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Read All About Lisa Joyner, the Real-Life Wife of Extended Family's Jon Cryer
The award-winning entertainment reporter and T.V. host married Jon Cryer in 2007, and they've lived happily (and adorably) ever since.
Relationships can be a tad complicated, especially in NBC’s upcoming sitcom Extended Family, but things between star Jon Cryer and his real-life wife seem to be just dandy.
Cryer’s portrayal of Jim, a father recently — and happily — divorced from Jill (Abigail Spencer), brings comic relief as he, Jill, and Jill’s new beau “navigate life, love, and every awkward situation in between,” according to the show’s bio. But luckily for Cryer, married life is treating him well, and we have all the deets!
Who is Lisa Joyner?
In 2007, the Two and a Half Men star married Lisa Joyner, an entertainment reporter and television host with quite a few accolades. Before then, Joyner spent six years reporting for Fox Los Angeles affiliate KTTV and won a Golden Mike Award for her work in broadcast journalism, as well as a Los Angeles Press Club Award.
Joyner left the Fox affiliate in 2002 to work on the other side of the camera, according to Variety.
“I’d really like to try getting into the producing side as well as hosting,” she told the outlet. “I got a little taste of it at Fox, and I love it.”
She later joined CBS Los Angeles affiliate KCBS-TV anchors Kent Shocknek and Suzanne Rico to report entertainment, weather, and lifestyle for the outlet’s 5:00 – 7:00 a.m. news slot. Joyner said the early shift gave her “a lot of freedom” to pursue outside projects.
Some of those projects included Joyner hosting TV Guide’s InFANity in 2005.
While with the CBS affiliate, Joyner — along with KCBS producer Kimberly McWatt — won a local Emmy Award in the outstanding news feature category in 2007, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Both were nominated in the same category one year prior.
Joyner might have won in 2007, and during the same ceremony, ¡Hola Survivor! Guatemala, for which she hosted alongside Hunter Ellis, won the Emmy Award for their Arts and Culture – History category.
Joyner also presented at the 57th Annual Los Angeles-area Emmy Awards, honoring the best in local television.
On top of award-winning success, Joyner is also a great supporter of women, having hosted the 43rd Gracie Awards in 2018 when legendary actress Rita Moreno was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
“It is a privilege to host such a prestigious awards gala honoring so many incredible women in the media,” said Joyner. “The women being recognized are some of the finest in the business and collectively are shining examples for young girls today.”
The Couple’s Own Extended Family
In January 2007, Cryer announced on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that he and Joyner were engaged to be married. They tied the knot that June at the Chapel at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, according to People. A reception followed at a private residence.
“They’re very, very happy,” Cryer’s rep told the outlet.
One of the guests in attendance was actress Melanie Lynskey, who acted alongside Cryer in Two and a Half Men and called Joyner “adorable.”
“She makes him so happy,” Lynskey told People. “He’s a very funny guy, but he’s also very sincere and sweet, and she understands that side of him. They are very adorable together.”
At the time, Cryer had a 6-year-old son, Charlie, with his former wife, Sarah Trigger.
Owing to Joyner being adopted as a child and discovering the origins of her adoption story in her thirties, Joyner said she and Jon Cryer decided to adopt a daughter, Daisy, in 2009. That same year, Joyner hosted ABC’s Find My Family, a reality series based off an Australian series of the same name.
In 2016, Joyner began co-hosting TLC’s Long Lost Family and its six seasons, a show about reuniting adopted persons with their birth relatives.
“I made the personal choice to adopt a child, so I’m on the other side of it as well. Not because I couldn’t have biological children because I could, but because I want to further the dialogue and also, I wanted to further that positive experience I had with adoption,” said Joyner while discussing Long Lost Family. “And I wanted to do something, not just for myself or my husband, but also for another human being.”
In June 2023, Joyner and Cryer were awarded the Shining Star Award for Aviva’s Lifting Up L.A. event for their advocacy in adoption and foster care. Before then, both were honored with the Champions for Children Award at the 2022 Kidsave National Miracles Gala.
They are also the proud parents of rescue pups Norman and Barney.
The Couple’s Philanthropic Endeavors
Since marrying in 2007, Joyner and Cryer have epitomized relationship goals, which is evident upon a glance at Joyner’s Instagram page. In June 2023, Joyner posted a fabulous photo of her and Cryer for their 16th wedding anniversary.
“Eighteen years together,” Joyner posted. “I never thought I’d be part of that ‘old married couple,’ but could not be more grateful. What an adventure.”
Theraguns and Advil might have been part of their dinner and dancing celebration, but it goes to show that a couple who laughs together stays together. Joyner’s social media is filled with her oh-so-adorable moments with Cryer, including dance events with friends, birthday celebrations on Fire Island, and finishing one another’s texts.
Joyner and Cryer have also shown the world their philanthropic side, regularly donating to charities and sponsoring events for great causes. Most recently, in September, both joined a host of actors and helped raise money at the Labor Day Telethon for the Entertainment Community Fund.
Joyner also advocates for the mental health community, having posted hotline numbers for adults and children in crisis.
In 2021, Joyner and Cryer shared in an ET Online exclusive that they donated $30,000 to Hope of the Valley, an organization constructing tiny home shelters for unhoused people.
“It’s always been such a passion for me because I waited tables, and I really grew up [with] modest means, and I always felt like I was one paycheck away from being homeless,” Joyner told reporters.
Joyner and Cryer spoke to TMZ about the “unprecedented need for transitional housing,” especially for people in prison who were released with little more than a bus ticket. They discussed how the organization helped with mental health referrals, safety, education, and employment opportunities to help people living without homes, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional low-income housing.
Lisa Joyner and Jon Cryer is the couple that keeps on giving!
Watch Lisa Joyner’s husband as he stars in Extended Family, premiering Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at 8:30/7:30c on NBC.
