13 Real-Life Romances from the Stars of Shondaland Shows

There's plenty of romance on Shonda Rhimes' award-winning shows, but these love stories weren't written into any scripts

Shonda Rhimes might produce hit dramas, but these Shondaland romances are as real as it gets.

The production company behind Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and many more has cultivated some real couples off-screen. Some pairs — like Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel —met prior to foraying into Shondaland, while others — like Kevin McKidd and Danielle Savre — had crossover storylines that turned into real-life love.

See all the real-life couples of Shondaland below.

Kevin McKidd & Danielle Savre

Kevin McKidd and Danielle Savre are more than just crossover costars – they're Shondaland's newest real-life couple. The Grey's Anatomy actor and Station 19 actress have been spotted getting cozy around the world, far from their shows' Seattle setting.

In June 2023, they were seen packing on the PDA while enjoying the sights and seas of Italy. Then, a few weeks later, they were off visiting the Lower Zambezi on what McKidd called the "trip of a LIFETIME," on Instagram.

Jay Hayden & Jaina Lee Ortiz

While they've never officially confirmed their relationship status, Jay Hayden and Jaina Lee Ortiz have spent the past two years getting quite close off-screen. The Station 19 costars were most recently spotted traveling together in Italy, where they snapped photos of each other to share on Instagram.

The closest the rumored pair got to making an official announcement was a 2021 New Year's Eve pic in which Ortiz planted a kiss on Hayden's cheek. "2022 here we come," the latter captioned the tweet.

Marika Dominczyk & Scott Foley

Scott Foley and Marika Dominczyk tied the knot in 2007, long before either of them stepped into Shondaland.

Foley was the first to work with the famed show creator in 2010, when he played sick patient Henry Burton on Grey's Anatomy for two seasons. He went on to join the cast of Scandal as Jake Ballard, the White House Chief of Staff and love interest of Olivia Pope (played by Kerry Washington).

Before playing Talia Mallay on the 2022 Shondaland miniseries Inventing Anna, Dominczyk also appeared on Grey's Anatomy. Her character, Dr. Eliza Minnick, came a few seasons after Foley's character was killed off, but Dominczyk did get the opportunity to see her husband on set — sort of.

Speaking on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2017, Foley shared a photo of his wife – in costume as Dr. Minnick – beside a bust of his head on the operating table.

"When I died, they made this prosthetic head of mine, and they did a very good job. It looks very realistic," Foley said, referring to his character's death in season 8. "And they're expensive to make, and so instead of making new ones every time someone dies, they just use my head."

Hilarie Burton & Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan both appeared on Grey's Anatomy, though the husband-wife duo worked on different seasons. Burton played Dr. Lauren Boswell on a few season 9 episodes in 2013, while Morgan's arc was far more intense.

As Denny Duquette, a patient with whom Dr. Izzie Stevens (played by Katherine Heigl) falls in love, The Walking Dead star became a steadily recurring character on seasons 2 and 3. Despite Denny being killed off, Morgan reprised the role for season 5, as a tumor-induced hallucination haunting Izzie.

Kathryn Erbe & Terry Kinney

Kathryn Erbe and Terry Kinney were married from 1993 to 2006, but they didn't join the Shondaland family until after their divorce.

Erbe played Jacqueline Roa on four episodes of How to Get Away with Murder in 2016. Her ex – with whom she shares two kids – played one of the journalists helping with the Anna Delvey investigation on Inventing Anna.

Mireille Enos & Alan Ruck

Mireille Enos married Alan Ruck in 2008, nearly 18 years before they costarred together on Shondaland's The Catch. The show only ran for two seasons and featured Enos as private investigator Alice Vaughan, and Ruck as Gordon Bailey, the ex-husband of Alice's business partner.

Jeff Perry & Linda Lowy

With credits on Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and Inventing Anna, Jeff Perry is certainly a Shondaland mainstay, so much so that his family is also part of that world.

Perry and ex-wife, actress Laurie Metcalf both appeared in season 2 of Grey's Anatomy, though their characters never crossed paths. And while Perry played a recurring character — Meredith's dad, Thatcher — Metcalf only appeared in one episode of the entire series.

The former couple's daughter, actress Zoe Perry would later join her dad on Scandal in season 6 of the hit show.

Linda Lowy (pictured above), Jeff's second wife whom he married in 1989, has also been a big part of Shondaland, having served as casting director on 10 of Rhimes' shows.

Taye Diggs & Idina Menzel

Idina Menzel only guest-starred on Private Practice for two episodes, but her ex-husband, Taye Diggs, appeared as main character Dr. Sam Bennett on all six seasons.

Menzel and Diggs became romantically involved in the theater world, well before their Shondaland stints, and they married in 2003. They welcomed son, Walker, 13, before they announced their split in 2013.

Liza Weil & Charlie Weber

How to Get Away with Murder costars Liza Weil and Charlie Weber took their characters' on-screen romance into the real world. The actors, who played Bonnie and Frank on the show, confirmed to PEOPLE that they started dating in the summer of 2016.

After nearly three years together, the Shondaland duo split in 2019. However Weber's statement to PEOPLE assured fans that there wasn't any bad blood between them.

“Liza and I share an amazing relationship rooted in love and respect. That relationship has found its way back to the great friendship we’ve always had,” he said at the time of their breakup.

Liza Weil & Paul Adelstein

Weil started dating Weber after splitting with her ex-husband Paul Adelstein, another Shondaland star. Between their marriage in 2006 and their finalized divorce in 2017, Adelstein and Weil both appeared on Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal.

Zach Gilford & Kiele Sanchez

In 2011, Zach Gilford starred as Dr. Tommy Fuller on the first and only season of Shonda Rhimes' short-lived medical drama, Off the Map. While his career deviated from the Shondaland route, his wife Kiele Sanchez – whom he married in 2012 – ended up with a recurring role on Station 19 in 2023.

Katie Lowes & Adam Shapiro

Shondaland fans recognize Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins on Scandal and Rachel DeLoache Williams on Inventing Anna, though she also appeared as a guest star on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.

Lowes husband, Adam Shapiro, whom she wed in 2012, made a one-time appearance as her Scandal character's boyfriend on the show's second season.

Kelly McCreary & Pete Chatmon

Grey's Anatomy's Kelly McCreary married director Pete Chatmon in 2019. They share a Shondaland connection that spans across both sides of the camera: while McCreary played Dr. Maggie Pierce for nine seasons, her husband directed several episodes of Grey's and one episode of its spinoff series, Station 19.

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