Meet Happy Face's Annaleigh Ashford's famous husband

Annaleigh Ashford is making headlines for her stellar performance in the new series Happy Face, which is based on the true story of the Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson and his daughter. 

The Broadway actress stars opposite Dennis Quad in the hit show as his child, who discovered that her father was a serial killer in her teens. 

While Happy Face showcases the perfect example of a dysfunctional family, Annaleigh's real-life family couldn't be further from this.

She shares two children with her husband, Joe Tapper, who is a Broadway star in his own right and has collaborated with his wife on multiple occasions. 

He is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama MFA program and has acted in You Can't Take It With You and Socrates, amongst other stage projects. 

Join HELLO! as we discover everything there is to know about the proud father of two. 

The road to romance

© Getty Images for Tony Awards Pro

The pair first met in 2006 when Annaleigh's manager, Beth Rosner, introduced them over a shared lunch. However, their romantic beginnings weren't all smooth sailing according to Joe, who explained that he failed to contact her after they connected. 

"I wasn't playing hard to get, I was playing dumb guy," he said on The Drew Barrymore Show. "I was just dumb idiot guy…and I think the truth is that she is the most amazing thing in the world." 

"I, fortunately, had like a lightning-strikes-my-brain moment and I was like 'Oh, I think it's time to grow up and be a human being in this world and get to do that with her.' How lucky am I?"

© Getty Images

"He had one more shot, and that was the third one," Annaleigh quipped. She previously shared that due to her romantic ideas of having a soulmate, she would only accept the best of the best. 

"I loved reading Anne of Green Gables and Little Women and Jane Austen," she told The New York Times. "Those were times when people really did have only one true love in their life. I'm a modern girl with old-fashioned sensibilities."

An unexpected engagement

© Getty Images

The couple recounted their engagement story to Drew Barrymore, revealing the unexpected location that Joe proposed. "Once a year we would rent a car, and we would drive to Jackson in Jersey and do six flags…always around her birthday," he explained.

"And I think this year I was like 'Ok, I'm gonna do it.' I said 'Hey', and she turned around and I pulled out the ring and got on my knee, and she looked at me and said, 'At the six flags?!'"

The lovebirds married at Devil's Thumb Ranch in 2013 surrounded by their friends and family, and their wedding was officiated by actor Happy Anderson. "I always knew I wasn't going to waste my time with someone who wasn't amazing," Annaleigh told The New York Times of her partner. "What's the point?" 

Baby on board

© Instagram

Joe and Annaleigh welcomed their son Jack in 2016, and couldn't have been happier about the new addition. "There are no words to describe our joy when we first met our Jack," they told People. 

Their daughter, Lucy Jean, was born in October 2024, and the duo shared how excited they were. "We are so happy to announce that our newest member of the family has made her entrance and Jack is so happy to be a big brother," they told the publication. "Lucy Jean Tapper. 10/8/24 8 lbs., 4 oz."  

The Tony Award winner revealed that despite being a doting dad, Joe wasn't always the perfect parent. 

© Instagram

"[Jack] accidentally saw a movie that he shouldn't have seen," she said to People. "It was an action movie that my husband mistakenly forgot that there was a love scene in." 

"It wasn't that bad of a scene, but we were definitely like, 'Close your eyes. We're fast-forwarding.' And he said, 'Mom, why were they body kissing?'" 

"That's my husband's bad," she quipped. "He made that parenting misstep."

Joe's battle with addiction

© Getty Images

The talented pair teamed up for the play The White Chip, which Joe starred in and Annaleigh produced. The stage project followed an alcoholic named Steven throughout his journey from addiction to recovery. 

Speaking to Drew Barrymore, Joe explained how meaningful the play was to him personally. "It's a great honor for me because I also am a recovering alcoholic and if I make it, I'll have 12 years [sober] in March," he shared.

"Personally, I lost my father to alcoholism in 2020…I know that before he left us, he wrote me that he was going to get his white chip, which is the first chip on the first [Alcoholics Anonymous] meeting when you decide you're going to stop. That you're going to take that step." 

He added that each night after the show he would be met by audience members who deeply connected with the material and shared their own stories with addiction.