Will Forte and his wife, Olivia Modling, have their friends to thank for their meet-cute.
The Last Man on Earth star and Modling first met at a party in 2018. Their romance quickly escalated after one year, and the two became engaged over the holidays in 2019.
Before the happy duo officially walked down the aisle, they welcomed their daughter, Zoe Douglas Forte, in February 2021. Three months later, Forte and Modling were married in a surprise wedding among their loved ones. The couple have since welcomed another daughter named Cecilia.
Their wedding plans were initially put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, and they ultimately decided to have their ceremony spontaneously. “It was just a delightful day,” Forte previously told PEOPLE. “My parents were totally surprised. It was so stressful, the two weeks where we were planning. I can’t imagine having a year or more to stew over wedding plans.”
The California-born actor also shared that he had already felt married before he and Modling officially exchanged vows. “It's fun to say, ‘Wife,’ ” Forte said. “It already felt like we were married before. It doesn’t feel a lot different, but it’s still fun and exciting to say, ‘Wife.’ She’s great.”
So who is Will Forte’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Olivia Modling and her relationship with the comedian.
She works in business development
Although Forte stars in many high-profile projects including 2024’s Bodkin, his wife does not work in the entertainment industry. Modling works in distribution and brand partnerships.
Forte’s leading lady has most recently worked at SGE (Synergy Global Entertainment) Worldwide. Before Modling started her career, she attended the University of Alabama and graduated in 2013.
Forte and Modling met in 2018
Modling and Forte met at a friend’s party in 2018, a source confirmed to PEOPLE in 2020. Their romance intensified in a matter of time as the lovebirds were reportedly “serious” by 2019.
The insider revealed that Modling moved into her soon-to-be husband’s home before they were officially engaged, which further solidified their relationship.
They got engaged in 2019
News of the couple’s engagement did not become known to the public until four months after the special moment. Forte’s father, Reb Forte, appeared on ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in April 2020 and confirmed that his son would soon be married.
When Reb discussed his and his son’s legal names, he subtly revealed the major news. “My full name is Orville Willis Forte III,” he said. “He’s Orville Willis Forte IV. He’s currently engaged, and says if he has a boy, they’ve both agreed, it’s a possibility it would be Orville Willis Forte V. Not a decision, but a possibility.”
Although the MacGruber star’s rep did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment at the time, a separate source confirmed that Forte and Modling got engaged over the 2019 holiday season.
Modling shares two daughters with Forte
Before Forte and Modling became husband and wife, they became proud parents to their daughter, Zoe Douglas Forte, in February 2021. The father-of-two announced the news of his daughter’s birth during an appearance on Conan that April.
“I just had a baby — well, my fiancée Olivia just had a baby,” he said while on a video call for the talk show. “Exactly seven weeks ago, Feb. 15. ... We love her. She was delivered by a doctor named Dr. Rad.”
During the same interview, Forte poked fun at becoming a father later in life. “I’m a 50-year-old father,” he explained. “Which is pretty old for a father. So my fiancée, Olivia, had this made for me.” Forte then held up a sweatshirt that read: “Dad or Grandpa?”
Although Forte and his wife keep their daughter out of the spotlight, he did reveal a photo of her face during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in December 2021. “This little baby right here,” he said, showing off his socks with Zoe’s face on them. “These are my lucky socks. My Father's Day present from Zoe.”
Forte and Modling have since welcomed another daughter, Cecilia. The actor told PEOPLE in May 2024 that he loves watching Encanto and dancing with his girls.
"I have two young daughters, one who’s about 3 and one who’s about a year and a half, so we are dancing all the time," Forte said. "I’m so bad at it, but when they get up, it makes me instantly want to dance."
She and Forte hosted a surprise wedding in July 2021
Five months after Modling gave birth to Zoe, she and Forte decided to surprise their loved ones with a last-minute wedding. Initially, they were planning their ceremony in 2020, however, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in altered plans.
“We had gotten engaged right before the first COVID lockdown. And so when we were just starting to talk to planners, people were having to shut down their weddings. At the time, we said, ‘We're in no rush. We can figure it out later.’ So then COVID goes by and we’re quarantining for a long time,” Forte told PEOPLE in December 2021. “And then the baby is this wonderful news. We find out we're having a kid. And so we were in no rush, but every once in a while we would think about, ‘Let's just do it.’ ”
Forte explained that their families were planning to be in New Mexico while he was filming MacGruber and that it would be the perfect opportunity to get married.
“We realized, ‘Oh, all the people that we would want to be here are going to be here,’ ” he shared. “Most of them, because a lot of my closest friends work on MacGruber with me. They were already in Albuquerque, so we just decided very last minute, ‘Let's just have this wedding, surprise my parents.’ They didn't even know until they pulled into the parking lot. And we just had this really fun, delightful wedding, pretty small, in the back of Jorma Taccone’s house."
She supports Forte on the red carpet
Modling stays away from the limelight for the most part, but she does support her husband on the red carpet. In December 2021, she and Forte stepped out for the premiere of Peacock’s MacGruber.
For their night out, Modling wore a black and red gown with a floral design. She completed her look with a red lip and hoop earrings. Forte, meanwhile, donned a green suit with black trousers.
Forte shares about his love for Modling
Despite not sharing photos of his private life with Modling on social media, Forte has gushed about her during interviews.
At the time of his wedding, Forte shared how smitten he was with Modling and expressed his admiration for her patience with him. “I needed to find somebody who was a very patient person and she's the most patient, understanding woman in the world,” he said. “I'm feeling very happy and very lucky these days.”