Hootie Who's Her Man? All About Carla Hall's Husband Matthew Lyons
Matthew Lyons and Carla Hall attend The Family Reunion at the Salamander Resort on Aug. 20, 2022, in Middleburg, Virginia.
Carla Hall's husband Matthew Lyons has been a fixture in her life for more than a decade—and he played a crucial role in her becoming a celebrity chef.
Hall says that her husband, who is a fan of Top Chef, encouraged her to try out for the Bravo competition series in 2008. Her adorable "kooky Carla" edit made her a star, thanks in part to the pair's "hootie hoo!" catchphrase. (She says that she and Lyons used it to find one another in public or crowded spaces, and it made for TV gold.)
Her husband was also her rock when she got the call to co-host The Chew three years later, even though it meant that she'd be spending more time in New York City than at the couple's home in Washington, D.C.
"I was the first one who said, 'You got to go.' It's been this comet rise of her professional life since we met," he told PEOPLE. "And yet she has remained the same. What I really appreciate about Carla is that she takes everything in stride."
Hall says that her relationship with Lyons is one with few secrets.
"The best thing about being married is going to the bathroom with the door open. I say that because everybody has to do it. There's no pretense," she previously told ABC News. "You're being your true self—it's like you can't hide from being your human self. I think when you're in a really honest and open and beautiful marriage, it's like, 'This is who I am and I know you love me for who I am.'"
What else could you ask for than a partner who loves you for you? Read on to find out all about Carla Hall's relationship with her husband, Matthew Lyons.
Related: Carla Hall's Black-Eyed Pea Salad Is Simple and Delicious
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Is Carla from Top Chef still married?
Yes, she is! Hall and Lyons have been married since 2006 and celebrated their 17th anniversary on April 29, 2023.
They revealed in a Yahoo! Lifestyle's It's Love interview that they actually tied the knot legally on Feb. 12, 2006, with a justice of the peace, but had their wedding-wedding with family and friends that spring.
Related: Carla Hall on Family Gatherings
Who is Carla Hall married to?
Carla Hall's husband is Matthew Lyons.
The pair met through Match.com, and he was the first date she had on the platform (where she had the alias "ScrabbleGirl" and he "MDLinDC").
"I was 42 and single," Hall recalled to It's Love in October 2018. "My mother would call me every Saturday and ask, 'Carla, are you going out? Are you going to church? Are you doing anything? Are you going to the grocery store? Are you doing anything outside?' A friend said, 'Why don't we sit down and do a profile?' When he found me was the first day that I had actually gone onto Match.com."
Lyons said he'd recently divorced and that at the time, his friends were "encouraging [him] to get out and date." It took just one date with Hall for them both to fall head over heels.
"I remember as soon as I saw her, my immediate thought was, 'I'm done,'" Lyons said.
Hall says she went back to Lyons' apartment after they first met—which she said never usually does on a first date. Hey, it worked out!
Related: Carla Hall Talks Giving Back and Cooking With the USO
Does Carla Hall have any biological children?
Hall doesn't have any biological children, but is a joyous stepmom to Lyons' son from his previous marriage.
In January 2024, Hall opened up about a miscarriage she suffered just before she and Lyons got married.
"Right before we got married, I got pregnant, and then it was just a natural miscarriage," she told PEOPLE. She said she was about eight or nine weeks pregnant at the time and discovered she miscarried when going to the bathroom before a private chef job in the Bahamas.
"I just accepted it, and I just sat there and I'm like, 'Okay, there's nothing I can do about this,'" she said. "I went to the doctor and she said, 'Well, how are you?' I said, 'Well, what do I need to do to go and do my job?' And I know it sounds cold, but there was truly an acceptance—there was an acceptance there."
"I believe that everything happens for a reason," Hall explained. "And honestly, it was grace from the universe. I said, 'Okay, I'm supposed to do something else.'"
Related: All About Julia Child's Marriage to Paul Child
What does Matthew Lyons do for a living?
Carla Hall's husband spent 26 years as an attorney and government lawyer (at one point representing the Food and Drug Administration), followed by a brief stint in marketing. He left his first career for a second act as a yoga and meditation instructor. He stepped back from some of his teaching in summer 2023 to focus on movement and his passion for writing.
