Before they got married, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons dated for years and welcomed two sons. The couple knew they were the ones for each other whether or not there was a ring on it—though Dunst did wear an engagement ring for years before the ceremony.
The two actors first met while working on the FX series Fargo in 2015 and started dating a year later. They still work together at times, most recently in the 2021 film The Power of the Dog, for which they both received their first Oscar nominations.
Here’s their complete relationship timeline from meeting to marriage.
October 2015
When the two met on set, Dunst was still dating Garrett Hedlund. However, she and Plemons had immediate creative chemistry.
In 2021, she told the LA Times, “We fell in love creatively first. He was like a creative soul mate to me and the way we both work. On Fargo, I knew after two weeks. I didn’t remember saying this, but one of my best friends told me that I said to her that ‘I will know this man for the rest of my life. I just know it.’ Just because I felt such an immediate connection.”
In a profile of Plemons by the New York Times in 2020, they wrote of the couple’s early time together, “They often stayed up late running lines with each other, a level of dedication that had been drummed into them from a lifetime spent in the entertainment industry.”
During PaleyFest New York, Plemons praised his co-star and said of working with her, “It was a gift… I loved Kirsten’s work for a long time, and I was really excited once I’d met her, and she’s a great person, and we’re both actors that just have fun with the material.”
January 2016
With the rest of the Fargo cast, Dunst and Plemons attended the 21st Annual Critics’ Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California.
March 2016
The couple got together around this time, according to Dunst when speaking to the New York Times.
“It was one of those connections where you just know,” she said. “But we’re also very respectful people and were mindful of the fact that we were working together intensely. After we were done with the show, we’d FaceTime now and then, and I just missed him. I missed being around him. And he did, too. We didn’t get together until the following March, when we’d had the time to realize how much we missed each other and how much we wanted to be in each others’ lives.”
May 2016
The couple was spotted kissing behind a fence in Los Angeles about a month after Dunst’s split with Hedlund was confirmed.
September 2016
They did not confirm their relationship, but Dunst shouted out Plemons’ new film at the time, Other People, on Instagram, writing, “I LOVED this movie #otherpeople opens Sept 9th.”
Later that month, they arrived separately at the Emmys, each nominated for Fargo. A source told E! News at the time that they got a bit handsy, adding Dunst “leaned into Jesse and very passionately kissed him on the lips after she caressed his cheek very affectionately.”
They seemed “to be very much a couple” and remained “stuck to each other’s sides all night.”
January 2017
Dunst was spotted in January wearing a piece of jewelry that sure looked like an engagement ring, with Page Six confirming they became engaged over Golden Globes weekend. They were each seen separately at Paris Fashion Week soon after, with Dunst wearing the ring to the Ralph & Russo show. Then, Dunst was seen at the 28th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards Gala with her ring again.
February 2017
Their first official appearance as a couple was at the 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
On the red carpet at the 2017 Oscars that month, E! asked Dunst about a possible wedding and she replied, “We have a time frame, but that’s private!”
May 2017
Dunst’s movie The Beguiled premiered at the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival and Plemons was by her side.
A few days later, they headed to Florence, Italy, for the Gucci Cruise 2018 fashion show.
That month, Dunst was interviewed by Jimmy Fallon, and when asked about her relationship, she replied, “You’re making me nervous!”
“I’ve got to keep things private a little bit. We got together a year afterwards. We became really good friends first,” she continued. “You’re like, ‘Oh, I really love this person. I love hanging out with him.’”
June 2017
Talking to Marie Claire UK for their July cover story, Dunst said she was ready to “have babies and chill.”
“I wasn’t one of those ‘I need a baby!’ people until my goddaughter was born,” she admitted. “I love her so much. That love is just like… you can’t experience that unless you have a kid. I put her to bed last night, and she woke up this morning and said to her mom, ‘Where’s Kiki?’ I just love that love. That’s what I want.”
November 2017
There were pregnancy rumors when Dunst’s low-key baby bump was revealed at the 2017 Guggenheim International Gala.
January 2018
In January, they went official with a pregnancy announcement in a photoshoot with Rodarte.
