It was a normal night in Los Angeles for New Kids on the Block star Jonathan Knight. But after meeting a friend of a friend, his life would change forever.
Knight — who transitioned from boy band to HGTV star in recent years — gushed about meeting his husband, Harley Rodriguez, during a night out with a mutual friend.
Jonathan Knight’s Love Story
The happy couple sat down with HGTV to share details about their love story.
“We met how many years ago?” Knight began during a video shared in 2024. “We met in 2008. I was in L.A. rehearsing, and it was a random Tuesday night rehearsed all day, I was so tired, and my friend called me and said come out and grab a drink. I was like, no no no. And then at the last minute I went, and the friend of mine was actually also a friend of his. We didn’t know each other and we just randomly met and fell madly in love and 16 years later here we are.”
Rodriguez added, “We met at a bar, so it happens.”
When asked to share some of his favorite things about his husband, Rodriguez gushed over Knight’s “heart.”
“He has the biggest heart of anyone I know. When I first met him, he was always kind to like strangers,” he shared. “You could tell a lot about someone by the way they treat other people that they don’t even know. So that was a big plus when we first met.”
He went on to say that Jonathan’s good looks and Boston accent added to the charm.
“He gives up his whole self. He’s a very giving person like of his time. He’s just very loving to all things. He’s open; he wears his heart on his sleeve too, and that’s very endearing,” Harley added.
For Jonathan, Harley’s patience and understanding are top of list.
“I just think the things you put up with, I get on a tour bus, and I leave home for 3 months and that’s got to be really hard to just dump everything on a partner and say, like I got to go,” Jon explained. “That could cause problems, but he’s very understanding. Patience is one of your biggest strengths. He’s so patient, I’m just like crazy in my head, and he’s like it’s okay. It’s going to be.”
Jon and Harley Secretly Marry
After meeting in 2008, their relationship progressed quickly .
They got their first taste of reality TV fame in 2015, when they competed together on Season 26 of CBS’s “The Amazing Race.” The following year, Jonathan proposed while vacationing in Africa.
In 2022, after the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to postpone their wedding plans, the pair secretly tied the knot.
They would go on to star in “Farmhouse Fixer” and “Farmhouse Fixer: Camp Revamp.” Stepping out of their comfort zone, the couple live on a 7-acre private farm in Essex, Massachusetts.
“I was always a city [guy] and then moving to a farm was a whole culture shock, but I love it,” Harley gushed, adding that had he not met Jonathan, he would still be living in California.
Jonathan added, “I would have never thought you would have become such a part of the farm life. He’s the one
that goes out and takes care of the chickens. The goats absolutely love him.”
