In Hollywood, long-term marriages are kinda like spotting a snowy owl in the middle of Times Square. They exist, sure, but they’re rare enough to make you stop and stare. When you look at Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman, you aren’t looking at a couple that thrives on red carpet drama or Instagram spats. You’re looking at a partnership that has survived nearly two decades by doing something radical: staying out of the way.
Most people know the basics. They met, they married, they had kids. But the "how" and the "why" are much more interesting than the "when."
The "Terrible Timing" That Changed Everything
Honestly, the start of their relationship was a bit of a mess. It was 2008. Anne was coming off a massive, highly publicized heartbreak—her ex-boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri, had just been arrested for fraud. Her trust was basically zero. She was planning on being single, doing the whole "finding myself" thing, and staying far away from romance.
Then she went to the Palm Springs Film Festival.
She met Adam through mutual friends and, as she later told Harper’s Bazaar UK, she knew the second she saw him that he was the love of her life. Imagine that. You’ve just had your world upended by a federal investigation involving an ex, and you look at a guy and think, "Yep, I'm marrying that one."
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It wasn't an instant date, though. They both thought the other was seeing someone else. They were just polite, distant, and secretly smitten until the air finally cleared.
Why Adam Shulman Isn't Just "The Husband"
Adam is often labeled as just the guy on Anne’s arm, but he’s actually a pretty successful creative in his own right. He’s a native New Yorker, a theater major from Brown, and a jewelry designer. He co-founded James Banks Design with Heidi Nahser Fink. He actually designed Anne's engagement ring—a six-carat diamond—with the help of Kwiat.
He also produces. They worked together on the 2014 film Song One. Working with a spouse can be a disaster for some, but Anne has been vocal about how much she likes his creative input. He isn't competing with her stardom; he's augmenting it.
There's also that weird internet conspiracy you’ve probably seen. You know, the one where people claim Adam looks exactly like William Shakespeare and that Anne looks like Shakespeare’s wife (who was also named Anne Hathaway). It’s one of those "glitch in the matrix" things that the couple actually knows about. It’s a fun piece of trivia, but the reality is more grounded: they’re just two people who really like each other's company.
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Parenting Jonathan and Jack
The couple has two sons: Jonathan Rosebanks Shulman, born in 2016, and Jack Shulman, who arrived in 2019.
Anne has been open about the fact that getting pregnant wasn't a "straight line" for them. She’s used her platform to talk about infertility and the "hell" of trying to conceive, which really resonated with fans who only see the polished version of celebrity life.
How They Parent in NYC:
- Keep it Private: You won’t see their kids’ faces on social media. They are protective, bordering on fierce.
- The "Mornings" Rule: Anne has praised Adam for being an early riser and a great cook. While she’s working on sets for movies like Flowervale Street, he’s often the one holding down the fort.
- Normalcy: They play Uno. They bake. They try to teach the boys how to dribble a basketball in an apartment without the neighbors banging on the ceiling. It’s remarkably mundane.
What Most People Get Wrong About Their "Secret"
People think they stay together because they’re "perfect." They aren't. They stay together because of a specific philosophy they share. Anne told Drew Barrymore in a 2023 interview about their matching tattoos. The design represents the idea that individually they are whole, but together they are more.
It sounds like a small distinction, but it’s huge.
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It means she doesn't expect him to "complete" her. He doesn't expect her to be his everything. They are two independent people who choose to participate in a union. That’s the secret. No co-dependency. Just choice.
The E-E-A-T Perspective: Is Their Marriage a Blueprint?
According to relationship experts and psychologists like Dr. Stan Tatkin, couples who maintain a "secure functioning" relationship—where they protect each other in private and support each other's public identities—tend to last the longest. Shulman and Hathaway do this perfectly. He is her "safe harbor" after the Follieri storm.
Even in 2025 and 2026, as they make rare appearances like at the Golden Heart Awards, the body language is always the same: they’re usually whispering to each other, laughing, and ignoring the cameras.
Actionable Insights for Longevity
You don't need to be an Oscar winner to take a page out of their book. If you're looking to build something that lasts, consider these takeaways from the Shulman-Hathaway playbook:
- Prioritize the "Us" over the "Me" in public: They never badmouth each other. Ever.
- Trust your gut, even when it’s scary: Anne’s decision to trust Adam right after a betrayal was a "ridiculous joyride," but it paid off.
- Find a "third thing": For them, it’s jewelry design or producing. Find a project that isn't just about the kids or the chores.
- Keep the sacred, sacred: Not everything needs to be a TikTok. Keeping their children's lives private has created a boundary that prevents the "celebrity" world from infecting their "family" world.
They’ve been married since September 29, 2012. That’s a lifetime in Hollywood years. As Anne said herself, she "landed" when she became a mom and a wife. She found her ground. And in a world that’s constantly shifting, having a partner who acts as your gravity is probably the best career move she ever made.
To see their philosophy in action, look at the jewelry designs from James Banks Design, which often feature "light bulb" motifs—a metaphor for holding onto moments you want to carry with you. It’s a fitting symbol for a couple that seems to cherish the quiet moments just as much as the big ones.