Jaclyn Smith and her husband, Brad Allen, have been together for 35 years and married for nearly three decades, but their relationship once came with an unusual challenge.
The “Charlie’s Angels” star has revealed that she and Allen spent 17 years living in different states, maintaining their relationship between Los Angeles and Chicago before finally settling under the same roof.
The revelation offers a surprising new chapter in the longtime couple’s love story, especially considering Smith now describes their life together as “bliss.”
Jaclyn Smith & Husband Brad Allen Spent 17 Years Apart
Smith opened up about the unusual arrangement while promoting her memoir, “I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie.” According to PEOPLE, Smith first met Allen in 1991 when the cardiothoracic surgeon helped perform heart surgery on her father.
Their relationship soon faced a logistical challenge. About two years after they met, Allen accepted a job in Chicago, while Smith’s life remained rooted in Los Angeles. Instead of allowing the distance to end their relationship, the couple found a way to make it work.
“When you have only a weekend, you really make it count,” Smith recalled. The actress explained that both would travel to see each other, although Allen handled most of the commuting because Smith was raising her two children, Gaston and Spencer-Margaret, in California.
“I had two kids, and I couldn’t move them from their dad,” she explained. The distance didn’t stop their relationship from progressing. Smith and Allen married in 1997 and continued living between two states for years afterward.
Brad Allen & Jaclyn Smith Finally Closed the Distance
After years of flights and weekend visits, the couple’s long-distance chapter eventually ended in 2009, when Allen joined Smith in Los Angeles. The change gave Smith a new appreciation for something many couples might take for granted: simply having her husband nearby.
“Now that we’re together it’s just like bliss, because we did [long distance] for so long,” Smith told PEOPLE. She added that she now finds it difficult to imagine not having Allen around because his presence makes her life “easier and better.”
Smith has shared similar sentiments about her husband before. In a 2025 social media Q&A, the couple offered a playful glimpse into what has kept their relationship going for so long.
Allen joked that a good marriage requires a husband who knows how to say “I’m sorry” and “yes ma’am, you were right,” while Smith offered another explanation. “We’re opposites and opposites do attract,” she said, according to PEOPLE.
Despite their differences, Smith said they agree on two things that matter considerably to them: their morals and values. She has also previously credited compromise, shared values and building something “deep and soulful” as important ingredients in a lasting marriage.
Smith Says She ‘Finally Got It Right’
Allen became Smith’s fourth husband when the pair exchanged vows in 1997. Rather than dwelling on the difficulties of her previous relationships, Smith now looks at her marriage to Allen as the partnership she had long hoped to find.
“I got a great husband, great marriage, and the most fantastic stepfather I could ever dream of,” she told PEOPLE. Allen’s relationship with her children appears to be particularly meaningful to Smith. She praised him for loving Gaston and Spencer-Margaret as his own, calling that bond “no better gift.”
That family connection has been part of their relationship from early on. Smith’s decision to remain in Los Angeles during the couple’s long-distance years was largely driven by her children, while Allen repeatedly made the journey from Chicago so the relationship could continue.
Their story now looks considerably different from those years of carefully planned weekends. Smith and Allen have occasionally given fans glimpses into their marriage on social media, including lighthearted workout videos and affectionate moments together. Their playful dynamic also came through during their 2025 marriage Q&A, when Allen wrapped his arms around his wife as they shared their relationship advice.
The actress’ latest revelation arrives during another significant chapter in her life. Smith, who turned 80 in October 2025, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Charlie’s Angels” and reflecting on her personal and professional journey in her new memoir.
Through all those years, her relationship with Allen has become her longest marriage. What makes that longevity more remarkable is that nearly two decades of their story unfolded with hundreds of miles between them. Yet Smith’s reflections suggest the arrangement taught them to value the limited time they had together.
Now, after finally sharing the same home for years, Smith doesn’t appear to take that closeness for granted. “For a girl that just believed in marriage and kids,” she said of the life she ultimately built with Allen, “I finally got that.”
