Instagram/@nevschulman 'Catfish' host Nev Schulman, wife Laura Perlongo and their 2 children.
Nev Schulman, best known as the host and executive producer of the MTV reality series Catfish, is competing on season 29 of Dancing With the Stars.
Schulman has a built-in cheering squad to encourage him. He has been married to wife Laura Perlongo since 2017 and they have two children together. On September 8, Schulman asked his Twitter followers for input on what his DWTS hashtag should be. Perlongo suggested #BelieveInNev.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Laura Perlongo Grew Up Near Detroit, Moved to Boston for College & Found Work as a Writer
GettyNev Schulman and Laura Perlongo on March 05, 2020 in New York City.
Perlongo was born in September 1985 and raised in Michigan. She grew up in Dearborn, which is a suburb of Detroit. In an interview with Taylor Magazine in 2018, Perlongo briefly commented on her family’s finances: “We didn’t have much growing up but my parents made sure to take my siblings and I on lots of road trips. It really opened my eyes to what else was out there.”
Perlongo worked a part-time job as a high school student. She shared on Facebook in 2018 that she worked at a Dairy Queen for four years. She joked that she was often “scolded for not cleaning the patio.”
After high school, Perlongo headed east. She accepted a 75 percent academic scholarship to Boston University. According to her LinkedIn profile, Perlongo graduated in 2007 with bachelor degrees in social psychology and commercial art.
Perlongo’s next destination was New York City. Her first job after college was as a staff writer at Haute Living magazine. Perlongo left that position after one year to travel. She worked for an advertising company in Montreal for another year before becoming a travel writer. According to her LinkedIn page, Perlongo was based in the Netherlands during that experience.
Perlongo returned to New York City in late 2010 and worked as a copywriter. She became a freelancer in 2013, working as a creative director, photographer and copywriter. She described herself on LinkedIn as a “Freelance Millennial-focused creative.”
2. Perlongo & Schulman Met Over Instagram on 2015
Getty Laura Perlongo and Nev Schulman on June 15, 2019 in Santa Monica, California.
Perlongo and Schulman met online, but not on a dating app. They came across each other on Instagram in 2015. Schulman asked Perlongo out on a date by sending her a direct message.
Perlongo agreed to a dinner date and Schulman picked her up on his motorcycle. Perlongo told US Weekly in 2018: “It was the first time I was picked up by a stranger on a motorcycle. I was a little nervous to be honest. I was like, ‘Are we gonna die? Is this worth dying?'”
The couple started dating but the relationship soon hit a serious rough patch. Schulman told the magazine, without sharing too many details, that he had “screwed it up” and that he had to work to convince Perlongo to take him back. “I just got out of a thing, and I had been damaged by that, and I felt that maybe I was all messed up, and I wasn’t ready.”
3. Perlongo Said She & Schulman Knew They Wanted a Family Together After Just Seven Months of Dating
Perlongo and Schulman discovered they were expecting a baby together after dating only a few months. But as Perlongo explained to Taylor Magazine, the pregnancy wasn’t actually an accident:
When we got pregnant after 7 months of dating, as much as I want to say it was an accident, it wasn’t. We had talked about it. We both just thought: “We want to have a family and we’re doing this!” We were focused on making ourselves do it because we both, deep down, knew it was right for us. We really loved each other very deeply from the beginning.
Getty Nev Schulman and girlfriend Laura Perlongo attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City.
Perlongo and Schulman told fans they were expecting a baby girl via social media in May 2016. But three months later, the couple put the pregnancy on full display at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. Perlongo wore an olive green jacket that exposed her belly and much of her chest. Schulman told People on the red carpet, “I’m just so happy to be the guy on the red carpet with the pregnant lady who is killing it, just looking incredible.”
Their daughter, Cleo James, arrived on October 21, 2016. Little brother Beau Bobby Bruce was born on January 10, 2019.
4. The Wedding Took Place at Schulman’s Father’s House in the Hamptons
Schulman asked Perlongo to marry him soon after they announced they were expecting a baby together. He posted a selfie that appears to have been taken moments after she said yes. Schulman wrote, “seriously though, couldn’t be more in love with this nugget. so excited to spend my life with you.”
Perlongo also posted about the engagement on Instagram, along with a photo of herself covered in rose petals wearing nothing but her ring. She wrote in part, “looking through photos from this whirlwind weekend when it finally dawned on me that I’m 5 months pregnant and engaged to the love of my life/best friend/twin clown/source of daily inspiration and so perfectly obnoxiously happy and blessed and giddy… Completely floored. I love you endlessly @nevschulman.”
Schulman and Perlongo tied the knot on July 22, 2017. Catfish co-host Max Joseph officiated the ceremony. Joseph later shared a video of the couple’s steamy kiss, which lasted several seconds and included Schulman reaching down to stroke his bride’s backside.
The wedding took place at Schulman’s father’s house in East Hampton, New York. Daughter Cleo, who was nine months old at the time, was the flower girl. Joseph also shared a video of Cleo, looking a bit confused, being wheeled down the aisle in a red wagon decorated with white ribbons. Schulman picked her up and Cleo clapped her hands along with the audience, prompting a laugh from her father.
The couple decided on a casual reception on the beach. TMZ reported the party included a DJ, beach cabanas, pizza and beer. People reported the couple’s first dance was to the song “Can’t Nobody Love You” by the Zombies.
5. Perlongo Has a Podcast About Motherhood & Co-Hosts a Facebook Series With Her Husband
Perlongo and Schulman are coworkers as well as spouses. They host a talk show on Facebook called “We Need to Talk” that focuses on relationship advice. The episodes can also be found on the ATTN YouTube page. Perlongo talked about the inspiration for the show with Taylor Magazine:
People write in and ask for our take on different relationship issues. We are far from an authority, but air out topics people often find uncomfortable to discuss. We liked the idea for the show because Nev and I caught a lot of criticism for our own relationship. We had a baby fairly quickly then got married and everyone said we would fail. But there are exceptions to the rule, and the show is fun because it highlights that nothing is ever black and white.
In January 2020, Perlongo teamed with her friend Emma Bing to launch a podcast called “Mom Best Friend.” The show is described on Apple podcasts as a “raw, mom-life-as-a-modern-woman tell-all. A deep-dive into the stuff usually reserved for 3 AM google-bots under the glow of a breast pump.”
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