Jerry O’Connell has shared candid details about his life, as he recently recalled a tense moment with his wife, Rebecca Romijn, and their daughters.
According to the actor, the women got “physical” with him due to his opinion about the outcome of the election and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jerry O’Connell also hinted that he walks on eggshells around his wife and kids, claiming they would get angry at him if he made any kind of joke.
Jerry O’Connell Alleges Wife, Daughters Got ‘Physical’ With Him Over His Election Comments
O’Connell opened up about his home life with wife Rebecca Romijn and their twin daughters in a revealing chat on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast on Monday, March 16.
The “Stand By Me” actor, 52, first shared a tense moment involving his family after he made comments about Kamala Harris losing the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump.
“I said something along the lines of, ‘There was no planning. This is what they get. There should have been a primary,’” O’Connell recalled. “I was just spit-balling ideas.”
The reaction, however, caught him off guard. “It was shocking,” he noted. “My wife and daughters, without saying anything, became physical with me. They were filled with rage.”
The Actor Can’t Make ‘Any Kind Of Joke’ Around His Wife And Kids: ‘I Live In California’
O’Connell admitted that, despite his comments, he never expected Harris to lose and acknowledged the need to be cautious about his words at home.
“I live in California,” he said. “I live with not one, not two, but three people who, if I made any kind of joke, they’d become very angry with me.”
O’Connell and Romijn, 53, have been married since 2007 and are parents to 17-year-old twins, Dolly and Charlie.
While it’s unclear how serious O’Connell was about his wife and kids’ reactions to his jokes, the actor once revealed that he avoids getting into fights with Romijn, telling the Daily Mail that, “If there’s an argument brewing, I try not to engage.”
“I try to distance myself,” he added, noting that he would even go as far as leaving the house whenever things get tense.
Jerry O’Connell Jokes That Rebecca Romijn Only Gets Intimate With Him When She’s High
In another part of the episode, O’Connell asked Maher, 70, known for smoking marijuana during recordings, to “get higher than you’ve ever been on any episode” and blow smoke in his face.
Maher agreed, saying he’d be “happy” to, and asked whether O’Connell smoked himself. “I don’t smoke myself, but listen, I live with someone who smokes — vapes, actually,” he replied, referring to Romijn.
Joking about the intimate side of their relationship, O’Connell added, “The only time my wife finds me appealing, is intimate with me … the only time my wife — what’s the word? — touches me is if my wife takes a hit off that pen.”
Maher then asked if O’Connell was a “health nut,” prompting the actor to admit he often indulges in processed snacks and takeout. “I’m getting this picture: A guy doesn’t get laid unless his wife is high, he’s always on Instagram, eating sh-tty food,” Maher teased.
O’Connell laughed and replied, “Well, my wife gets high every day, so don’t worry about me!”
The Actor And His Wife Speak About Their ‘Community Pot’ Approach To Family Finances
O’Connell and Romijn have also been open about how they manage their finances.
During a July 2025 appearance on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show, they revealed that while they keep their personal spending separate, they contribute to a shared “community pot” for joint expenses.
“That’s like one of the first conversations you have when you decide to enter into a legal agreement together,” Romijn explained.
How much each of them contributes, however, isn’t fixed. It shifts depending on who’s earning more at the time.
“I have to say, we actually throttle how much money we put into that account sometimes,” O’Connell said, while Romijn added, “Depending on who’s working more. The one who isn’t working gets a little break, and the one who is working puts in a little more. And we really tag-team with work.”
Jerry O’Connell Reveals Hypnosis Helped Him Quit Smoking After Decades Of Nicotine Use
O’Connell has also recently opened up about another deeply personal chapter during the February 13 episode of the “Work In Progress” podcast with Sophia Bush, where he reflected on his decade-long battle with nicotine and how he finally quit.
“I struggled with nicotine for decades… I had to get hypnotized,” O’Connell shared, noting that he hasn’t smoked in about 14 years.
The turning point, he revealed, came from an ultimatum at home. According to the actor, his wife made it clear she wouldn’t be physically affectionate with him if he continued smoking, and she followed through. What he initially brushed off as a joke quickly became reality.
“After about three and a half weeks, I was like, I gotta do something,” he recalled.
Although he tried quitting on his own, he admitted it didn’t stick until he explored hypnosis after a recommendation from a friend, which, despite having doubts, actually helped him stop smoking.