She later told Net-a-Porter, “I thought I would have a hard time getting pregnant, but it was a surprise. If I hadn’t met Jesse, I would have frozen my eggs. (But) it feels like I lucked out.”
May 2018
On May 3, 2018, the couple welcomed their first son, Ennis Howard Plemons.
September 2018
Dunst and Plemons attended the 70th Emmy Awards together, and Dunst posted a rare image of both her and her fiancé, wandering around in the background of the telecast.
“couldn’t find our seats,” she joked in the caption.
August 2019
Dunst was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Plemons said at the ceremony, “Aside from the brilliant actor you are, I have also had the even greater pleasure of getting to know you as a person outside of work—KiKi or Keeks. Seeing the kind of mother and wife, daughter, sister, friend and cohort you are is why I and all of your friends and everyone else are here today and why we all love you.”
Though he called her “wife,” they were not yet married.
October 2019
In an interview with Net-a-Porter, Dunst joked about their delay in planning a ceremony.
“We’re about as married as you can get,” she said. “We have a kid together. My mom was like, ‘But when are you guys getting married?’ And I said, ‘Mom, I’m not going to get married when I’m pregnant. I want to have fun and have a drink. I mean, we’re paying for this wedding. I’m paying for the bar! I want to enjoy it.’ (My mom is) kind of old-school in that way.”
January 2020
The couple started filming their Academy Award-nominated movie The Power of the Dog in 2020, which was shut down by the COVID-19 outbreak. The couple ended up living in new Zealand to finish the movie after quarantining.
Of their time in the country, Dunst said, “We wanted to get out of the city, out of Auckland, so we rented a house for our son to have some grass to run around on. There’s horses around here. And we have two old cats living with us, one of whom, Sid, brings us a mouse every night. Last night, Jesse and I were sitting outside, and he brings a full rabbit.”
Dunst told The Hollywood Reporter, “Thank God I had Jesse on set, to be honest. I thought about that, like, at least we had lunch together in the trailer, and there was a reprieve and we’d ride home together. I could say whatever. I had him.”
March 2021
They announced their second pregnancy with another Rodarte shoot.
“Getting pregnant during lockdown was good for me mentally because I had to take care of myself, and I had something to look forward to. But, it was also scary and really isolating. Your kids are affected by it too. It hurts you as a parent to see your kid in a mask going to school. But also, he had both of us every day and we got to hang out together. It’s so wild what we all went through in different ways and what we’re still going through,” she told Vogue.
May 2021
In May, they welcomed their second son, James Robert.
August 2021
Dunst shared a rare glimpse into their early friendship with a clip from filming Fargo.
November 2021
Press began in November 2021 for their movie directed by Jane Campion. The Power of the Dog. also stars Benedict Cumberbatch.
“Jesse and I were lucky we were doing a movie together,” Dunst said. “We had each other through this whole thing, to laugh with, to bitch with.”
She also told the Hollywood Reporter that she hoped to work with him again.
“We actually talked to (producer) Tanya Seghatchian about what Jesse and I should do next,” she said. “We have some ideas, and Jesse and I definitely want to do another project. He’s my favorite actor to work with.”
Plemons agreed, saying to People, “I don’t wanna do another project without (Kirsten). It’s just the best. We fell in love creatively first on Fargo, just immediately trusted each other. I’m constantly amazed by what she brings. She just operates from such a deep place in her soul.”
While doing press, she appeared again on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and talked a bit about her seven-month-old son, James.
“We call him Big Kahuna,” she said. “He’s like 22 pounds for a 7 month old?! My wrist is killing me! All he wants to do is bounce, walk, be like his brother and walk around. He just wants to walk and run, he doesn’t even know what crawling is.”
She also said the wedding hadn’t yet happened, adding, “I just kept getting pregnant and I kind of want to enjoy my wedding. I just want to be able to drink and have fun.”
