Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner may marry after more than 42 years of living together. It’s the talk of the internet on Wednesday morning — and it’s more than just a rumor from the 73-year-old comedian and 78-year-old co-writer.
At The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Pre-Emmy Performers Peer Group on Monday night, Lily Tomlin spoke out to a reporter from E! Online, admitting that she and Wagner may indeed get married.
“We’re thinking maybe we’ll get married…
“You don’t need to get married, but…Everybody I know who got married, they say it really makes a difference. They feel very very happy about it.”
The couple has been together since 1971. It was apparently love at first sight when Tomlin approached Wagner about a comedy album collaboration.
The relationship has always been solid. But in the early days, it was rather quiet although not a secret. A lengthy report in Salon noted that over 40 years ago, Johnny Carson took a nasty dig at Tomlin on TV.
Tomlin has been conflicted over the years about whether or not she supported traditional marriage.
The Salon piece neatly tracked some of the ups and downs of the comedian’s thoughts about gay marriage and relationships over the years. In 1975, Time magazine offered her the cover if she wanted to come out in public. But at that time Tomlin refused a leadership role, saying that she “never wanted to be anybody’s spokesperson or poster person.”
But the tide has turned. The couple has admitted that they never thought they would live long enough to see legal gay marriage accepted as the law of the land of the United States. Now, in their seventies, it’s here.
Don’t wait for a traditional white wedding dress from anybody if Tomlin and Jane Wagner do get married after 42 years.
“No rings, no bridal dresses,” Lily Tomlin joked. “Maybe we’ll be dressed like chickens.”
[Lily Tomlin photo by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com ]
