Rachael Leigh Cook & Brandon Routh Beam on Oscar Night During 1st Major Red Carpet Appearance (VIDEO)

Real-life Hallmark couple Rachael Leigh Cook and Brandon Routh adorably posed for pics at their first major red carpet event together on March 15, 2026, as they attended the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 34th Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party.

Cook and Routh, both 46, dazzled on Oscar night, nearly two weeks after cozying up for quick pics at a special screening of “Slanted” in Los Angeles on March 3. Here’s the latest on their blossoming relationship.

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Photos & Video of Brandon Routh & Rachael Leigh Cook on Oscar Night

Routh and Cook, who’ve both starred in multiple Hallmark rom-coms, haven’t spoken much about their relationship publicly, and it’s not known exactly when they started dating, but they have not hidden the fact that they’re together.

In July 2025, People published photos of them smiling and holding hands outside a movie theater in Los Angeles. Months before that, in February, the duo posed for a casual photo at an eatery while visiting Routh’s hometown of Des Moines, Iowa.

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Technically, the couple’s first red carpet walk was at the St. Jude Evening of Hope Gala in November, and they also attended Christmas Con in New Jersey. But their Oscar night appearance was their first major Hollywood media event stepping out as a couple. Both stars also attended Christmas Con in New Jersey in December.

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Hallmark Couple Rachael Leigh Cook & Brandon Routh Found Love After Their Divorces

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Cook and Routh’s relationship comes after both have navigated divorces. Cook, who starred in January’s “Caught By Love” with fellow Hallmark star Luke Macfarlane, was married for 15 years to fellow actor Daniel Gillies until they announced their separation in 2019, per People, and officially divorced a year later. They share two kids, Charlotte, 12, and Theodore, 11.

Meanwhile, Routh — whose latest Hallmark flick was November’s “A Keller Christmas Vacation” with Jonathan Bennett and Eden Sher — was married for 17 years to actress Courtney Ford. The former couple announced their amicable split on January 10, 2025, just as they were scrambling to evacuate their home during the Los Angeles fires.

After Ford filed divorce papers, People reported the news, so they quickly issued a statement, noting that their focus was on co-parenting their son, Leo, now 13.

In a joint statement at the time, the couple wrote, “After 21 years together and 17 years of marriage, we have decided to begin a new journey and enter this next chapter of life as friends and co-parents. We are now and forever rooting for each other as we move through this wild adventure called life.”