Meet Patrick Dempsey And Jillian Fink's 3 Kids
Although Patrick Dempsey had a messy first marriage with his then-manager, Rochelle Parker, it didn't take long for him to find true love with Jillian Fink. Parker and Dempsey's divorce was finalized in 1994, and later that same year, the actor got a haircut at Fink's salon. They started dating in 1997 and tied the knot in 1999. The couple welcomed their daughter Talula Fyfe in 2002 followed by their twin boys, Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick, in 2007.
In a 2023 interview with People, Patrick admitted that it was tough to raise children as a well-known celebrity because everyone expected them to follow in his footsteps, but like any other kid, all three sought individuality. He elaborated, "They all have unique qualities and they have their own goals that they need to develop and harvest themselves and we just try to model our behavior, and hopefully they'll pick up on that." As their babies grew into teenagers, Patrick struggled to find the balance between parenting them and accepting their boundaries as they figured things out.
Like any parent, he also found it difficult to stand back and let his children make mistakes as they explored the world, but he found solace in knowing they would eventually learn from them. Patrick added that the athletic trio positively impacted his life by encouraging the "Thanksgiving" star to exercise more. But, although Patrick eats healthily and works out regularly, he will never turn down his daughter's delicious baked goods, as the actor confessed to People.
Talula Fyfe Dempsey
On February 20, 2002, Patrick Dempsey and his wife, Jillian Fink, welcomed their first child, Talula Fyfe Dempsey. When Talula was around six, she accompanied her dad for his Parade interview. The "Grey's Anatomy" alum explained to the outlet that car rides helped him form a deeper bond with his daughter because they could freely speak their minds and talk about every topic under the sun (via People). The father-daughter duo's connection only seems to have grown stronger as she's gotten older too.
When Patrick appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," in 2020, he noted that Talula didn't have a senior prom because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The actor is passionate about proms because they're like a "victory lap" that marks the end of the struggles of early schooling, so he and Fink decided to host an at-home prom for her, recalling, "It was so sad. As a parent, you're like, 'Oh my, God, my heart breaks for you.' You don't have that moment to see her all dressed up."
Patrick continued, "Then she got on a Zoom call with her friends and they all got together." It's safe to say that Talula is using her post-pandemic time wisely based on her Instagram feed, which showcases her travels all over the world. Talula's current boyfriend, whom she went Instagram official with in 2022, often joins her on these adventures. Talula also has a separate Instagram account dedicated to showing off her baking skills. When she's not jet-setting, she's attending college in Washington and working hard towards her degree in clinical psychology.
Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick Dempsey
Jillian Fink and Patrick Dempsey's twin boys, Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick, came into this world on February 1, 2007. A year after their birth, Patrick informed People that their looks were the only thing the boys had in common since their personalities couldn't be more different. While Darby was a peace-loving baby, Sullivan was quite grumpy and would probably object to how his father spoke about him in the interview as he grew older. The "Made of Honor" star also shared that Talula helped choose her sibling's names and was thriving in her big sister role.
In his 2008 Parade interview, Patrick acknowledged that he got a good laugh out of watching his sons learn how to walk: "It's like a slapstick routine watching these drunk little men run around because they're wobbly." The actor sweetly added. "When you see something happen that they couldn't do the day before, it's really heartwarming," (via People). When Patrick spoke to People in 2016, he confirmed that he had started coaching Darby's soccer team, and his son was super passionate about the sport.
Meanwhile, Sullivan inherited his father's love of acting. During his "Jimmy Kimmel Live" interview, Patrick disclosed that he had to be a lot more vigilant with his sons because they were always running around the house and could easily get hurt in the blink of an eye. During a subsequent appearance on the show, he noted that he was teaching the teenagers to drive and was scared of how fast they insisted on going.