Elsbeth’s Carrie Preston Says Her Meet Cute With Husband Michael Emerson Involved Her Thinking He Was Gay And Not Into Her

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It’s common for actors who work together to start dating, but Carrie Preston and Michael Emerson are one of my favorite couples. They’ve been married since 1998 and have appeared in several shows together, including *Elsbeth* and *Lost*. Carrie Preston recently shared the story of how they met, and it turns out she initially thought Michael Emerson was gay and wasn’t interested in her!

The third season of *Elsbeth* is almost here, and Carrie Preston recently chatted with Jesse Tyler Ferguson on his show, *Dinner’s on Me*. While they discussed the upcoming season, they also talked about last season’s villain and Preston’s husband, Michael Emerson. They shared the story of how they met and fell in love while performing *Hamlet* at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

Carrie Preston noticed Emerson’s sophisticated style right away when rehearsals started, and she shared that she thought to herself:

I landed the role, and on the first day of rehearsals, this man showed up wearing a full three-piece suit. Everyone else was dressed casually, in typical acting clothes, but he was in a suit playing Guildenstern, and I immediately wondered who he was.

As Preston continued, she shared with the *Modern Family* actor that she’d felt an instant connection with Emerson, falling in love with him while they were on stage together. But when she first saw him at rehearsal, dressed in a three-piece suit, she quickly jumped to a conclusion, saying:

When he showed up to rehearsal wearing a three-piece suit, I immediately thought he was gay. It made me realize I have a tendency to develop crushes on gay men – I always find them to be the most stylish and well-mannered.

She admitted she was making a generalization and playfully discussed it with Ferguson, joking that gay men are often incredibly talented and mentioning that many of her close friends are gay. This realization made her think…

I was like, ‘OK, damn it.’ You know? ‘All right, I’ll just be friends with this guy.’

However, a quick conversation with her brother, John Preston, showed that initial idea wasn’t correct. He explained:

I was talking to my brother about a guy named Michael Emerson. My brother was trying to set me up with someone else in a graduate program, but I asked if I could date Michael instead. My brother said Michael seemed nice, so I asked if he was gay. He told me Michael was definitely not gay.

She then shared that she began to feel anxious around the actor from *Lost*. However, things quickly became romantic when he started sending her flowers and they went to a party together. Preston explained that in the regional theater world, going to a cast party with someone often signals the start of a serious relationship, and that’s exactly what happened with them, as she described it.

About a month later, I told my mom she needed to meet the man I was going to marry, even though I wasn’t going to tell him that. I just wanted her to meet him.

Their story is now legendary. They’ve been a couple for 31 years, married for 27, and have appeared together in many of the most popular dramas of the 2000s. It’s a remarkably enduring and successful relationship, regardless of the challenges of the entertainment industry. They’re a true example of a couple with a lasting connection, especially considering their amusingly unconventional first meeting.

You can now watch *Elsbeth* on Paramount+! In Season 2, Emerson played the villain to Preston’s detective, making them a compelling on-screen duo. Watching now will also get you ready for Season 3, premiering Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 9:30 p.m. ET, before moving to its regular Thursday night timeslot.

I’m still smiling about how these two lovely actors met – it was such a cute and charming moment that led to a beautiful relationship.

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2025-10-11 17:01