Megyn opened Wednesday’s show with a tribute to her husband, Doug Brunt, in honor of their fifteen year wedding anniversary. She described what it was like when she met Doug, their courtship, and how their relationship has evolved over the years. “The thing that matters is finding a meaningful connection in your life,” she emphasized, as she spoke about the importance of nurturing love and commitment. Watch the tribute above or read her special message below:
Their Love Story
Fifteen years ago today, I married Doug Brunt. The single best decision of my life. We got married at Oheka Castle on Long Island, New York. It was a perfect winter day – just like today – with a light snowfall outside as inside we burned wood fires and topped the tables with cherry blossoms just coming into season. It was my second marriage, Doug’s first, and I actually feel lucky that it was a second marriage for me. I went in eyes open, having learned a lot about what it takes to make a marriage work; even more important, a lot about myself.
When I met Doug, I was confused at first. He was different from what I thought I wanted – more reserved, less cocky. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. He was kind. He was smart. He was strong – but not in a domineering way – and in no way intimidated by my strength. He was a gentleman, raised by loving, thoughtful parents in the Philadelphia suburbs. The kid who got the ‘all around best guy’ award at his private high school. If you know him, you’re not surprised by this. The kind of guy who never bullied anyone, who fought his way out of desperate shyness as a young boy to a man who, yes, writes for a living which certainly appeals to his time as an avid young reader who spent lots of time alone, but also now hosting his own podcast, Dedicated with Doug Brunt, speaking and interacting with others for a living.
Our romance was a whirlwind – 14 months after we met, Doug asked me to marry him. Within six months of that, we were married. Three kids later, we’re still going strong. I watched some of our wedding videos this morning believe it or not. I cried as Sara did my hair and I saw the part with the vows. Kelly Wright – my dear friend from Fox News – was our minister. I can’t ever get through that without crying. But why? Because it’s so optimistic, isn’t it? There’s something so beautiful about love and commitment.
Over that 15 years, we’ve suffered loss – his dad, my sister, my nana to name a few. We’ve seen our careers go through massive highs and lows – he left his CEO job to write full-time, I had weird public battles with men like Trump, Ailes, and Putin. But in the end, it all brought us closer together. We spent a lot of hours holding each other. We refused to let the stressors cause strife between us. He has always been my number one supporter and I have always been his. Any constructive feedback is gentle and from a loving place. More typically our instincts are to defend the other avidly and fight any attackers.
Creating three humans feels like an accomplishment – not going to lie. All parents know, you look at your kids and you think: Oh my God I will never do something more meaningful than this. Not a day goes by that I don’t look at Doug and say, “Thank god.” Thank god I am doing this with him. Thank God I don’t have to do this alone as so many single parents do. Parenthood is incredibly rewarding but it’s tough in a lot of ways — it tries your patience, your energy, your anger management skills, your wisdom, your sense of justice, and more. The reprieve of having a partner for it all is a gift from above and one to be treasured and protected. The family unit is worth fighting for. That love you built this whole thing on is worth nurturing.
The Importance of Loving Relationships
Fifteen years in, what I want to say to the young women of this country is this is where the pot of gold is – not in random sexual partners who don’t give a damn about you; not in weird new sexuality titles that pronounce you will sleep with anyone and everyone and often at the same time; not in an all-in profession that asks so much of you there is no time for personal connection. The thing that matters is finding a meaningful connection in your life. Even just one can be life-changing. Ideally, I would say romantic love, but it could be in another way. To have that partner with institutional knowledge of you, who makes your coffee in the morning or puts a flower on the bed or moves you to the inside of the sidewalk so you’re not by the traffic, who calls you out on our B.S. and is quick to hug you after an argument, who laughs at himself and lovingly at you too and helps remind you not to take any of this too seriously.
Nothing in my life has been as fulfilling to me as that relationship and the goodness that stems from it. The beauty and the love I see and feel toward my kids – it all started there, in something so good it could only ever lead to more goodness and joy. It’s something Doug and I created, and you can do the same.
If you’re alone and don’t want to be, take a risk. Join a book club or the newcomer’s club, or take music lessons, or something to get yourself out there and start meeting people. Stay open minded. Try, fail, try again. If you know you have stuff to work on that’s preventing you from meeting someone, work on it. Get therapy like I did after my first marriage. Often! Maybe group therapy, which I did too. Put that excess energy into yourself and build a more solid you. The more solid partners will come. Trust me. And if you are in a marriage, especially one with kids, here is your reminder that it is worth the effort. Use a generous lens on your spouse. Speak your peace with kindness. And in those moments where you inevitably forget all that, recover quickly and apologize faster. As Dr. Laura says, “Wake up and ask yourself, what can I do to make his day better? How can I make him happy?” It all comes back to you. It’s an investment in all the things you likely hold most dear.
Doug, thank you for asking me to marry you on that beautiful fall day at the beach in September of 2007. Thank you for meeting me down that aisle in Long Island on March 1, and for walking next to me ever since. Should our lives be long or short from this point forward our kids will always know we spent them well because we were together. Somehow in the vast universe, we found each other and then treated each other well. That’s something in today’s world. In fact, it’s everything.