the birth. "Where do you reveal [the baby's name]?" Russell asked Lauer. "You could do it right now!" Lauer suggested. "We had a boy," Russell shared. "[His name is] Sam. He's so good. He's big and fat and nice," before adding that Rhys was doing "so well" as a new dad. August 4, 2016: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys discuss filming sex scenes During a joint interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell and Rhys discussed filming their steamy scenes for The Americans. "There's that immediate thing where, like, physically you're comfortable together, and so that's fine," Rhys told The Hollywood Reporter. The actor also admitted he gets protective of Russell during intimate scenes. Russell shared that the show's depiction of sex felt right to her, saying, "In our show, I'm in a place of power: It's to get information from that person or to make that person feel a certain way. And that can be empowering." January 12, 2017: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys discuss working together Frederick M. Brown/Getty Rhys opened up again about working with Russell during FX's Television Critics Association press day in January 2017, admitting that his care and concern for Russell impact his choices on set. "Last year, when I directed my first episode and directed Keri for the first time, she was pregnant, so I was very cautious in my approach, and I mean that purely physically," he recalled. Russell added that their closeness makes communicating when filming together easier. "Obviously, working with anyone any amount of years this closely, there is such an incredible shorthand, and you kind of know what the other is thinking before they think it," she said. "I have always and still do respect Matthew's work on the show so much." June 2, 2017: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys share the key to their relationship With countless hours spent together on set, Rhys and Russell stressed the importance of alone time, telling PEOPLE in June 2017 that it was "absolutely" necessary. "She has the patience of a saint, so that helps," Rhys said. "That is basically it." Rhys also joked that red wine helped too. "The great leveler, the great equalizer. Everything is so much better after a good, solid half-bottle of red wine!" June 5, 2017: Keri Russell talks about parenting with Matthew Rhys When it comes to imparting wisdom to her children, Russell told PEOPLE she likes to stick to the basics. "I'm just starting with, 'Don't be a jerk,' " she said. She continued, "You do the best you can every single day, and some days are bad days. I feel like people need to remember that more." July 12, 2017: Keri Russell says she'll miss working with Matthew Rhys J. Kempin/Getty Ahead of The Americans' sixth and final season, Russell opened up about what she would miss about working with Rhys. "It will be sad, but it feels kind of right, too," she said. "There's something so great about having someone so close for funny moments or really hard moments or really mundane moments, like 'Can you pick up laundry soap on your way home because we're out?' or 'We're out of milk.' " July 2017: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys visit his family in Wales Before returning to set to film the final season of The Americans, Rhys and Russell traveled to Wales for a two-week trip to introduce their son Sam to Cardiff-born Rhys' extended family. Rhys later opened up about instilling Welsh culture in New York-born son. "I speak to him solely in Welsh," he told The Irish News in November 2018. "He can answer and understand at the moment." He also joked that when Sam is old enough to understand rugby, he will "force" him to support Wales in the Six Nations Championship. September 17, 2017: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys share a sweet moment on the red carpet Rachel Murray/Getty At Vanity Fair and FX's pre-Emmys celebration in Los Angeles, Rhys paused on the red carpet to fix Russell's hair. Photographers captured the sweet moment of Rhys playing makeshift hairstylist for a beaming Russell. April 6, 2018: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys fail at couples trivia on WHHL Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty While Russell and Rhys might know each other's deepest secrets, they still have some ground to cover — something they figured out during a trivia game on WWHL. First, Russell was asked to pinpoint what Rhys found most irritating about her. She guessed it was that "[she says] 'bunch,' " but Rhys said it's when she leaves hair in the bathtub. Rhys was then tasked with guessing Russell's favorite way to spend time with him. He guessed her answer was dancing, but she said it was drinking wine and watching documentaries. The two improved as the game continued — Russell accurately guessed Rhys' celebrity crush was Elisabeth Shue, and Rhys knew Russell's favorite food was pasta. September 17, 2018: Keri Russell jokingly threatens to punch Matthew Rhys if he publicly proposes During the 2018 Emmy Awards, when Rhys won for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, he revealed that Russell had made it clear that his acceptance speech was not an opportunity for him to pop the question — unlike award-winning producer Glenn Weiss, who had publicly proposed to his girlfriend while accepting his Emmy earlier in the night. "[Russell] said, 'If you propose to me, I will punch you clean in the mouth,' " Rhys joked in his acceptance speech. The camera then panned to the actress, who smirked and shrugged. May 15, 2018: Matthew Rhys shares his favorite thing about working with Keri Russell Mike Coppola/Getty Although Rhys has said that working with a significant other is challenging, he admitted there are plenty of silver linings. "Simple things like learning lines ... that helps because you can run them together late at night. You can ask the other person what they think because they are so informed about the show," he told PEOPLE. January 6, 2019: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys joke about breaking up over Golden Globes outcome Jerod Harris/Getty Russell and Rhys both received Golden Globe nominations in 2019 for their performances on The Americans. During the E! Live from the Red Carpet pre-show, the couple let it slip that they have a friendly rivalry and a plan for how they'd handle the night's outcome. "We've discussed that, whether, in fact, one of us wins," Rhys said. "We break up," Russell said, with Rhys adding, "Yeah, if you win, I'm gone. If I win, you're gone." However, Sandra Oh and Richard Madden ultimately went home with the awards for best actress and best actor in a drama series, respectively. April 2020: Keri Russell talks about Sunday family dinners with Matthew Rhys George Pimentel/Getty In 2020, Russell and Rhys gave a rare glimpse into their home life, which included hot water with lemon before bed and a hearty Sunday dinner with their children. "I usually do a roast chicken and vegetables, and maybe a guilty pleasure like Yorkshire pudding," she told Shape in an April 2020 cover story. September 19, 2021: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys attend the Emmys The couple walked the Emmys red carpet together in 2021. The Diplomat star wore a sheer, sequined gown was feather sleeves while Rhys donned a classic black tux. March 2, 2023: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys reunite on-screen in Cocaine Bear Russell and Rhys each had their turn in Elizabeth Banks' 2023 film Cocaine Bear, which was inspired by real events The actor joked that he wanted in on the action when he found out Russell was starring in the movie. "I unashamedly jumped on my partner's coattails because I knew [Keri Russell] ... and I read the script, and I simply said, 'Who's playing that? That little fun part, a few seconds in the beginning?' [Keri] goes, 'I don't know.' I said, 'Ask Banks,' " Rhys told The A.V. Club. Even though Russell told Rhys an actor had already been cast for the part, he insisted she check with Banks. Ultimately, his persistence paid off. Rhys scored the role of Andrew C. Thornton II, the former police officer turned drug smuggler who dumped cocaine while parachuting from an airplane, as The New York Times reported. April 12, 2023: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Americans In April 2023, the cast of The Americans reunited in honor of the FX series' 10th anniversary. While speaking to PEOPLE at the event, the couple recalled one of Rhys' most memorable alter-egos from the show: Fernando. "There was one character called Fernando that I enjoyed, just because of ... his Spanish disposition ... his wig, mustache, goatee, beard, Spanish accent," Rhys explained. "I think we all enjoyed," Russel remarked of the disguise. January 7, 2024: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys attend the Golden Globes Amy Sussman/Getty The couple attended the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles. Russell, who was one of the evening's nominees, walked the red carpet in a fabulous fringe dress by Jill Sander, while Rhys looked dapper in a black tuxedo. During Variety and ET’s digital pre-show, Rhys reminded Russell that it had been 25 years since she'd won her first Golden Globe for her role in the beloved TV show Felicity. "[I'm] incredibly proud. Always — but especially tonight," he said.