"It was just insta-family, basically."
Fred Armisen is a married man once again, having secretly wed fellow comedian Riki Lindhome in a courthouse ceremony on June 1, 2022. However, the timing is of particular note, as the couple said their vows just three months after Lindhome welcomed a child via surrogate, which was just weeks after their first date.
In a new interview with People, Lindhome, 45, admitted that she and Armisen, 57, had known each other for 15 years, but hadn't connected romantically until they filmed the Netflix series Wednesday together in Romania. At the time, Armisen was recently single, having ended a longterm relationship with actress Natasha Lyonne. He was also previously married to actress Elisabeth Moss and English musician Sally Timms.
Lindhome said that she was initially apprehensive to pursue the Portlandia star since she was planning to have a child, after years of failed IVF treatments and adoption plans. "I could tell I was having feelings, but then I was like, ‘Well, I can’t say anything because I’m about to have a baby," she recalled.
Just three weeks after going on their first date, Lindhome's son Keaton was born on March 1, 2022, while Armisen was still filming abroad. However, she didn't want to pressure her new beau into something he wasn't ready for.
"He didn't get to meet Keaton until three weeks after he was born because he was still working," Lindhome explained. "And I said, 'All I want is the truth. If you feel in your gut that's not for you, it doesn't make you a jerk. I'm not mad at you.' I said, 'I still think you're the best. I just want you to really feel what you feel. And then be honest about it because it's a big life-altering thing.'"
"I told him, 'So you just tell me what your heart says, and he said 'Yes.' It was just insta-family, basically," she said with a laugh.
Soon after, Lindhome and her son moved into Armisen’s home to start their new life as a family.
"Then we got married in a courthouse," she said of their low-key wedding. "It's not a secret, but we didn’t really tell people. We didn’t announce it or anything. And we thought people would hear about it eventually. And that’s what happened, one friend at a time."
Interestingly enough, Lindhome said that an unnamed friend had actually predicted the unexpected romance before it was even on her radar.
"He’s single now," the friend said to her before Armisen arrived on set. "I was like, 'Yeah, I heard that. My mind is not there at all.' And she was like, 'I don’t know. You both have a lot of fun together. You’re good friends.'"
"I didn’t believe her, but she called it, which is funny," Lindhome added. "The traditional way to land a man is not to have a baby by yourself and move to Romania."
