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Updated Mar 06, 2025All About America Ferrera's 20-Year Romance With Husband Ryan Piers Williams
Yes, that was him in the Barbie movie!
Photo: Getty Images
If you watched the Barbie movie, you were probably moved by America Ferrera's emotional speech as Gloria, a mother struggling to connect with her daughter and heal her inner child. But did you know America Ferrera's husband was also in the movie? It's true! The award-winning actress was joined by her real-life husband, director Ryan Piers Williams, in the film that broke box office records and took pop culture (and the wedding industry) by storm.
We're happy to report that America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams' love story is even better than the fictional one you saw on-screen. After meeting in 2005 and getting married six years later, America Ferrera and her husband are proud parents to two children. Beyond their professional collaborations (both in front of and behind the camera), America and Ryan launched a non-profit organization that aims to advance racial, gender and civic justice.
If that's not the definition of a power couple, we're not sure what is. Here, we look back on America Ferrera and her husband's incredible love story, breaking down when and how they met, details from their star-studded wedding day, and how they thrive as a couple in the public eye.
- America Ferrera's husband is Ryan Piers Williams, a writer, director and actor.
- America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams met while he was casting a short film in 2005. They got engaged in 2010, and their wedding took place in New York in 2010.
- America Ferrera and her husband Ryan Piers Williams have two children together: a son, Sebastian, and a daughter, Lucia.
- America Ferrera's husband Ryan Piers Williams appeared alongside her in the 2023 blockbuster Barbie.
In this article:
- Who is America Ferrera's Husband? All About Ryan Piers Williams
- How America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams Met
- America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams' Relationship Timeline
- America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams' Wedding
- How the Couple Handles Life in the Spotlight
Who is America Ferrera's Husband? All About Ryan Piers Williams
Photo: Jeff Vespa | WireImage
America Ferrera's husband is Ryan Piers Williams, a director and visual artist. Born and raised in Texas, he studied film at the University of Texas at Austin for two years before transferring to the University of Southern California.
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He's written and directed three major films, two of which his wife appeared in. Ryan Piers Williams also starred as America Ferrera's husband in the 2023 blockbuster Barbie, which also featured Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
How America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams Met
America Ferrera met her husband Ryan Piers Williams in 2005 when he was casting for his short film, Muertas. At the time, he was finished with grad school and she was still attending USC for her undergraduate degree.
America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams' Relationship Timeline
Photo: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett | WireImage
Today, America Ferrera and her husband have been together for nearly 20 years. Here's a look back at their relationship timeline, from 2005 to today.
2005: America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams Meet
The entertainment industry brought this famous couple together. America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams met in 2005 while he was casting for his short film Muertas.
2010: America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams Get Engaged
After dating for five years, Ryan Piers Williams proposed to America Ferrera in 2010. America Ferrera's engagement ring appears to be a round-cut diamond set in a platinum split-shank band with botanical details framing the center stone.
2011: Ryan Piers Williams and America Ferrera's Wedding Takes Place
America Ferrera's wedding took place on June 27, 2011, in Chappaqua, New York. The couple's venue was actually the home of Ferrera's Ugly Betty co-star Vanessa Williams. We break down even more details about America Ferrera's wedding below.
2016: America Ferrera and Husband Ryan Piers Williams Launch a Nonprofit
In 2016, America Ferrera and her husband teamed up to launch Harness, a nonprofit organization. Per the company's website, Harness aims to advance "racial justice, gender justice and civic justice by applying an intersectional lens to all of our work and centering the priorities and needs of those most impacted by injustice."
In a 2019 interview with Vogue, Ferrera revealed that she and Williams were inspired by the 2016 presidential election to use their platforms to make a positive impact on their community. "Nothing changes in just one election," she said. "We won some important races, but there's a deeper issue here, which amounts to a crisis of civics in this country: how politicians on both sides are all too ready to have people not be engaged until it serves them."
2018-2020: America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams' Kids Join the Family
Photo: Steve Granitz | WireImage
America Ferrera and her husband have two children together. Their first, son Sebastian, was born in May 2018. He became a big brother in May 2020 with the birth of the couple's second child, daughter Lucia.
2023: America Ferrera and Husband Ryan Piers Williams Appear in Barbie
Aside from directing, Ryan Piers Williams also has a few smaller acting credits on his resume. His most notable role came when he appeared in the 2023 smash hit Barbie—playing his wife's on-screen husband! In the film, Williams makes a few cameos where he can be seen using Duolingo to learn his wife Gloria's native Spanish language.
Interestingly enough, his character was inspired by a Zoom meeting Ferrera had with the film's director, Greta Gerwig, in the early stages of production. During the call, Gerwig heard Williams using the popular language-learning app in the background. "Right away she was like, 'Oh my God, does he want to play your husband?' And I was like, 'I don't know, you'll have to ask him,'" Ferrera recalled in an interview with People. "When it came time, she was like, 'Remember when I asked you if your husband would play your husband?' And he said yes."
2024: America Ferrera and Husband Ryan Piers Williams Take on Awards Season Together
Photo: Jon Kopaloff | WireImage
America Ferrera and her husband tend to keep their romance out of the public eye, and in past years they rarely walked red carpets together—but everything changed in 2024. Off the record-breaking success of Barbie, America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams attended a handful of red carpet events together, including the Golden Globes, the BAFTA Tea Party, and the Critics Choice Awards.
They also walked the red carpet for the Barbie premiere a few months earlier in July 2023. In an Instagram post from the event, Ferrera called her husband "my favorite & forever Ken."
America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams' Wedding
America Ferrera's wedding to Ryan Piers Williams took place on June 27, 2011. The bride's Ugly Betty co-star Vanessa Williams offered up her Chappaqua, New York home for the intimate event. It was reported that America Ferrera's wedding dress was from Amsale's Christos label.
One of our favorite details is that the wedding had a celebrity officiant! The nuptials were presided over by actress Judith Light, who also starred in Ugly Betty. Plenty of other Ferrera's castmates were in attendance, including Williams, Mark Indelicato and Rebecca Romijn. The couple also invited Ferrera's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn.
How the Couple Handles Life in the Spotlight
In the summer of 2023, a source shed light to Us Weekly about why America Ferrera and her husband Ryan Piers Williams choose to keep their relationship away from the public eye. "Usually, they stay out of the spotlight," the insider said. "They love what they do, but they do prefer to keep their private life separate. Their family is their priority."
That fall, Ferrera was named Glamour's Global Woman of the Year—and her husband penned a touching tribute to his wife on social media after the publication's event celebrating the honorees. "I'm so proud to stand with the Global Woman of the Year! @americaferrera your light brings love and hope to us all," he shared. "Celebrating you today, tomorrow, and every day thereafter!"
