Inside Joel McHale’s Family Life with Wife and Kids
Joel McHale's 25-year marriage with his wife Sarah Williams McHale has not taken a wrong turn to date. The couple is still going strong with a family of four.
The Community actor, however, is surprised every day by her wife's resilience in being with him and his kids' (sometimes) brutal humor.
Joel McHale's Secret to a Good Marriage Is a Happy Wife
Even though McHale could be joking, he says he is still astounded by his wife and why she is still with him. He expressed this exact sentiment in one interview with Drew Barrymore in March 2021.
In the interview, which took place a few months before his 25th wedding anniversary, McHale revealed he had been with his wife for 27 years. And he apparently didn't know why that's been possible.
"i don't know why Drew, but she has agreed to be with me for all these years," the actor admitted to Barrymore. "She has tolerated so much."
He also talked about how his wife made the age-old joke about their family. "Yes, I have two boys and an infant, and the infant's name is Joel."
McHale said he felt extremely lucky and hoped he got to spend 27 more years with his wife.
After this, Barrymore enquired about his secret to a happy marriage. To this, McHale responded, saying he followed what he thought to be the best advice for a joyous married life.
"Happy wife, happy life," he said. "if she's happy, I'm happy, everyone's happy."
Joel McHale's Family Gives Him a Hard Time
McHale and Sarah seem to have passed on their funny genes to their kids, Eddie and Isaac. And even though he is the only person who has to be funny for a living, his family has more jokes than him.
And their jokes are usually at his expense.
Earlier in the interview with Barrymore, McHale revealed the first time he got a warning about his kids. It was when his firstborn, Isaac, arrived that McHale's father told him he was "in for it."
Joel McHale with his two kids, Eddie and Isaac. (Photo: Sarah Williams McHale/Instagram)
The family is sarcastic all the time. For example, his kids made fun of him for his part on Community, saying his acting wasn't good and gave him a hard time when he entered their room.
Isaac, his 16-year-old-at-the-time, once asked him, "Hey dad, when do you think you'll be relevant again?"
"They are as sarcastic as I am which is terrifying," McHale said in an interview with People in December 2020.
His wife wasn't too far behind in giving him a hard time, either. McHale admitted to Barrymore that his wife laughed at just "about 5 percent" of his jokes, and his life had become a constant struggle to make her laugh.
It's not just one-way traffic for him, though. He, too, deals back some blows, especially to his children.
He would sometimes just turn off the light in their rooms and show them who was still the boss. He, of course, turned them back on soon enough.
McHale and Sarah tied the knot on July 20, 1996, after two years of dating.
Joel McHale with his wife Sarah Williams McHale on their wedding day in 1996. (Photo: Sarah Williams McHale/Instagram)
Their first son, Edward Roy McHale, was born in 2005. He was born with two big holes in his heart and had to undergo two open-heart surgeries.
Their second, Isaac Hayden McHale, arrived on March 12, 2008.
Both his kids have dyslexia. Interestingly, McHale, too, knew he had the disease only when his children were diagnosed with it.
The family now lives in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California.