John Lithgow is imparting the straightforward principle that has sustained the fiery passion in his 43-year union with his wife, Mary Yeager. During a February 11 appearance on "Live with Kelly and Mark" to promote his political thriller "Conclave" and his upcoming role as an Academy Awards presenter, the actor unveiled that Yeager had imposed a regulation "very early on" concerning presents exchanged between them. "She decreed, 'Nothing useful' — a sentiment I regard as the most enchanting gift ever bestowed," shared the 79-year-old Lithgow.
Co-host Kelly Ripa was instantly captivated by this notion, exclaiming, "That ought to be inscribed in marital vows!"
Lithgow, who was announced among the esteemed list of 2025 Oscars presenters on the same day, elaborated that Yeager's first husband had gifted her mundane items like electric can openers. "So, she's had her fill of practical gifts," he joked.
Elsewhere during his engaging conversation with the 54-year-old Ripa and her co-host Mark Consuelos, the seasoned actor from "3rd Rock from the Sun" reminisced about his initial encounter with Yeager, a retired UCLA professor, in 1980. He recounted, "I was unemployed then, rehearsing for a project in Los Angeles, while the shooting location was in Texas. So, I flew there from New York. A mutual friend of ours played matchmaker for us." Lithgow then elaborated on the serendipitous twist he discovered when he went to pick Yeager up for their date: "I'm a Harvard grad, and she hailed from Montana. When I arrived to pick her up, I noticed she lived on the corner of Montana Street and Harvard Avenue." He explained, "I thought, 'This could mean something.' Indeed, about a year later, we tied the knot." The six-time Emmy Award winner had previously shared some details about their first date with The Guardian, revealing that he was not dressed appropriately for the occasion. "She knew about our lunch date beforehand, but nobody told me. I was sweaty and wearing a borrowed tennis outfit," he recalled. "She looked like a painting. It was love at first sight," he said, before adding jokingly, "A professor and an actor aren't supposed to marry. Our lives are too incompatible."
In an exclusive interview with People magazine last year, Lithgow disclosed another rule of their marital thumb: whenever he embarked on international projects, Yeager would accompany him, transforming work trips into mini-vacations. "We devised a brilliant system: she would arrive in those foreign lands to visit me when I had about two weeks of shooting left," he stated in October of the previous year. "By then, I'd have figured things out a bit and wouldn't be utterly terrified. After wrapping up the shoot, we'd vacation somewhere," he continued, adding, "It felt absolutely wonderful." Lithgow and Yeager have two grown children: Nathan, 42, and Phoebe, 43. Additionally, he has a 53-year-old son, Ian, from his previous marriage to Jean Taynton.