February 2022
Plemons and Dunst found out they’re each nominated in categories for The Power of the Dog, in Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
“So Eric Kranzler, my manager, calls me,” Dunst told Variety about the moment they were told. “I’m watching the feed on my phone because my kids are watching cartoons and Jesse is at work. He had to go to work super early today. (Eric) called me, and he said I was nominated, so I’m crying with my kids. They’re like, ‘Why the hell is mom crying?’ (Eric) calls me back, and meanwhile I’m in the throes, talking to my mom or whatever. He was like, ‘Jesse just …’ And I started screaming and I hung up the phone. Then Megan, one of my publicists, called me because she’s trying to tell me and I just screamed at her. Then I called Jesse, and I was the first person to tell him, and he was a little shell shocked. I mean, it’s just so crazy to be a couple and have our first nominations together. It’s like a storybook. You know what I mean? It’s so weird. It’s amazing.”
That same month, Dunst said her life at home as a mom might be her hardest gig.
“Being at home with your children is, to me, the hardest job in the world. Jesse says I’m a great mother, so that’s all I care about,” she said. “But it’s so exhausting. It feels like Groundhog Day: You’re in a robe all day, and you never have time to do anything for yourself.”
March 2022
Director Jane Campion mentioned the couple during her acceptance speech at the Oscars, saying, “Kirsten Dunst, you’re a doll. Jesse Plemons is the cat that’s still licking his lips for being with you.”
July 2022
The big wedding finally happened on July 8, 2022, at the GoldenEye resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. A rep confirmed the marriage to Page Six, saying, “I can just confirmed they got married. No other details will be given.”
January 2023
The couple attended Paris Fashion Week as a married couple for the first time.
April 2023
Dunst joined Plemons for the premiere of his new HBO Max show, Love & Death.
“As soon as there’s a script or a potential project that we’re deciding whether or not to do, we’re usually just pestering the other one to read the script so they can give their input,” Plemons said of picking the show and discussing it with his wife. “I respect her opinion so much, and so I’m always curious to know what she thinks. She’s very, very smart and just has such great instincts and taste. I would say almost everything, we’re talking it out with each other.”
May 2023
The couple went to Cannes, where Plemons’ film Killers of the Flower Moon premiered to wide acclaim.
They enjoyed the sights in Cannes afterwards.
September 2023
Dunst shared a little look into her family life with Plemons, along with his photography skills, when she posted a photo of their 2-year-old son James with a Spider-Man umbrella. “Has no clue his mom was MJ,” she captioned it, referring to her role in the Spider-Man films series.
January 2024
The couple attended the 75th Emmy Awards together on January 15, in Los Angeles.
A source told Us Weekly the following week that sharing the screen together is a big part of their romance.
“Acting is a natural extension of their relationship,” said the insider, adding they might be considering another project together.
They continued, “They get to take themselves out of their comfort zones and collaborate as a team, which is a lot of fun for them.”
March 2024
Dunst spoke to Marie Claire about her relationship with Plemons and working with him on Civil War. “Because we fell in love on a set, we fell in love creatively first,” she said. “I think we’ll always come back to that, in a very not-involving-our-real-life way. And also, listen, we don’t talk to each other on set. I left him alone, he left me alone.”
“I love working with him,” Dunst added later. “What’s nice is that we trust each other so much. He sent me a scene last night of this miniseries he’s working on to get my opinion. If I’m having a hard time deciding on something, I’ll have him read it. I trust his opinion more than anyone, and he cares about me more than anyone.”
They also “hate the same things,” she said with a laugh.
On March 10, the couple walked the red carpet for the 96th annual Academy Awards. Dunst wore a white Gucci dress with spaghetti straps and a floor-length skirt. Plemons was in a classic black tux.
April 2024
On April 2, Dunst and Plemons hit the red carpet together at the L.A. premiere of their upcoming movie, Civil War. They posed for photos, with Dunst in a black dress with a silk skirt and ruffle-lined bodice, and Plemons wearing a light-gray tweed suit.
June 2024
On Thursday, June 20, Dunst and Plemons attended the New York City premiere of his movie Kinds of Kindness, which also stars Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe. They posed for photos together on the red carpet, Dunst wearing a gold Erdem dress with a sequin rose embroidered on the side. Plemons, meanwhile, was dressed in a black Cerruti suit.
October 2024
The couple had a very special date night at the Academy Museum Gala on October 19:
November 2024
Dunst spoke about how she and Plemons navigated their relationship while working together on Civil War. Plemons was on set for two days, playing a militia member “who casually murders anyone he doesn’t consider truly American,” The Wrap wrote.
