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Couples who celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2026 now have marriages older than Gen Z
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PEOPLE looks back at five celebrity couples who reached the marriage milestone: Ree Drummond and Ladd Drummond, Mel Robbins and Chris Robbins, Joel McHale and Sarah Williams McHale, Candace Cameron Bure and Valeri Bure, and Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Some of Hollywood’s long-running marriages are marking a major milestone.
Several A-list couples who celebrated 30 years of marriage this year are now older than Generation Z has been alive. Gen Z is generally considered to include those born from 1997 to 2012, meaning they will turn 14 to 29 years old during 2026.
See below for five celebrity couples who tied the knot in 1996 and celebrated three decades of marriage in 2026.
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Ree Drummond and Ladd Drummond
Ladd Drummond and Ree Drummond
Credit: Ree Drummond/Instagram
Ree Drummond and Ladd Drummond are the most recent celebrity couple to have celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.
The pair, both 57, reached the milestone on Monday, Sept. 21. The Pioneer Woman star posted a heartfelt tribute and nostalgic photos of her and Ladd in honor of the anniversary.
“On this twenty-first night of September, I’m starting (first pic) and ending (last four pics) with what the past thirty years are really all about 😊,” she wrote on Instagram. “Sure, there’ve been some marvelous marital memories and I still want to date him all over again when I watch him ride his horse, my gosh. It’s the Wranglers and the chaps and the focus and the skill, it all just sends me.”
“But all that aside…yeah. It’s these kids and babies. (Especially the babies—sorry, kids!!! 😂),” she continued. “Happy anniversary, Ladd. I love you! ❤️.”
Ree and Lee said “I do” in 1996 and went on to welcome five children: daughters Alex, 29, and Paige, 27, as well as sons Bryce, 24, Jamar, 23, and Todd, 22. The pair have two grandchildren from their elder daughter.
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Mel Robbins and Chris Robbins
Mel Robbins and Chris Robbins
Credit: Chris Robbins/Instagram
Mel Robbins and Chris Robbins marked 30 years of marriage on Monday, Aug. 24.
The couple first met at a party in 1994 and they tied the knot in Michigan two years later. They share three children: daughters Sawyer and Kendall, and son Oakley.
Mel, 57, commemorated their 30th wedding anniversary on Instagram with a heartfelt slideshow post featuring photos of them from throughout their decades-long romance, simply captioned “August 24, 1996. ❤️.”
“30 years ago today… we got married!!!” onscreen text over the first photo of the couple smiling together in the post reads.
Subsequent images were a mix of photos over the course of the pair’s long-lasting relationship. One throwback photo was captioned “O.M.G. We were so YOUNG” while a photo of Mel with her family on her wedding day read, “I remember walking up my childhood driveway with my brother and parents I could not wait to be your wife ❤️.” Another photo of the couple during their 1996 nuptials was captioned, “I remember walking down the aisle surrounded by our families, friends, bubbles, so much love and the THRILL of committing to do life together.”
Mel added alongside two recent couple photos, “It’s stunning how fast 30 years flies by… I don’t even know how to describe it. Even after it all: the highs and lows, the heartbreak and joys, the love and the pain. YOU. ARE. MY. FAVORITE. PERSON.”
In January, Mel revealed the special way she and Chris planned to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.
“What we’re doing is we’ve made a list of all of our favorite friends from all over the place,” The Let Them Theory author told PEOPLE. “And we’ve made plans over weekends to see groups of people that we really love. That’s how we’re doing it — by just spending time with people that we love, and trying to be in the moment.”
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Joel McHale and Sarah Williams McHale
Sarah Williams McHale and Joel McHale in March 2023
Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty for Hammer Museum
Joel McHale and Sarah Williams McHale‘s marriage marked 30 years on Monday, July 20.
The actor and comedian, 54, and his wife started dating in 1993 and exchanged vows three years later. They went on to welcome two sons: Eddie, 21, and Isaac, 18.
The pair commemorated their 30th wedding anniversary on Instagram with heartfelt messages and throwback photos.
“And just like that…. 30 YEARS ago today THEEE Sarah Williams made the brash decision to accept my offer of marriage. Thank you baby for agreeing. I love you and I love you and I love you,” Joel wrote alongside a recent selfie of them in Shibuya, Japan, and a throwback black-and-white photo from their wedding day.
Sarah also shared two photos, a selfie of them at Sylvan Grove Theater and Columns in Seattle, and a black-and-white wedding portrait.
“30 years married @joelmchale!” she wrote. “Taking it back to #sylvangroveuw where my brother insisted you talk to me. What a ride it’s been! Can’t wait for the next 30! Love you, love you, love you. Not sure what’s happening in that wedding photo…👀stare downward at the flowers and look somber? 🩵😍.”
The Community alum commented, “I love you baby cakes.”
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Candace Cameron Bure and Valeri Bure
Valeri Bure and Candace Cameron Bure in November 2025
Credit: Paul Morigi/Getty
Candace Cameron Bure and Valeri Bure celebrated 30 years of marriage on Monday, June 22.
The Full House and Fuller House star, 50, met the former professional hockey player, 52, at one of his hockey games in 1994, and they wed two years later. Since then, they’ve welcomed three children: daughter Natasha, 28; son Lev, 26; and son Maksim, 24. The couple will soon become first-time grandparents, as Natasha and Lev are both expecting their first children with their respective spouses.
Candace marked her milestone 30th wedding anniversary with a tribute to her husband on Instagram.
The couple’s 1996 wedding was featured in the pop culture magazine Teen Beat, which was geared toward teenagers and ran from 1967 to 2007. Candace shared a throwback wedding portrait of herself and Valeri from the magazine alongside other photos of them over the years together, and playfully wrote in the caption, “Teen Beat may be no more but this love beats forever!!! ❤️❤️❤️.”
“Today we celebrate 30 YEARS of choosing each other every single day,” she continued. “Through every season, every adventure, every challenge, and every blessing, I’m so grateful we get to do life side by side. And with three of the coolest kids and TWO grandbabies on the way?? My heart is fuller than I ever could’ve imagined. 🥹💫.”
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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos in March 2026
Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos celebrated three decades of marriage on Friday, May 1.
The Live with Kelly and Mark hosts eloped in Las Vegas after one year of dating. The next year in 1997, they welcomed their first child, son Michael, 29. Their family grew in the years that followed with the birth of their daughter Lola, 25, and second son Joaquin, 23.
The All My Children alums, both 55, spoke about their milestone wedding anniversary on Live with Kelly and Mark at the time.
“30 years! We did it,” Consuelos said, high-fiving Ripa before pulling her into a hug. “30 years, holy smokes.”
Ripa said that marrying Mark was the “best thing [she’s] ever done in [her] life.” Mark added that their connection felt inevitable from the start, sharing, “I feel like it wasn’t even a decision. It was like, it was a thing that was destined to happen.”
The couple also marked their anniversary in a joint post on Instagram. Ripa captioned a video compilation of moments throughout their relationship, “360 months. 1,565 weeks. 10,957 days. 15,778,080 minutes and I’ll be loving you always. Cheers to 30 years! ❤️ @instasuelos.”
Read the original article on People
