Nick Offerman didn’t want to be one of those men complaining about their wives

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As much as they don’t want to live with the responsibility of being #relationshipgoals, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are really just that. The couple have written a book, the supremely appropriately titled The Greatest Love Story Ever Told. On Wednesday night, Nick and Megan talked about the book in a discussion moderated by Lena Dunham at the Aratani Theater in Los Angeles.

Of their relationship, Megan asserted, “It’s one thing to be in love…but you gotta really like each other.” She added that the secret to their success is their “Two Week Rule.” Megan shared, “We’ve never been apart for more than two weeks in 18 and a half years.” Nick added that this rule is taken so seriously in the industry that “it’s the first thing they bring up” when he starts a new acting job.

Nick also shared that to have a strong and lasting relationship, there are compromises and sacrifices to be made. Nick left his carpentry shop in Los Angeles to be with Megan in New York and told the audience, “If you want to make your marriage a priority but you have [a] conundrum, one of you has to eat s—. And you can’t resent it.” 

Entertainment Weekly published an excerpt from the book – which has some hilarious chapter titles, such as “I Came Out of The Womb in a Top Hat and Tap Shoes,” and “It’s Hard to Complain with a Mouthful of Puss / Couple Goals.” In the excerpt, the two talk about fighting and how it affects their life as a “perfect couple.”

Megan: It’s a new topic. Fighting! Although I don’t know what we’ll say, because we’ve never had a fight. (Laughs) In eighteen years. We’ve just been blissfully happy. Just cracking each other up. He acts like Ron, and I act like Karen . . . everything’s perfect. End of chapter.

There’s a perception of us as this perfect couple, so we’ve always been paranoid that if we get into a scrape at the grocery store, it’s going to be running on a chyron on CNN. That’s ridiculous, of course, but I’m exaggerating to make a point, the point being that people think that we have such an idyllic relationship that if we had a normal spat, like people do sometimes in public places . . .

Nick: We’re accused of being “couple goals” enough that it puts a pressure on you in the public eye—“We’re supposed to be amazing. Shit.”

Of the many couples I’ve experienced in my life, I feel like we take a lot less umbrage with each other. I took as a cautionary tale some of the relationships in my family, the older generations, that complain about each other. It goes both ways. The husbands would bitch about their wives, and the wives would hilariously bitch about their husbands. Once I got into this marriage—

Megan: Which one?

Nick: This one right here. That occurred to me—this is when I go to my friends and I say, “Christ, guess what the wife did today?” and I immediately recognized that I didn’t want to be like that.

I don’t know about you, but I love these two, and I hope there’s an audio version of this book available. I saw their show a few years ago and their chemistry is off the charts. They seem like they would be so much fun to hang out with. And, if you’re not a fan, just don’t come for Nick on Twitter, because he will shut you down better than Ron Swanson ever could.

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16 Responses to “Nick Offerman didn’t want to be one of those men complaining about their wives”

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  1. Neva_D says:

    These two bring me so much joy!

  2. SM says:

    They are awesome.

  3. Abby says:

    Somehow I had no idea they were married. I think they’re both hilarious though so… might need to check this out!

    I agree that it’s detrimental to sit around and bitch about your spouse. I don’t know what the red flags are for making it work long term. I’ve been married 8 years and I’ve seen many marriages I thought would never make it still trucking along, others surprised me that they didn’t work out. And then some you knew wouldn’t work from the actual wedding! But in my own family, a portion of them did this, and none of them are still married. In my friend circle, I remember going to an engagement party and the bride and her friends all disparaged their partners… the couple getting married only lasted a few years. I know sometimes it’s good to discuss issues, but I feel like that should be with either one or two close friends that will continue to support you, or therapy. Casually berating your spouse in social time is not helpful at all. Just my opinion.

  4. CL says:

    Yes, there is an audio book version, narrated by both of them and I just bought it for a twelve hour drive this weekend (round trip)!

  5. Lucy2 says:

    Looking forward to the book! They really do seem happy and I appreciate how well they speak of each other publicly.

  6. Fanny says:

    I like/liked them, but selling a book about their marriage is off-putting to say the least and I’m on the lookout for them to divorce now. There’s a whole lot of TMI going on here.

    • Esmom says:

      Agreed. They seem like they’d be anti-book about their marriage/personal life. At least they did.

      And I’m guessing his current look is for a role but wow is it bad. Worse than Ron Swanson, almost.

  7. Amelie says:

    I remember after I became a huge Parks & Rec fan and was delighted to to find out Tammy II and Ron were married in real life. All those ridiculous make out scenes they had to shoot hahahah that must have been hilarious and awkward to watch. I was also really happy to find out Nick has real carpentry skills and this little girl giggle which is completely contradictory to his very masculine persona. I will definitely buy their book.

  8. SJhere says:

    Sad to think that 18 years of marriage is now considered goals.
    Think of the hardships earlier couples endured and yet till death do us part was considered typical.
    Times change, etc.

    And btw, is everyone on earth getting a book deal?

    Naturally it comes out in time for Xmas gift sales. 🙂

  9. Ladykeller says:

    They have a really good point about bitching about your spouse. I confess that I do sometimes complain about mr. Keller, but not like the older couples I know who do nothing but bitch about one another. I dont understand why some people are married if all they are going to do is knock each other all day long. Nobody is perfect and the guy who is complaining about his wife is probably an a**hole in the marriage and does endless things to upset his partner. How about discuss your issues at home or in therapy and find something else to talk about with your friends and family because we are sick of listening to your marital issues.

  10. Cupcake says:

    Congrats to them on the happy marriage!

  11. Sassy says:

    Good for them,but I always worry about the celebrity couple that makes their personal lives their brand. Could be recipe for trouble and snarkiness!

  12. Addison says:

    There is an audio version! She put a hashtag on her Instagram picture with her husband pointing at the books!

  13. HH says:

    On Wednesday night, Nick and Megan talked about the book in a discussion moderated by Lena Dunham at the Aratani Theater in Los Angeles.

    Lena Dunham

    Ugh. Way to harsh my buzz about these two.