She told the outlet, “We didn’t talk to each other until we were done those days. I gave him his space, he gave me mine, and I think it was so disturbing for him to play that role. But it was for all the actors—I remember Wagner (Moura) just crying on the grass after we were done.”
After work, “I’d go home, and my son would come into bed to be next to me while I’d read my lines and go over my scenes for the next day,” she recalled. “He liked eating barbecue potato chips and watching his show while I did that. So I tried not to stay in that headspace at home, even though it naturally becomes part of you. You don’t want it to come home with you, but it kind of does anyway.”
January 2025
On January 5, the couple walked the red carpet for the 82nd Annual Golden Globes, where they stopped to share a romantic kiss in front of the cameras.
Plemons wore a dark brown suit with matching leather shoes, and Dunst wore a black gown with a sleeveless velvet bodice and trailing skirt.
July 2025
On July 6, the pair stunned at the photocall during the Bal D’Été at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Dunst wore a shimmering silver gown with a black belt, while Plemons wore a classic black tux.
The couple was also photographed sharing a laugh together as they made their way through the crowd, looking smitten.
August 2025
In an interview with Town & Country, Dunst opened up about a frightening experience in which her son James had a serious health scare while she was filming The Entertainment System Is Down in Budapest. She said Plemons flew the boys back to Los Angeles for support, leaving Dunst to finish her shoot alone.
She confirmed that James recovered, adding that the experience “brought us together as a family in such a deeper way.” The family celebrated with a Bahamas vacation, granting James his wish for a beach where “my sandcastle won’t wash away,” Dunst recalled.
October 2025
Dunst candidly talked about some of the challenges of parenting her sons without Plemons. Speaking on the October 6 episode of the SmartLess podcast, she recalled a moment when she admitted, “I can’t parent alone tonight, I just can’t,” and brought the boys with her to a friend’s house.
She also shared a photo one of her sons drew and slid under her door, which host Jason Bateman described saying, “This is a picture of Kirsten inside one room with the door closed, and then her son on the outside, upset.”
Dunst then revealed that she lets the boys sleep in bed with her when Plemons is away. She also admitted that she and Plemons are still working out the best way to split parenting duties. “We had the summer together. It’s like, whoever’s up next,” she said. “We’re still trying to figure it out. It’s really hard. They’re 4 and 7, and they’re two boys. It’s a lot.”
On October 10, the pair stepped out for the 69th BFI London Film Festival, where they attended a screening of Plemons’s film, Bugonia. Dunst wore a black floor-length cami dress while Plemons opted for an all-black suit:
Dunst and Clemons at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival screening of Bugonia.
Days later, they made another appearance at the festival, this time for a gala celebrating Dunst’s movie Roofman. The actress wore a red long-sleeve top with an oversize bow and checkered trousers, and Plemons dressed in a gray suit with a butter-yellow dress shirt.
Plemons and Dunst at the Roofman gala during the 2025 BFI London Film Festival.
Plemons rounded out the month with an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. In the interview, he revealed that Dunst helped him navigate his Bugonia character’s grungy look, which included a long, unkempt hairdo. “It’s weird, you get focused on the scenes and the work, and you make decisions at the beginning about what your character’s going to look like. And then you get used to it and kind of forget how dirty you look,” he told Meyers.
He admitted, “I showered, but I didn’t wash my hair all that often. Some of it was extensions. But (Dunst) did give me tips on how to brush longer hair.”
January 2026
In an interview with W magazine, published January 7, Dunst revealed which reality show she and Plemons like to watch together. “Below Deck,” she told the publication. “I’m fascinated by that show. It’s also the one that my husband will watch with me. You’ve got to pick one that is acceptable as a couple.”
Dunst also shared a paranormal encounter she and Plemons had previously experienced. “I have seen a ghost. In New Orleans, my husband was working, and we were staying in a private home, and I saw the shadow of boots walking across the light in the living room.” She continued, telling W, “We were the only ones in the house at the time. We looked everywhere, and no one was there. And yet, it clearly looked like footsteps. But this was in New Orleans. Ghosts are bound to be there.”
