At a Glance
- Rachel McAdams publicly calls longtime partner Jamie Linden her “North Star” during her January 2026 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
- The couple, together since 2016, share two children but have never walked a red carpet together.
- Linden, the screenwriter behind We Are Marshall and Dear John, began his Hollywood career after a $5,000 win on The Price is Right.
- Why it matters: The rare public acknowledgment gives fans a glimpse into one of Hollywood’s most private partnerships.
Rachel McAdams finally put a spotlight on her decade-long relationship with Jamie Linden, telling a star-studded crowd that the screenwriter is the constant guiding force in her life.
During her January 2026 Walk of Fame induction, the actress gestured to Linden and her sister, Kayleen, saying, “It seems silly to just have my name on here, so I share this little piece of Earth with all of you. To Jamie, my North Star, Kayleen, my other North Star, thank you for being such a great team and keeping me quasi-normal. I love you all so much.”
From Paris Stroll to Private Parenthood
The pair were first linked in May 2016 when photographers captured them walking in Paris ahead of Linden’s Cannes appearance for Money Monster. Since then, sightings have been scarce. They attended a Virginia wedding together the next month, posed for a single group photo, and were described as “very cuddly” during a 2024 New York date night. Most recently, they were spotted leaving a Los Angeles airport in August 2025.
Despite welcoming a son in April 2018 and a daughter in 2020, the couple have never revealed the children’s names. After her son’s birth, McAdams told the Sunday Times, “I want to keep his life private, even if mine isn’t.”
Linden’s Unlikely Hollywood Entry
Jamie Linden’s path to Hollywood began not in film school but on a game-show soundstage. After graduating from Florida State University in 2001, he visited Los Angeles, competed on The Price is Right, and walked away with $5,000 and a Tuscan wine-server cart. The win convinced him to stay.
He took a temp job reading scripts, then worked as an assistant at Mirage Enterprises for Sidney Pollack and Anthony Minghella. At 24, he and college friend Cory Helms sold their first screenplay, Things to Do Before I Die, to Warner Bros. Though the studio never produced it, the blind-deal contract allowed Linden to pitch the studio a drama about the 1970 Marshall University football-team tragedy. The result was We Are Marshall (2006), starring Matthew McConaughey.
Career Highlights & Channing Tatum Partnership
- 2006 – We Are Marshall (writer, co-producer)
- 2010 – Dear John (screenwriter, co-producer)
- 2011 – 10 Years (director, writer)
- 2016 – Money Monster (screenwriter)
- 2021 – Chaos Walking (rewrite work)
Channing Tatum has headlined two of Linden’s projects and produced 10 Years. Tatum also thanked Linden in the credits of his directorial debut, Dog (2022).
Life Away From the Spotlight
Linden, raised in Winter Park, Florida, attended Lake Howell High School with Friday Night Lights actor Scott Porter. He remains close-lipped about his personal life, and McAdams has never shared photos of their children on social media. The couple have never posed together on a red carpet and decline to discuss their relationship in interviews, making McAdams’ “North Star” declaration a rare public moment.
Key Takeaways
- After ten years together, Rachel McAdams publicly honored Jamie Linden as her guiding force.
- Linden’s Hollywood résumé includes major studio films and a long-running collaboration with Channing Tatum.
- The pair continue to shield their two children from public view, maintaining one of the industry’s most low-key partnerships.
