Honestly, if you ask the average The Office fan who Pam Beesly was married to in real life, they’ll probably point you toward Lee Kirk. And they’d be right—mostly. But there is this weird, almost forgotten era of Hollywood history where the queen of Dunder Mifflin and the architect of the new DC Universe, James Gunn, were actually a thing. Like, a "married for seven years" kind of thing.
It feels like a glitch in the simulation, doesn't it? You’ve got the guy who made a career out of foul-mouthed space outlaws and exploding heads, and the woman who became the global symbol for sweet, suburban receptionist charm. But before the MCU and before the Scranton branch, they were just two struggling creatives from St. Louis trying to figure out how to pay rent in Los Angeles.
The St. Louis Connection You Probably Didn't Know
The story doesn't start on a red carpet. It starts with Sean Gunn—you know him as Kirk from Gilmore Girls or Kraglin in Guardians. Sean and Jenna were childhood friends back in Missouri. They did acting workshops together when they were basically kids. When Jenna moved to LA, it was Sean who introduced her to his big brother, James.
They hit it off. Fast. By October 7, 2000, they were married.
At that point, neither of them was "famous." James was a guy who’d written for Troma Entertainment (the kings of low-budget gore) and was just starting to get "real" work writing the Scooby-Doo live-action movie. Jenna was doing guest spots on sitcoms like Spin City. They were a "struggling together" couple, which is probably why their creative collaboration from that era is so weirdly fascinating.
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That Time They Made a Movie About Lollipops
If you want to see what their marriage looked like through a funhouse mirror, you have to find a copy of LolliLove. This was 2004. Jenna wrote and directed it; James co-wrote and starred. They play a wealthy, self-absorbed couple (named James and Jenna, just to make it weirder) who decide the best way to help the homeless is by giving them lollipops with "inspiring" messages.
It’s a mockumentary that feels very much like a precursor to the dry humor Jenna would eventually master on The Office. They filmed it in their own home. They used their own friends. It’s low-budget, raw, and honestly, James Gunn’s only leading man role to date.
Why the James Gunn and Jenna Fischer Marriage Ended
People love to look for drama. They want the "explosive" reason why a Hollywood power couple (or a pre-power couple) falls apart. But with James and Jenna, it was actually... boring? In the best way possible.
They announced their separation in September 2007. This was right as The Office was peaking in popularity. Pam and Jim were finally together on screen, and meanwhile, the real-life "Pam" was navigating a divorce. They put out a statement on MySpace—which tells you exactly how long ago this was—saying they’d been each other’s cheerleaders for six years and would stay friends.
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Usually, when celebs say "we’re staying friends," it’s PR fluff. But these two actually meant it.
The "Successful Divorce" Philosophy
Jenna once talked about this on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast. She said James sat her down and asked, "How can we have the most successful divorce?" They didn't want to call the marriage a failure just because it ended. They wanted to transition into a different kind of relationship.
And they did. Check this out:
- The Casting of Super: In 2010, two years after their divorce was final, Jenna was the one who told James he had to cast her co-star Rainn Wilson in his movie Super.
- The Birthday Gift: James actually gave Jenna her role in the horror-comedy Slither as a birthday present.
- Social Media Love: To this day, you’ll see them boosting each other's work. When Jenna started her Office Ladies podcast, James was one of the first people shouting it out.
Where They Are Now (and Why it Matters)
James Gunn is currently the Co-CEO of DC Studios. He’s married to Jennifer Holland, who plays Harcourt in the DC projects. Jenna is happily married to Lee Kirk (yes, the "lactation consultant" from that one Office episode) and they have two kids.
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It’s a rare Hollywood story where nobody "lost."
There was a bit of a stir when Jenna released her book, The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide, because she didn't mention James by name very much. Some fans thought it was shade. But if you look at how they interact, it seems more like Jenna wanted the book to be about her own professional journey rather than her marriage to a famous director. It's about boundaries, not bitterness.
How This Affects the "DC Universe" Today
Here is a fun fact: The "Gunn-verse" is built on loyalty. James notoriously hires the same people over and over—Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker, his brother Sean. Because he and Jenna stayed so close, that circle of friends remained intact. It’s why you see so much crossover between the people Jenna knows and the people James hires. Their "successful divorce" basically ensured that their creative community didn't have to pick sides.
Next steps for you: If you're a fan of their early collaborations, I highly recommend tracking down a physical copy of LolliLove. It’s hard to find on streaming, but it’s a time capsule of their relationship and a masterclass in early-2000s indie cringe-comedy. You might also want to check out the Office Ladies podcast episode where Jenna discusses her early days in LA—she subtly covers the timeline of her move and her first big breaks during that marriage.