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Paul Anthony Kelly is predominantly known for his portrayal of John F. Kennedy Jr. 2026’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, making his acting debut in the process. As his fame rises and he lands more project, such as American Horror Story Season 13, Kelly has his wife by his side.
Though the 38-year-old actor and his wife, Syd Widziszewski-Kelly, made their red carpet debut at the Met Opera Opening Night Gala in September 2025, they’ve mostly kept their relationship out of the spotlight — until recently. The pair hit the red carpet for the 2026 Emmys, and Kelly just shared rare details about how he met his “one and only.”
So, who is Syd Widziszewski-Kelly, and what has her actor husband said about their relationship so far? It turns out Kelly has a solid (and, luckily, not tragic) love story of his own off screen.
Who is Paul Anthony Kelly’s wife?
Widziszewski-Kelly is a freelance production coordinator and manager, according to her now-deleted LinkedIn profile. Before her account disappeared from the site, People noted that Widziszewski-Kelly was a crew member on 2021’s C’mon C’mon and 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling. She’s credited on those productions as Sydney Widziszewski.
How did Paul Anthony Kelly meet his wife?
The couple met in Alaska on the site of a photoshoot. Kelly was modeling, and his future wife was on the production team. At the time, they were each getting out of rocky relationships and intended to only focus on themselves for a while.
“Then we met each other on this job, and it was just kind of like, ‘Oh, s**t. Hi, how are you?’” he recalled to People. “Nothing happened then, just great conversation. But there was something. It was something in the way she looked at me and the way I looked at her, and we just kind of felt comfortable very quickly.”
However, Widziszewski-Kelly lived in Los Angeles, while Kelly resided in New York, so they couldn’t jump into anything immediately. “I slid into her DMs on Instagram, which is not my style at all,” he laughed. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about her and I was like, ‘Hey, do you like stuff?’ And then for about three months, three and a half months, we just talked every day. I laid everything out on the line. ‘Here’s all my bullcrap. I want to change. I want to be better.’ And I think that honesty really brought us closer together. And then when we were able to be together in one place, it was just sparks flying like crazy and Oh my god, I’ve never felt this comfortable, I’ve never felt this whole with anybody.”
How long have Paul Anthony Kelly and his wife been together?
It’s unclear when exactly Kelly and his wife first got together, but they married in May 2023. “Happy anniversary my Queen,” Kelly wrote on Instagram earlier this year. “3 years ago you made me feel complete. You have filled my life full of love, support and a happiness that I never knew possible. I am beyond grateful to grow a family with you and look forward to doing this all over again in our next lives. I love you eternally. X.”
Kelly told Glamour that his wife also was present for the majority of Love Story filming. When asked if his wife was ready for the public’s reaction to his star turn, Kelly said, “I don’t know if anyone’s prepared for what might happen. We’ll see. We’re just taking it in stride, and I’m so lucky for this wonderful support system.”
Does Paul Anthony Kelly have kids?
Kelly and his wife share one child. They found out they were pregnant on their second wedding anniversary in May 2025 — the same day that he did a callback for Love Story.
“When we finish filming, my wife and I need to go back home and start nesting,” Kelly told Interview in December that year. “The baby comes in January [2026]. Originally, the baby was estimated to come January 7th, which was Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s birthday.”
Before he landed his Love Story role, Kelly and his wife were living on the Altadena/Pasadena border in California, but they relocated after the 2025 wildfires burned down their town. “We took our cat and dog and drove up to Portland. We went back a few days after, packed everything up, put it in a U-Haul truck, and drove up,” he recalled.