Ed Helms is a well-known name in Hollywood, both on and off camera. He has taken on significant lead roles but has also found success behind the scenes as a producer and writer for several shows. Yet, while he is well known in Hollywood circles, as far as his life outside of the spotlight, very little is known about him. While some celebrities seem to live their private lives on camera, Helms is certainly not that way. He admits to having a wife and child, but he is fairly tight-lipped as far as names, ages, occupations, or any kind of personal info. So we just had to know more. Who gets to come home to this comedy genius every day, and what is her deal? We dug deep to find out. Here is everything we know about Ed Helms’ wife and family.
You probably recognize Ed Helms as the loveable character of “Andy Bernard” in the hit show The Office. He first appeared in season 3 as Jim’s classic annoyingly competitive, trust-funded, Ivy League office colleague during his time in the Stamford office. Yet over the season, the character’s development and fan base grew, and by the time Jim was ready to transfer back to Scranton, the producers knew Andy had to go with him. The rest, as they say, is history.
Who Is Ed Helms?
While almost everyone knows the over-the-top yet loveable The Office character of Andy, few know, however, that the initially small role of Andy was actually Helm’s “big break.” While he had played backstage and in small cameos in Hollywood for a long time, he dreamed of becoming a true on-screen actor. The part of Andy did that for him.
Helms was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and after graduating college(not Cornell) with a degree in film theory and technology, he moved to New York City and joined a comedy troupe. He did a few rounds on the New York stand-up comedy circuit before landing his big role as a “field report” contributor on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was on the show from 2002-2006 and even went on to appear on the show periodically. Yet despite his plum assignment, his desire to be a full-time actor was still present.
When he was contacted for a small role on The Office, he jumped at the chance. What began as an eight-episode role soon turned into a seven-year stint! Helms remained on the show from 2006 until the series finale in 2013.
During his time as Andy on The Office, Helms was also cast to play Stu in the beloved “bro” classic The Hangover. Helms seemed to bring his Midas touch to The Hangover movies as well and they became a massively successful franchise, which in turn opened the door for Helms to star in more big-screen projects. Since then, Helms has starred in several films, including The Lorax, Love The Coopers, Chappaquiddick, Father Figures, Corporate Animals, Tag, Coffee & Kareem, Vacation, Cedar Rapids, and other comedy projects. He currently stars on the Peacock original sitcom, Rutherford Falls, where he also serves as an executive producer.
The Mysterious Family Of Ed Helms
Despite Helm’s extensive on-camera presence, he is a very private person off-camera. While the beloved actor has admitted that he is married and has a daughter, he has yet even to mention them by name! They are not on his social media or named in interviews. They aren’t even on his IMDB or Wikipedia pages!
He does, however, casually mention them in interviews. For example, in one interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he described his wife as very “outdoorsy,” saying she would like to go camping for vacation. On the other hand, Helms admitted that he doesn’t have quite the same commitment to the great outdoors. We are guessing the Helms family vacations are certainly an interesting affair.
Speaking of affairs, during his time on the Kimmel show, Helms revealed a story about when he was rumored to be having an affair with actress Demi Moore. Ironically enough, he explained, the story came out while he was on vacation with his family. He explained that while on vacation, he suddenly got a call from his publicist that a tabloid had published an article claiming that he and Demi Moore were spending time together off-screen. While Helms would not have been the first actor to start a behind-the-scenes romance with a co-star, he vehemently denied the affair. In fact, his family had a hilarious response to the rumors. He joked that when he informed his wife of the situation, she said, “Demi Moore, high five!” Can you believe this tabloid thought you and Demi Moore could be a couple?'” Helms joked how it hurt his pride, but it gave a little insight into his family life, and it sounds like his wife is just as hilarious as he is!
Ed Helms’ daughter
Aside from funny anecdotes about his wife, he makes it a point to avoid revealing too many details about his daughter. When Jimmy Kimmel tried to pry the name out of him during one episode, Helms hilariously responded with, “Her name, weirdly, is Jimmy Kimmel.” The response, of course, prompted much laughter but also was a master deflection. Her name was never revealed.
However, just like he did with his wife, Helms has spoken about his role as a parent and various interactions with his daughter. In fact, during a virtual appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the actor shared a recent road trip with his family that had unintentionally prompted his daughter’s latest addiction to TV.
Helms revealed that they didn’t generally allow his daughter to watch much TV, if any. “We can put an iPad up, and it’s like the greatest thing in the world to her. And actually, it kept her pretty chill for this extremely long drive,” Helms told DeGeneres.” But it was also maybe a miscalculation because when a kid doesn’t get much TV and then gets this massive dose, it’s like heroin,” Helms admitted that it was quite a struggle to get things back to normal finally.” It is a brutal battle trying to readjust a child to no TV.”
In the same interview, he talked about his daughter’s musical talent and interest, which is clearly a family trait. Helms displayed his own musical talents through the character of acapella-loving, guitar-playing Andy. He demoed many a musical number in The Office, and apparently, his daughter shares the same love of music. He even revealed that singing is part of their daily routine. He even narrates the day in songs; whether she’s playing with toys or eating granola bars, he will sing it out. “They are not good songs,” he admits.
Helms obviously loves his acting career and reportedly loves LA, saying, “I’m kind of embarrassed by how quickly I adjusted to LA. I really love it.” Yet he seems to treat Hollywood more like a job than his entire identity. While many celebrities openly share their relationships and divorces, providing intimate details of their lives and love over social media or interviews, Helms is quite the opposite. He has yet even to reveal the names of his wife or child, keeping very tight-lipped about their daily lives and interactions, other than a few small anecdotes and exceptions. He has even said in various interviews that despite his outspoken character, he is actually much more quiet and contemplative in his private life. He claims he is not “naturally boisterous,” which is certainly at odds with his character of Andy, who is happy to burst out into acapella solos in the middle of an office environment.
Helms does seem to relish his role as a husband and father; however, the stories he tells about his family seem fun and affectionate. It is that affection he has for his family that seems to be the driving force in keeping their private lives private. This certainly makes sense, as we have all seen the destructive effects Hollywood’s paparazzi and prying camera eyes can have on celebrities’ families. It seems a wise move on Helms’ part to keep his work in Hollywood about exactly that, his work and his private life, well out of the public eye.
Other than a few interviews here or there, Helms has not really revealed much about his family life. While he clearly cherishes his relationship with his family and is very protective of them, we can’t help but hope for more insights from him. Come on, Ed, just give us something! Yet, after his many years in the industry and in the Hollywood spotlight, he seems very aware of how being in the public eye can bring lots of scrutiny and, let’s be honest, drama. All of which he clearly wishes to save his family from. It may seem odd that Helms chooses to keep his family so far out of the spotlight, but it seems like, in reality, it’s a genius move. Knowledge is power, as they say, and Helms ensures that the paparazzi have no power over his career or family. Looks like those Cornell smarts aren’t just an Andy Bernard quality!