Jess Hilarious is keeping her marriage private and is in a season of protection
‘The Breakfast Club’ co-star has seen her life and career explode in the public eye, but after hard lessons learned, she’s keeping certain things to herself and her family.
Comedian Jess Hilarious built her brand on being an unfiltered woman from Baltimore, letting fans in on the journey. But, as fame increased, so did the desire to no longer allow everyone behind the curtain. The lessons learned from past mistakes have prompted “The Breakfast Club” co-host and author to maintain a bit of privacy about certain things, namely her marriage.
In a recent appearance on the “We In Miami Podcast,” to promote her book about co-parenting, “‘Til Death Do We Parent,” Jess explained why she decided to take a page out of Issa Rae’s playbook, protecting her husband from the spotlight and the trolls on social media.
“This is something worth protecting,” she said of her marriage in relation to public relationships around the 12-minute mark. “My marriage is worth protecting. My man is worth protecting. My family, my brand is worth protecting.”
The deciding factor in keeping her marriage off social media, in Jess’ eyes, came from her experience with prior public relationships: how even sharing moments of love and honest affection can turn into “content,” even after both parties call it quits. Megan Thee Stallion became the subject of such a moment earlier this year after her split with Klay Thompson, generating thinkpieces and allowing everyone outside the relationship to have a say on why it ended.
“If it don’t work, oh, you going to have to go back and explain to all these millions of people,” Jess said.
The comedian and her husband, Chris, a trucking CEO, first began their relationship in 2023. A year later, they welcomed their daughter, Marley Sky Moore Tolliver, in August 2024. However, it was all sparked when the two met eyes at a Baltimore restaurant and Jess shot her shot, offering to buy him a drink. After the pair exchanged numbers, things moved pretty quickly from there: “He hit me a week later, took me on a date, and I haven’t left his side since then.”
The relationship has been a blessing for her, who said becoming married changed her personally for the better.
“When you marry somebody that just breathes life into you and pour into you and empower you, lift you up,” she said. “It shows.”