The Real-Life Partners Of The NCIS Universe's Leading Ladies

There's no shortage of gripping drama procedurals on the small screen, and "NCIS" stands out as one of the most popular series. The first of the franchise debuted in 2003, and since then, six spin-offs have launched as of this writing, making "NCIS" a global sensation. The shows center around government officials fighting to maintain national security, but any good drama wouldn't be complete without some romance woven in. Fans of the OG show may remember Abby Sciuto and Tim McGee's brief fling in Season 1 that never went anywhere. And then, there's Kensi Blye and Marty Deeks from the Los Angeles spin-off, who had a slow burn but finally got married and had a kid together.

Behind the scenes, many of the "NCIS" universe's leading ladies have also settled down and started families — some with famous faces you may already know. Vanessa Lachey of "NCIS: Hawai'i" is married to a big name you've definitely heard of, 98 Degrees boy band member Nick Lachey. While we love watching the "NCIS" gals' relationship drama unfold on-camera, it's also interesting to see who they've partnered up with outside of their respective shows. So, here's everything to know about their real-life partners.

Daniela Ruah's character, Kensi Blye, may be married to Detective Marty Deeks, played by Eric Christian Olsen, but in real life, the two actors are actually in-laws. Ruah and her husband, David Paul Olsen, met through Eric, who seemed to know the two would hit it off. "Eric kept inviting me to friends' houses that he knew Dave would be at. Then he stepped back and let whatever develop between us, and the rest is history," Ruah shared with 18Doors. Eric's instincts were obviously right, as Ruah and David started dating in 2010 and got married four years later in Portugal, surrounded by family.

David acted as Eric's stunt double on "NCIS: Los Angeles," but behind the scenes, he owns Garrison Door, which he founded after his and Ruah's home was broken into. Using his knowledge as a Navy SEAL veteran, he crafts doors for residential and commercial buildings that are bullet-resistant and extremely difficult to breach. While David is fairly quiet on social media and keeps a low profile, Ruah often posts pictures of him and their two kids, River and Sierra. On June 17, she gushed over her husband in a sweet Instagram post, writing, "Happy belated Father's Day to the best daddy we could ask for ... You love our cubs fiercely and I'm so lucky I get to raise them with you."

Emily Wickersham joined the cast of "NCIS" in 2013 as Special Agent Eleanor Bishop, who had a will-they-won't-they relationship with her partner, Nick Torres, played by Wilmer Valderrama. Much to the disappointment of fans, their characters drew the line between their personal and professional life and never made it out of the friend zone prior to Wickersham's departure in 2021. Life didn't slow down for the actor, however, as she welcomed her first son, Cassius, in December of that year with "World War Z" star James Badge Dale.

While it's unclear when the two started dating, Wickersham and her partner got married on September 27, 2024, in a celeb wedding that wasn't a total spectacle. In an Instagram carousel shared by the former "NCIS" star, she and Dale are seen wearing plain white t-shirts and jeans, with Wickersham's baby bump on display. Their son Zephyr arrived the following month, which Dale celebrated with an Instagram pic of him holding his newborn. "Wild few weeks..." he quipped. Since leaving "NCIS," Wickersham has been focusing on her family, but Dale is still in front of cameras, with his latest role to date being Sid Frost in "Violent Ends." In an interview with Big Gold Belt Media, Dale said of playing a gritty criminal, "I like playing bad guys sometimes, man." As for Wickersham, he revealed that she turned to him during the Los Angeles premiere to say, "Badge, what are you doing ... like you and the haircut. I can't do this." Thank goodness the awful 'do was just for the movie.

It's rare that a couple lasts for over two decades in Hollywood, but Vanessa and Nick Lachey are well on their way and have a celebrity marriage we think will stand the test of time. On July 15, the "NCIS: Hawai'i" star shared on Instagram, "19 years together, 14 years married (today) I'm FOREVER Yours Faithfully! Happy Anniversary, My Love!" The two met during the early Y2K days of MTV's "Total Request Live," where Vanessa was a host and Nick was frequently on with his band, 98 Degrees. However, sparks didn't fly until years later, when Vanessa starred in her now-husband's music video for "What's Left of Me."

Now, Vanessa and Nick share three kids and co-host the reality dating show, "Love Is Blind." Despite seeing some successful couples make it out of the pods, Nick is glad he and Vanessa met the traditional way. "Thank God, thank God we found each other before dating apps, because I wouldn't have a chance," he told People. Nick added, "I really, really do think we would have ended up together, because in large part, that's how our relationship started — with a lot of very, very long telephone conversations back in 2006." The "I Do" singer credits him and Vanessa being Scorpios for their long marriage. "The will to win is strong. And like looking at marriage as being a failure, it's like, we're just not going to out like that," he stated on "What's the Reality?"

CCH Pounder has starred in many television shows and movies, but one of her most notable roles was as the medical examiner, Dr. Loretta Wade, in "NCIS: New Orleans." Pounder graced the small screen for all of the series' seven seasons, and sadly, two years after the show launched, she lost her longtime husband, Boubacar Kone. According to his obituary, the late art expert founded the Musee Boribana with Pounder in his native country of Senegal. Together, they also opened the Pounder-Kone Art Space in Los Angeles, California.

In 2024, Pounder revealed in a video for AARP that her husband had fallen ill while traveling. "My husband was the real Indiana Jones. He was an adventurer, he was an anthropologist. Every time he came home, he came home with some kind of disease," she shared. Pounder continued, "He's always gotten over whatever was thrown at him ... and this time that he came home, I thought, 'Ah, this doesn't look good. And it wasn't." The "Sons of Anarchy" star opened up about being Kone's caretaker as he was sick, admitting, "It became challenging." Still, Pounder's love for her husband is evident, as she frequently shares pictures of him on Instagram to this day. In August 2024, she posted throwback photos of his very colorful life and wrote, "Boubacar! The book was never written. Thought of you today and wondered who will write it!" His biography would be a very interesting read, indeed.