All About Lily Collins’s Husband, Charlie McDowell
Emily Cooper may be exploring Paris’s dating pool, but Lily Collins, the actress who plays her, is happily married.
Collins wedded Charlie McDowell on Sept. 4, 2021, revealing on her Instagram that she tied the knot with her partner in Colorado. The two got engaged a year earlier in September 2020, after dating for more than a year. They welcomed their first child, daughter Tove, via surrogate in January 2025.
The two are pretty publicly affectionate on social media: After their engagement, Collins posted several photos and videos to show off her square diamond ring, which was custom-made by jeweler Irene Neuwirth.
“I think we’re just, you know, totally soaking in being engaged and still celebrating with people that we can, in a way that is safe…” Collins told Extra of her COVID-era engagement. “Eight months of being together in quarantine has definitely felt like the most incredible way of getting to know someone.”
Get to know Collins’s partner, Charlie McDowell, and their history.
A year after getting engaged, McDowell and Collins had their wedding secretly. Collins wore a Ralph Lauren column gown and got married to McDowell in Colorado’s Dunton Hot Springs. “I’ve never wanted to be someone’s someone more than I do yours, and now I get to be your wife,” Collins wrote alongside their wedding photo, posted on September 7. “On September 4th, 2021 we officially became each other’s forever. I love you beyond.”
Of the event, Collins said she was on set for Emily in Paris during the planning so McDowell handled a lot.
“I was in the midst of planning it while shooting the show, nine hours ahead. Finishing filming and then Zooming with people and answering emails,” she said. “[It] was very exciting and great; it was just all happening at once.”
They celebrated their one-year anniversary in September 2022.
Collins and McDowell started a new chapter of their life in 2025, welcoming their first daughter via surrogate in late January. Collins shared the news on Instagram, writing, “Welcome to the center of our world Tove Jane McDowell. Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way. We love you to the moon and back again…”
In a comment, McDowell responded to criticism of their decision to use a surrogate, writing, “Thank you for all the kind messages and love. We are overjoyed and very grateful. In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby—it’s OK to not be an expert on surrogacy.”
He continued, “It’s OK to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It’s OK to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume. And it’s OK to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives. That’s all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper.”
Collins shared a new photo with Tove on February 6. “Mom mode...” she captioned it.
On Valentine’s Day, she shared a family photo with the infant, their dog, and McDowell, writing in the caption, “I truly can’t imagine feeling more love. Valentine’s Day (and every day) just got a whole lot sweeter…”
Collins has been very open about her relationship for a Hollywood starlet. She often posts photos from her life and travels with McDowell. The couple bought property in Copenhagen and recently described its home team as being the city’s football club.
Collins fêted her husband’s milestone 40th birthday with a heartfelt Instagram tribute.
“Happy HUGE birthday to my one!” she started. “You may now be 40 but let’s be honest, you’ll actually, truly, always be forever young. Here’s to the last 4 decades of light you’ve cast into this world, laughs you’ve brought to everyone around you, passion you’ve shared with audiences everywhere, love you’ve given those closest to you, beauty and art you’ve created, and memories you’ve cherished alongside the ones you’ve built your life with. I’m the luckiest lady there is to journey beside you in our next decades to come. I couldn’t love you more or be more in awe of your heart, talent, and infinite sense of humor. Thank you for being the man you are and inspiring me to be the woman I am. You’re my partner in crime, my best friend, and my constant adventure. Happy 40th my love. I can’t wait to grow even older with you and keep frolicking into the future together. Wherever that may lead us…”
The actress shared a series of new photos of them together and reflected on three years of marriage. She wrote to McDowell on Instagram, “Happy anniversary to the man who makes me laugh harder than anyone. Three years held in your arms has been the greatest gift. Barefaced and in a basic tee, you make me feel like the most special human on the planet. I adore you @charliemcdowell. More than I know how to say. Here’s to countless incredible moments together (plus twinning photoshoots). And to think, the best is still to come…”
Like Collins, whose father is British musician Phil Collins, McDowell comes from an entertainment family. Upon first guess, you might think he’s related to actress Andie MacDowell (it’s a different spelling, but they do have a pretty funny connection. More on that later.) His mom is actually a different legendary actress, Mary Steenburgen (a.k.a. the iconic mom in basically every rom-com).
His dad is British actor Malcolm McDowell, with whom Steenburgen shares McDowell and his sister Lilly McDowell Walton.
Steenburgen divorced Malcolm in 1991 and married The Good Place and Cheers actor Ted Danson in 1995. Danson has two daughters, Kate and Alexis Danson, from his marriage to his first wife, Cassandra “Casey” Coates.
“When I was a teenager I didn’t understand why @msteenburgen made us do this,” Collins’s partner wrote alongside a photo of his blended family in 2017. “But I get it now. You wanted us to be able to pose harder than any other bitch ass in the room. Thank you. And happy Mother’s Day.”
Malcolm McDowell has three sons with his wife, Kelley Kuhr: Beckett, Finnias, and Seamus.
