Who is Neal McDonough’s wife? Yellowstone star recalls being blackballed in Hollywood over hard stance on Spouse

Neal McDonough, who is married to actress and film producer Ruvé McDonough, recently opened up about being sidelined after he adopted the no-kissing rule following his marriage. According to US Weekly, Neal McDonough, during his appearance on the Nothing Left Unsaid podcast, said that although his wife has no problem with him engaging in kissing scenes, it was he to chose to adopt the policy. He said:

"My wife didn’t have any problem with it. It was me, really, who had a problem with it. … When I wouldn’t do it and they couldn’t understand it, Hollywood just completely turned on me and they wouldn’t let me be part of the show anymore."

Neal McDonough, who is a devout Catholic, has long maintained this no-kissing policy. According to reports, the only time he has broken this rule was when he filmed the scenes for "The Last Rodeo," which was released earlier this year in May. The reason for doing so was that his wife had agreed to play the part in the movie. Talking about his first on-screen kiss scene, the Yellowstone actor said:

"To have my first screen kiss and to actually play the hero, and kiss the girl in the end, is something that I’ve never done, but something I’ve always wanted to do my whole career. Now I get to do it.”

More about Neal McDonough's relationship with Ruvè McDonough, as the actor claims to have been sidelined by Hollywood over his no-kissing rule

Neal McDonough, during his July 30 appearance on the "Nothing Left Unsaid" podcast hosted by former NFL player Tim Green and his son Troy Green, talked about losing major roles because of his strict rule. He said:

"I’d always had in my contracts that I wouldn’t kiss another woman on screen. And for two years, I couldn’t get a job and I lost everything you could possibly imagine. Not just houses, material things, but your swagger, your cool, who you are, your identity. My identity was an actor, and a really good one, and once you don’t have that identity, you’re kind of in a tailspin. And I was in a big, ugly tailspin for a couple of years.”

According to People Magazine, Neal McDonough met his future wife, Ruvé Robertson, when he was filming the 2001 acclaimed HBO series, Band of Brothers. The couple started dating and tied the knot in 2003, following which they welcomed their first child in 2005. Neal McDonough, during his appearance on "The Adam Corolla Show," recalled the moment he met her and said:

"I took one look at her and that was it, I knew it was destined to be for the rest of my life and I couldn't be happier," he said. "There was work to be done on my part to close this deal, that wasn’t easy."

The couple, who share five children, celebrated their twenty-first wedding anniversary in 2024. Neal McDonough marked the occasion with a touching tribute on his Instagram, which read:

"Just celebrated 21 years of marriage with my best friend, my partner in crime, the mother of my five children and the only human I want to wake up with every morning and go to sleep next to every night. Thank you, Ruvé for helping me to be the Man I am today! I’ve always said 'I can conquer the world with one hand tied behind my back,… as long as you’re holding the other one!'"

This is not the first time Neal McDonough has claimed that he has faced difficulty in finding roles because of his no-kissing policy. Back in 2019, during an interview with Closer Weekly, Neal McDonough claimed that he was allegedly fired from Scroundrels after he refused to act in more intimate scenes with his co-star. He said:

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"I was [surprised] and it was a horrible situation for me. After that, I couldn’t get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot. I am very religious. I put God and family first, and me second. That’s what I live by. It was hard for a few years.

Neal McDonough was recently seen in the Guns and Moses movie, which was released earlier this month on July 18. In the movie, he plays the role of Donovan Kirk, the mayor of a small town in the middle of the desert.

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