Real-Life Loves
Who Is ‘Survivor’ Host Jeff Probst’s Wife? Inside His Marriage to Lisa Ann Russell
Jeff Probst spends a few months of the year in Fiji hosting Survivor, but he’s still maintained a solid relationship with his wife, Lisa Ann Russell, amid his hectic schedule. The pair tied the knot in 2011, just two years after they first met.
While Probst is mostly private about his love life, there is some information out there about his marriage and dating history. Scroll down for everything we know about his relationship with Russell, as well as his past romances.
How did Jeff Probst meet his wife?
Probst and Russell met at a Christmas party hosted by Mark Burnett, the creator of Survivor. They went public with their relationship in August 2010, so they seemingly met while attending the holiday event in 2009.
In a 2012 interview on Larry King Now, Probst described the party as “crazy,” revealing, “You have Gary Busey doing pressure points on your arm. Meanwhile, there’s Barbra Streisand talking to Paris Hilton on the other couch.”
Probst and Russell married in December 2011. Their wedding was an intimate affair that took place in the backyard of Probst’s L.A. home.
Who is Lisa Ann Russell’s ex-husband?
Before she was married to the Emmy winner, Russell tied the knot with Mark-Paul Gosselaar. The two met while Russell was guest-starring on Saved by the Bell: The College Years in 1993. They wed in 1996 and announced their separation in June 2010. The divorce was finalized in May 2011.
Does Jeff Probst have kids?
Probst never had any children of his own. However, he is a stepfather to the two children that Russell and Gosselaar share. Their son Michael was born in 2004, followed by a daughter, Ava, in 2006, so the kids were young when their mother remarried.
“I always thought I would have this family and this great family unit because that’s what I came from,” Probst admitted to Larry King. “And then, one day, I met this woman, and it happened. And she had two kids.”
Russell and Gosselaar amicably shared custody of their children. He went on to marry Catriona McGinn in July 2012, and they had two kids of their own together.
The foursome had a good co-parenting relationship when Ava and Michael were minors. Probst revealed in 2012 that the kids call him dad. Referencing himself and McGinn, he explained, “[Russell and Gosselaar] raised these kids with the kind of love [so] they just see us as two more parents.”
Who is Lisa Ann Russell?
Russell is a former model-turned-actress. After modeling in college, she dabbled in acting in the 1990s, with five credits on her IMDb page. She was also a talent coordinator for Probst’s short-lived talk show The Jeff Probst Show from 2012-2013.
Has Jeff Probst dated a Survivor contestant?
Before his relationship with Russell, Probst was married to Shelley Wright, a psychotherapist, from 1996 to 2001.
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He then dated Julie Berry, a contestant on Survivor: Vanuatu, from 2004 to 2008, despite a 19-year age difference. They split due to difficulties with communication while he was traveling the world due to his hosting duties.
Survivor, Season 48 Premiere, Wednesday, February 26, 8/7c, CBS