McDowell is a writer/director. His major directing projects have been The One I Love (2014) starring Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass, and Ted Danson; Silicon Valley (2016); and The Discovery (2017). He has also directed two episodes of On Becoming a God in Central Florida (2019), Dear White People (2017–2018), and is behind several more projects. He made a comedy short, Bye Bye Benjamin, in 2006, when he was 22 years old. Here he is with his dad and sister Lilly at the screening in June of that year:
Starting in 2009, McDowell started tweeting open letters to the women who lived in the apartment above him. “Two annoying girls moved into the apartment above me,” he writes on the site where the open letters are archived. “I’m forced to hear every dumb thing they say. These are my letters to them.”
In 2013, he published a book called Dear Girls Above Me: Inspired by a True Story, based on his Twitter feed Dear Girls Above Me. Amazon calls it, “a roman à clef about how thinking like a couple of girls turned one single guy into a better man.”
Some of McDowell’s jokes did (rightfully) generate some controversy though, particularly those about rape and eating disorders, which were flagged on social media and attracted attention. In December 2019, Collins responded to social media comments:
“This week I saw some messages and comments that were really hurtful to me and someone I love,” she wrote, in part. “It’s never okay to verbally abuse, bully, or threaten people, even if you don’t agree with their opinion or sense of humor.”
In 2014, McDowell started a joke on his Instagram grid that still lives on today. He posted a photo of Andie MacDowell (not his mom) with the message, “31 years ago this woman gave birth to me.”
His sister Lilly even joined in the joke: “I love when mom wears her hair like this.”
On Mother’s Day 2020, Steenburgen posted a video of her son calling Andie for Mother’s Day. She revealed in the post that her then-37-year-old son calls the actress every Mother's Day, but she takes it in stride: “Love to you, Andie from me and love to you my son, who never fails to make me laugh,” she wrote. “😘😂🌺.”
MacDowell is the mother of actress Margaret Qualley and her siblings Rainey and Justin. But she seems to accept Charlie as her honorary son, too.
Besides the years-old Andie MacDowell joke, McDowell likes to take a silly photo:
And he really loves to troll his mom:
He posts a lot of adorable photos with the kiddos in his life:
There are a lot of sweet moments on his Instagram of the dogs in his life, too:
In 2019, he introduced his friends and followers to his dog, Redford. He wrote a message to his late dog Marvin (pictured above): “Marvin, if you can hear me, I miss you every waking moment. You will never be replaced. And as I write this and tears stream down my face, Redford is licking them away, which I think you would approve of. ❤️”
At the end of 2020 he made this joke alongside a wipeout surfing photo: “Goodbye 2020. You didn’t feel good.”
“But damn, you made it look good regardless,” Collins responded. “Can’t wait to party wave with you in 2021 💙.”
McDowell has a lot of famous exes. In 2008, McDowell dated his mom’s Four Christmases (2008) co-star, Kristin Chenoweth. “We met on set,” he told People then. After that, he dated Rooney Mara for what was reportedly six years (2010–2016). Most recently, he was romantically linked to Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke. They got together in 2018 and quietly split in 2019, per Cosmopolitan.
McDowell and Collins appear to have started dating around the summer of 2019; Collins posted her first grid photo of him in August of that year. One year and a month later, they were engaged.
In an interview with Nylon in 2021, Collins said of their transition to marriage, “It’s so nice to be able to finally say that I’m a wife, [but] sometimes it makes me feel very old.”
But in October 2022, she told E! that being with McDowell made her feel like she could “conquer anything.”
“We’ve been through so many changes globally, personally, and to be able to have a partner next to you that makes you laugh in times when you need it the most and helps you emotionally get through things, like moving to a foreign country for four months,” she said. “I just feel so grateful that I have someone next to me to be able to accomplish that and your best friend with you all the time.”
When a director marries an actor, a collaboration is born. The couple worked together on Windfall first, and the director told Entertainment Tonight in March 2022 that they mostly had no issues.
“The only time it was a little distracting, is when Jesse Plemons, who’s a very good friend of mine, is picking her up and kissing her,” he joked. “I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. There’s something off about this. My good friend is kissing my then-fiancée.’”
Collins’s take was different.
“There were moments that I was so in the world of the film, in terms of it being a set and this is my director, that I was able to completely forget the fact that it was my [then-fiancé] directing me,” she said. “He’s such a great actor’s director that the way he communicates to all of us and what he wants and how collaborative he is.”
McDowell accompanied Collins in early December to the premiere of the third season of her hit Netflix show Emily in Paris. The pair were color-coordinated in shades of brown. McDowell wore a loosely tailored suit and Collins was in a long-sleeve cutout gown with a skirt that trailed on the floor.
In October 2022, they were photographed at the Time 100 Next event in New York City.
And just before that, they were pictured at the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
On Sunday, September 3, Collins wrote a long tribute to her husband in celebration of their two-year wedding anniversary. She shared photos of herself smiling ecstatically in her wedding dress and of them walking through the forest together hand-in-hand.
