Kevin Bacon recently spilled the tea (and maybe some mustard) on The Drew Barrymore Show about how he technically met his now-wife, Kyra Sedgwick, almost 50 years ago. But don’t cue the violins just yet—because while she remembers, he was too busy thinking about his sandwich to notice his future wife standing there like a 12-year-old fangirl with a dream.
Flashback to the ’70s: Bellbottoms, Broadway, and Baby Kyra
Picture it: Kevin Bacon, 19 years old, all cheekbones and ambition, starring in some intense off-Broadway drama that probably involved a lot of dramatic staring and shirtless monologues.
Meanwhile, 12-year-old Kyra Sedgwick was just a bright-eyed tween with acting dreams and a mom who had excellent taste in theatrical hunks.
According to Kevin, “Her mom had seen me in some off-Broadway stuff and said, ‘Kyra, there’s this guy you’ve gotta see perform! He’s like, really intense and probably doesn’t blink for the whole play.’”
So young Kyra goes to the matinee, loves the show, then does what any respectful fan would do: she follows the actor to a deli. Kevin was mid-sandwich acquisition when a tiny voice piped up with, “Hi, I liked you in the play!”
Kevin’s 1970s response? Something vaguely patronizing like: “Thanks, sweetie.”
You know, the classic combo of flattery, mild condescension, and pastrami breath.
Fast-Forward: The Real Meet-Cute Was on Set (Not at the Sandwich Shop)
Flash forward to 1988: Kevin and Kyra are cast together in the TV movie Lemon Sky, aka “That Movie Where Kevin Redeems Himself.”
Kyra casually drops, “Hey, remember when I told you I liked you in that play when I was 12?”
Kevin, attempting not to look like a jerk: “Oh yeah, totally!”
Kyra, raising one perfectly sculpted brow: “Really?”
Kevin, defeated: “No. Not at all.”
Boom. Not love at first sight. Not even like. But somehow, against all odds—and despite deli-related trauma—they still ended up falling in love and getting married that same year.
Now They’re Basically Hollywood’s Cool Parents
Kevin and Kyra have been married since 1988 (aka longer than most iPhones have been alive) and they have two amazing kids, Travis and Sosie—aka proof that sometimes awkward deli encounters lead to lifetime love stories.
Moral of the story? Always be nice to the weird guy at the deli. He might be your husband one day. Or at the very least, he might be Kevin freaking Bacon.
