Kirsten Dunst & Jesse Plemons Went From Fake “Husband” & “Wife” To Married Parents

Since meeting on the set of the TV show Fargo, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons have enjoyed some of the best times of their lives side by side. After they first worked together, playing the married Peggy and Ed Blumquist, Dunst insisted that they “became really good friends” before anything romantic happened, but apparently, it didn’t take too long for love to find them. Now, more than half a decade since they first said hello, the happy couple is married, they are parents to young sons Ennis and James, and they had the distinct pleasure of landing their first Oscar nominations at the same time — and for the same film, no less.

The couple’s two Academy Awards nods come for their work in The Power of the Dog, a Western drama was up for a year-high 12 Oscars. Durst and Plemons yet again play husband and wife, which she described as “very special” during an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air in January 2022. “He’s my favorite actor to work with,” she added. Plemons felt the same way, gushing about their teamwork in a December 2021 interview with People. “I don’t wanna do another project without her,” he told the magazine. “It’s just the best.”

Both being nominated for an Oscar for the first time is just as good. “I just can’t believe that we both got nominated together for the same movie,” Dunst told USA Today in February 2022. “It sounds like an old-fashioned thing that wouldn’t happen now, you know what I mean? Like the Old Hollywood days of ‘Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were nominated...’” She noted that they cried together after the announcement. “It feels amazing to have that as a family,” she added.

Post-Oscar nomination excitement, the couple has yet to book a role together, but is keeping busy nonetheless. In his latest project, Plemons takes on the role of Allan Gore in Love & Death, and one could safely say that his marriage IRL is much better than the romantic affair his character gets involved in with Candy Montgomery. Love & Death isn’t the only project he has in the pipeline — he also is slated to appear in the Netflix limited drama series Zero Day. Dunst, meanwhile, is reportedly part of a project called Civil War.

Read on to learn more about the ongoing love story that is Dunst and Plemons’.

2015: They Meet

Dunst and Plemons met at work in 2015, as both were cast in the second season of the critically-acclaimed TV show Fargo, based on the Oscar-winning film of the same name. The two played married couple Peggy and Ed Blumquist. The actors were nominated for Emmys together, but neither ended up taking home any gold for their performances.

April 2016: Dunst Becomes Single

Dunst and Plemons may have met in 2015, but it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, or at least not a relationship at first sight. At the time, Dunst was still dating fellow actor Garrett Hedlund, but the two weren’t to be together for much longer. In April 2016, the pair split for good, meaning Dunst was single once again.

June 2016: Their First Public Kiss (Sort Of)

Just a few months after breaking up with Hedlund, Dunst shared her first public kiss with Plemons. Well, not exactly public, as it was a private moment caught by the paparazzi, but once those images hit the web, it was clear that something special was happening between the former co-stars. Around the same time, the two were seen together at various events and out and about in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas.

January 2017: Engagement Rumors

In early 2017, rumors began to circulate that Dunst and Plemons were engaged. At the time, it seemed a bit early, as the actors had only been together for about half a year, but such a union was certainly not impossible in a place like Hollywood. While there were whispers the two were planning on tying the knot, neither talent’s representatives would confirm or deny anything.

May 2017: Talking Babies And A Confirmation

Six months after the media began to speculate that Dunst and Plemons were engaged, the former not only confirmed the reports, but also began openly discussing something else exciting in their future. In a Q&A for the UK edition of Marie Claire, the Interview with a Vampire actor admitted that she felt it was “time to have babies and chill.” She went on to elaborate on why she felt the urge to become a mom, adding, “I wasn’t one of those ‘I need a baby!’ people until my goddaughter was born. I love her so much. That love is just like… you can’t experience that unless you have a kid. I put her to bed last night and she woke up this morning and said to her mom, ‘Where’s Kiki?’ I just love that love. That’s what I want.’”

June 2017: Confirmed Engagement

Shortly after the Marie Claire article confirmed that Dunst and Plemons intended to marry one another, she went on late-night TV and spoke about the happy development. While on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the host first congratulated her on her recent Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and then moved on to something “even cooler.”

As she blushed and looked down, Dunst admitted, “I got engaged.” For someone who lives in front of a camera, she was acting very shy as the audience applauded. When pressed for details of the engagement, the star said, “I was a little sick when he did it, which was funny.” To make light of the situation, Dunst added, “But that’s good, in sickness and in health, so that works.”

January 2018: A Baby On The Way

Less than a year after she talked about wanting to have children, Dunst and Plemons became pregnant, and they decided to announce the blessing to the world in a very glamorous and unexpected way. Dunst modeled for high fashion label Rodarte’s Fall/Winter 2018 line, and as she donned the company’s floral embroidered tulle gown in an Instagram photo, the actor cradled her baby bump.