“Two years today and a lifetime to come,” she wrote in the caption. “I remember this moment, this day, this excitement as vividly as if it were yesterday. And I feel the love, the support, and the magic 100 times more. I adore you @charliemcdowell and I couldn’t be more grateful to be your other half in life and in love. You make me a stronger, bolder, and brighter human. Thank you for being the greatest partner I could ever imagine and for making me smile like no other. Here’s to another 365 days of memories ahead, wherever in the world we find ourselves. I’d walk into the unknown with you any day and every day. With you by my side, it’s always an epic adventure. ”
On Sunday, February 18, Collins and McDowell attended the BAFTA awards in London together. McDowell wore a classic tux, while Collins was in an off-the-shoulder gown from the Tamara Ralph FW23 Couture collection.
On May 22, Collins and McDowell enjoyed a little downtime in Rome, where Collins has been filming Emily in Paris season 4. They were photographed arm-in-arm while on a walk in the city.
The pair matched in black, casual looks. McDowell had on a black T-shirt with tan shorts, while Collins paired a white top with a tan button-up shirt and black shorts.
Collins didn’t reveal too much about McDowell in her August 2024 InStyle interview, but she spoke about how they fell in love with Copenhagen in spring 2023. “Our friends are architects and chefs and ceramicists and lawyers,” Collins said, adding they are both inspired by the creativity of the city. “It’s a place where I feel welcome as I am, just as I am.”
On March 18, 2025, Collins celebrated her 36th birthday and shared on Instagram, “First birthday as a mama and I truly couldn’t be happier or imagine it being any more special. What a magical year it’s been and what a beautiful year I’m stepping into. Grateful doesn’t even begin to express how I feel…” She posted photos with McDowell and their baby, Tove.
McDowell also dedicated a post to Collins, writing, “Happy birthday to my stunning wife. You are patient, kind, hilarious, and so loving to our beautiful Tove. Both she and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. I love you forever. Happiest birthday mama.”
Collins commented on her husband’s post, “Love you so much and couldn’t have imagined a more perfect way to welcome this new year. ❤️ Just the most special with our little family ❤️.”
Collins also shared an Instagram Story of her and McDowell kissing, captioned “Best birthday.” Her second Instagram Story, a photo of McDowell holding Tove, read, “Ever.”
McDowell posted his own Story featuring Collins holding their baby, writing, “Birthday mom ❤️ @lilyjcollins.”
Collins and McDowell attended the Breakthrough Prize ceremony at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on April 5. On the red carpet, they stopped to flirt and smile together, seemingly enjoying a night out after becoming parents.
On June 15, Collins shared a carousel of pictures of McDowell with Tove to celebrate Father’s Day.
“Tove is the luckiest little girl in the world to be yours,” she wrote in the caption. “Seeing you with her is the most beautiful thing. You certainly were born to be a dad and you continue to amaze me every single day with the countless ways you protect and nurture her, make her laugh, and shower her with adoration.”
On July 6, the pair made an appearance in London at Wimbledon, day seven, as a guest of Emirates. Collins wore a white summer dress with an embroidered top, while McDowell was wearing a striped cover-up over a white T-shirt.
On July 10, 2025, Collins celebrated McDowell’s birthday with an Instagram post. She shared a series of family photos and a message praising him as a partner and father.
“Happy birthday to my adventurous, silly and selfless, one of a kind husband,” she wrote. “I count myself the luckiest lady to be going through life with you. You’re the most supportive, most dedicated, passionate, hardworking, and hilarious person I know and the absolute most loving and nurturing (not to mention coolest) papa to our lil T and Red. You continue to inspire and amaze me every single year. Thank you for being you. Here’s to another year of epic memories, new fashion choices, and rockin baby playlists (that we shamelessly listen to even when Tove is asleep). I love you beyond words…”
For Thanksgiving, Collins posted a photo with the family, keeping their child’s face covered with a red heart emoji.
“Hearts and bellies full. Grateful for our little family and the sweetest love I’ve ever known. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours...” she wrote in the caption.
On Instagram, Collins shared her 2025 “wrap,” made up of video clips from her year. Many of them included McDowell and their daughter.
On New Year’s Day, she shared a short carousel of walking outside with McDowell, writing, “he best way to enter 2026—laughing and walking through life with you @charliemcdowell. Happy New Year, everyone!...”
Collins and McDowell attended the French Open at Roland-Garros in Paris on May 31, where they watched the tournament alongside Collins’s Emily in Paris co-star Ashley Park. Collins wore a rust-colored top and black sunglasses, while McDowell opted for a navy jacket layered over a dark shirt and a blue baseball cap.
The couple was photographed smiling together in the stands by Park.
The following day, Collins and McDowell returned to the tournament grounds, where they were photographed walking while holding hands. Collins wore a fitted black minidress with a white cardigan, while McDowell paired a burgundy cap and matching jacket with a white T-shirt and dark trousers.
With additional reporting by Hilary Weaver
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