These Are The Sweet Magnolias Cast's Actual Partners
If you love romance or heartwarming dramas, then you're probably watching the Netflix hit "Sweet Magnolias." The show takes viewers through the ups and downs of three small-town South Carolina best friends: Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue (played by actresses JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Heather Headley, and Brooke Elliott).
The uplifting show won over so many that it was renewed for a second season just two months after the first season debuted. "I think there have been other terrific shows about female friendship and about romance," showrunner Sheryl Anderson told Parade. "But I think chef Dana Sue would tell you we figured out the exact proportions to focus on a deep and abiding friendship that has lasted their entire lives — seasoned with romances, pinches of teen angst, and a lovely icing of hot men."
While fans of the series watch the residents of Serenity, South Carolina navigate relationships, the actors behind the characters have their own love stories. Here are the actual partners of "Sweet Magnolias" cast members.
JoAnna Garcia Swisher's husband Nick Swisher played Major League Baseball
As her last name might suggest, actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher, who plays Maddie on "Sweet Magnolias," is married to retired baseball player Nick Swisher. The pair got engaged in 2010 when Nick was still an outfielder on the New York Yankees. Later that year, they got married at a star-studded wedding in Palm Beach. The celebrity-filled guest list naturally boasted actors and athletes like Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez, and members of the wedding party included actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler and music legends Reba McEntire and Lance Bass from NSYNC (via People).
The Swishers have two daughters — Emerson, who was born in 2013, and Sailor, born in 2016. Although Nick describes himself as an "alpha athlete," the former Yankee admitted his daughters have "softened" him. "[I'm now] able to be home and be able to be a father and a short-order cook or an Uber driver or whatever it is," he told Us Weekly in 2021. Swisher also understands the bond between daughters and fathers, with the "Sweet Magnolias" actress telling Us Weekly her husband is "great" with their two children.
Heather Headley and her husband are the parents of three children
Like her "Sweet Magnolias" costar JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Heather Headley is also married to a retired professional athlete. The Tony Award-winning actress, who plays Helen Decatur on the Netflix show, is married to former New York Jets player Brian Musso. Headley and Musso were college friends, as noted by The New York Times, and now have three children — two sons and a daughter.
While life can be busy for the Broadway and television actress, who also happens to be a Grammy-winning singer, her husband is in her corner encouraging her. "The man that I married has never ever put just a limit on to what I could do and would do as a woman, as his wife, as a mommy," Headley told NPR. "He actually pushes me out the door a little sometimes more than I wanted him to." Supportive Musso even gifted Headley a 2,100-square-foot coach house to use as a recording studio, according to Architectural Digest.
Justin Bruening met his wife, actress Alexa Havins, on set
While fans may know Justin Bruening as Cal Maddox on "Sweet Magnolias" (or Matthew Taylor from "Grey's Anatomy"), the actor actually rose to fame on soap operas. For years, Bruening portrayed the character Jamie Martin on "All My Children" and even played the role on episodes of "One Life to Live." Not only did soap operas give Bruening his big break in acting, but that's also where he met his wife.
Bruening is married to actress Alexa Havins, whom he starred alongside on "All My Children" (via Soap Central). Bruening even proposed to Havins on set — during a scene where his character was proposing to her character, Babe Carey. "He put the ring on my finger and I was giggling, screaming, and I turned and our cast and crew was coming out of the woodwork because they had the live feed coming [through the studio]," Havins told Soap Opera Digest. "The producers and hair and makeup came down and they had a cake and champagne and it was a really, really nice moment." Bruening and Havins live with their three children in California, according to Soap Central.
Chris Klein met his wife, Laina, at a wedding
As if ripped out from a page of the "Sweet Magnolias" script, actor Chris Klein romantically met his then-future wife at a friend's wedding. After more than three years of dating, Klein (who was previously engaged to actress Katie Holmes) proposed to his partner Laina Rose Thyfault during the winter of 2014, according to People.
Klein and Thyfault, who works as a travel agent, got married the following year during a nature-inspired ceremony in Montana (via People). The couple had their first child, a son named Frederick Easton, in 2016 and later welcomed a baby girl named Isla Rose in 2018. Klein announced the joyous news of their second child in a sweet Instagram post. "Laina and Isla took the journey together with Courage, Strength and Epic Grace," Klein wrote in the since-deleted post (via People). "My Girls, I am so proud of you and so grateful that you were delivered safely back to me. I love you Laina. Thank you for making me a father again."
Jamie Lynn Spears' husband is also named Jamie
While the world watched Britney Spears' little sister grow up on the Nickelodeon show "Zoey 101," television fans can now catch Jamie Lynn Spears portraying Noreen Fitzgibbons on "Sweet Magnolias." Spears may play Bill Townsend's fiance on the hit Netflix show, but offscreen she's married to businessman Jamie Watson.
Spears and Watson, who were introduced by friends, dated on and off for five years. However, the two didn't click during their first meeting. "I think we grew on each other, which is probably why we are still together," the "Sweet Magnolias" cast member said during her TLC special "Jamie Lynn Spears: When the Lights Go Out" (via Us Weekly). "He was always uncomfortable ... Looking back though, I think it's kind of sweet, because he was acting that way because obviously he liked me."
Despite the "awkward" encounters, Spears and Watson grew closer and eventually married in 2014. The couple celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary in 2021, which Spears commemorated on Instagram. "Even if we decided to get divorced tomorrow, 7 years is a pretty decent amount of time, so like ... Good for us," the mother-of-two joked in an Instagram Story (via People).
Dion Johnstone is married to actress Lisa Berry
Actor Dion Johnstone is known for his role as Helen Decatur's love interest, Erik Whitley, in "Sweet Magnolias." Offscreen, Johnstone's love story is just as romantic. The Canadian actor is married to Lisa Berry, who also happens to be a Canadian actor. According to Toronto Guardian, the two live in Toronto where Johnstone also works in theater.
Johnstone and Berry, who's appeared on the shows "Supernatural" and "Shadowhunters," met while rehearsing for the play "To Kill a Mockingbird," though that wasn't the first time the two comic book lovers had heard of each other. Before they crossed paths, Berry's friends tried to convince her to meet Johnstone, but at the time she wasn't interested in dating. "A year later when I walked into that rehearsal hall and looked up to see this tall, sexy Black man standing across the room," she told Streets of Toronto. "I thought to myself, 'Now I deserve you.' Only to find out it was Dion. Full circle."
Brandon Quinn's wife, Rachel, is from Canada
Fans might have spotted Brandon Quinn on shows such as "Entourage," "Rebel," and "The Fosters" before his turn on Netflix. These days, the actor portrays Ronnie Sullivan on "Sweet Magnolias."
His "Sweet Magnolias" character may have his fair share of romantic drama, but in real life, Quinn has been married for more than 20 years. While much isn't known about his wife, Rachel Swierenga, we do know she's from Canada and shares three children with Quinn (via Mile High Report). Quinn has also professed his appreciation for his longtime love on social media calling her his "soul mate" and "best friend." In 2021, the actor wished his wife a happy birthday with an Instagram photo of the two dressed alike in black. "22 years and my love for you grows stronger and deeper with every passing day," he captioned the post. He noted, "I love you with all of my heart and soul and am grateful I get to grow old with you and spend my eternity with you."