May 2018: Baby No. 1 Is Born

When the photo announcement of Dunst’s pregnancy was first made public, it was clear that not only was she with child, but that she was fairly far along. She gave birth to the couple’s child in May 2018, less than six months after the Rodarte portrait series debuted. E! confirmed the fantastic arrival was a boy and that his name was Ennis Howard Plemons.

August 2019: Still Planning A Wedding

Dunst and Plemons finally admitted that they were engaged in the summer of 2017, but after that, little was heard about a wedding. Two years later, while speaking to a group of reporters (including one from Us Weekly), Dunst confirmed that they were still planning on getting married, saying, “We’re definitely going to have a wedding eventually.” She went on to describe the kind of event they had in mind, calling their future nuptials “small,” “really intimate,” and suggesting it would not be “a big wedding.”

August 2019: The Full Family’s First Appearance

While the world was aware that Dunst and Plemons had recently become parents, they stayed out of the spotlight, not sharing photos or any more details about their new bundle of joy. Ennis was seen in public for the first time when Dunst was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During the celebration, her family showed up to support her, while Plemons spoke about his love, telling the story of the first time they met, saying, “I looked into her eyes and saw the beautiful, sweet, unguarded, welcoming, human being that she is.”

The pair sparked rumors that they’d secretly gotten married by referring to one another as husband and wife at the event, but Dunst cleared things up later by stating, “We’re not married yet” during a Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance.

June 2020: A Pause

In March 2020, as public health restrictions began rolling out, many people who could decided to get out of major cities and take up temporary residence in rural areas or even in other nations. This included Dunst and Plemons, who got out of Auckland, New Zealand, where they had been filming The Power of the Dog, and rented a spot in the middle of nowhere. That must have been nice for the pair, and it was especially great for Ennis.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times during that time, Dunst explained that they “rented a house for our son to have some grass to run around on.” She even admitted that her son would sometimes be “naked all day” and that he’d “pee outside in the grass.” The Power of the Dog was able to resume filming in June 2020.

March 2021: A Second Bundle Of Joy

A little less than three years after becoming parents, Dunst and Plemons decided to double their brood, and they shared the joyous update with everyone. Again, Dunst did so with a fabulous snap, as she appeared on the cover of W magazine with a protruding belly. She was profiled by her longtime friend and collaborator Sofia Coppola, and she was joined on the front page by actors Elle Fanning and Rashida Jones.

Summer 2021: The Family Grows

Unlike the first time they welcomed a little one into their growing family, it wasn’t made clear exactly when Dunst and Plemons’ second baby arrived. The Bring It On vet was snapped by the Daily Mail holding an infant in a carrier in June 2021, though a feature in the New York Times seemed to suggest that the child had been born some months prior. The couple’s youngest son’s name was eventually revealed to be James Robert Plemons.

February 2022: First Oscar Nominations Together

When the nominations for the 94th Academy Awards were unveiled in February 2022, Dunst and Plemons both earned their first nods. The pair were named as contenders for their work on The Power of the Dog, and the former child star spoke to USA Today shortly afterward, explaining how she got the word.

“I was watching the (announcement) livestream on my phone and I guess mine was behind, because my manager called me and was like, ‘You got nominated!’” After realizing that Plemons was also a nominee, Dunst added, “He was crying and I was crying. I was just in bed with my kids watching cartoons. I think they freaked out a little bit because they were like, ‘Why is Mommy crying?’”

February 2022: Still Not Married Yet

Dunst and Plemons have confused fans (and most of Hollywood) by referring to one another as “husband” and “wife,” which has led people to believe they’re already married — and on more than one occasion. While they may enjoy using those words, they still haven’t walked down the aisle just yet. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times centered around her first Oscar nomination, the actor tried to explain, saying, “We have to get married at this point. It’s ridiculous. We just haven’t planned a wedding.”

February 2022: Date Night At The SAG Awards

The not-yet-married couple walked the red carpet at the 2022 SAG Awards, as Dunst was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her work in The Power of the Dog. While the prize ended up going to Ariana DeBose in West Side Story, the two actors still seemed like they had a fun evening at the ceremony, which is known to be one of the more lighthearted events on the award circuit.

July 2022: They Confirm Their Marriage

Dunst and Plemons didn’t rush into forever, but they are now officially married, as her rep confirmed to multiple outlets on Friday, July 8. Their nuptials were very much not public, and they opted not to reveal any details about the ceremony, as Page Six reports. (To be fair, though, Dunst did say that the couple wanted a “really intimate” wedding, so it seems they got their wish.) A source told the site that their nuptials took place a week prior at GoldenEye Resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

January 2023: Paris Fashion Week Appearance

The newly-married couple looked tres chic during an appearance at Paris Fashion Week in early 2023. They were photographed while sitting in the front row for the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2023 show. This appeared to be their first public appearance as a married couple.