Jerry O’Connell, known for his role in Stand By Me, recently addressed fans who were surprised to learn about his real-life marriage. Portrayed as Vern, the ‘fat kid’ in the 1987 film, O’Connell has lived with this association for years.
Now, nearly four decades later, O’Connell revisited this label following a Twitter interaction this month.
The discussion about his marriage emerged after a Twitter user criticized O’Connell’s eyebrows, questioning why he wouldn’t ‘trim [his] eyebrows’.
The critique was paired with a photo of O’Connell, with the user commenting: “I can’t believe your wife thinks they are okay – they need to be trimmed up like the pic on the right.”
If eyebrow aesthetics are a concern for anyone, it might suggest they have ample free time. Nevertheless, O’Connell noted that he frequently received comments about his brows and expressed his frustration, saying he was ‘so sick of this hate’.
O’Connell eventually conceded to the suggestions, posting a picture of his wife with tweezers, followed by one showcasing his newly shaped eyebrows.
He tagged his spouse, writing to his followers: “Finally got @RebeccaRomijn to deal with it. You like?”
This post led not only to comments on his eyebrows but also surprise at his marital status.
Some Twitter users didn’t realize O’Connell was married to Romijn, known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men movies.
Their marriage has often been a point of surprise, even being humorously referenced in Family Guy, where it’s revealed the ‘fat kid’ ended up marrying Romijn in the episode Three Kings.
Inspired by this Family Guy reference, one Twitter user commented: “Wait you’re married to her? The fat kid from Stand By Me is married to Mystique?”
Others expressed genuine astonishment. On October 30, a tweet read: “Just found out Jerry O’Connell is married to Rebecca Romijn, what an incredible 90s power couple that is.”
Responding to these reactions, O’Connell quoted the tweet calling him ‘the fat kid’ and replied: “Not what went out on our wedding invitations but yes. Yes I am.”
Although O’Connell and Romijn wed in 2007, apparently, this bit of information is new to some!