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Ryan Piers Williams and America Ferrera attend The European Premiere Of "Barbie" at Cineworld Leicester Square on July 12, 2023 in London, England© Getty

Who is America Ferrera's husband? All about the Oscar nominee's private life with kids

The Barbie star shares two kids with husband Ryan Piers Williams

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
March 4, 2024
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America Ferrera has been one to watch this awards season, which for her peaked with an Oscar nomination, her first, for best supporting actress thanks to her stellar performance as Gloria in Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

The veteran TV and film actress, 39, left a mark on fans, colleagues, filmmakers and beyond with her defiant feminist monologue, that quickly became one of the most talked-about scenes in the Greta Gerwig blockbuster.

However, it wasn't the only special moment for her in the movie, which also featured a cameo from her real life husband, actor Ryan Piers Williams. 

WATCH: The Barbie Trailer

Who was America Ferrera's husband in Barbie?

America's husband had a brief cameo in Barbie, with a role he's already more than familiar with: his wife's husband!

He briefly appears in scenes as Gloria's husband where he is trying to learn Spanish through popular language app Duolingo. Gloria was a human employed by Mattel.

america ferrera husband ryan piers williams barbie world premiere© Getty
America was joined by her husband at the Barbie premiere in Los Angeles

Who is America Ferrera's husband?

Outside of Barbie, Ryan, 42, also works as an actor, as well as a director and writer. He was born in El Paso, Texas, and has worked on movies such as Kilimanjaro (2013), 1985 (2018), The Dry Land (2010), and X/Y (2014); America starred in the last two.

Plus, shortly after the 2016 election, the spouses founded Harness, a non-profit with a focus on encouraging political impact from artists, influencers, and organizers.

America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams walk the picket line in support of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike on July 19, 2023 in New York City© Getty
The couple were spotted last year walking the picket line in support of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes

How did America Ferrera meet her husband?

America and her husband met in 2005 when he was casting for his first film after graduate school, a short film titled Muertas, and she was an undergraduate student attending the University of Southern California.

Ryan Piers Williams and America Ferrera attend Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on February 2, 2009 in New York City© Getty
America and Ryan at a Lakers vs Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in 2009

When did America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams get married?

The couple got engaged in June 2010 after five years of dating, and tied the knot the following year in Chappaqua, New York at the home of America's Ugly Betty co-star Vanessa Williams.

They celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary, and 18 years together, earlier this year, and America, sharing a photo of the two at their wedding on Instagram, wrote: "Happy Anniversary to my emergency contact. My person and home for 18 years. Damn we look young here."

View post on Instagram
 

Does America Ferrera have kids?

America and Ryan have two kids together. On New Year's Eve 2017, she announced she was pregnant with their first child together, and they welcomed son Sebastian, five, who they affectionately call Baz, in May 2018.

View post on Instagram
 

Two years later, on New Year's Eve 2019, the mom-of-two announced she and Ryan were expecting their second child together. She announced the arrival of daughter Lucia Marisol with an Instagram post in 2020 where she wrote: "LUCIA MARISOL WILLIAMS arrived on May 4th to give me my Mother's Day hugs and kisses herself," adding: "Mama, Dada & Big Brother are over the moon to welcome her bright light to our family."

Ryan and America keep their kids largely out of the spotlight and their social media pages, and last year, America even revealed her kids still had no idea she had a role in Barbie. She told People: "They don't really have any context for it," adding: "So one day [they might care]. But not now, they're still too young."

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