Photo: Arturo Holmes/WireImage
John Oliveris well known on both sides of the Atlantic, but his most cherished role is that of husband to his wife, Kate Norley.
He met Norley in 2008, and they were married three years later. The couple have since welcomed two children together, but they have largely stayed out of the public eye.
Oliver joked in 2013 onThe Late Show with David Lettermanthat his wife is more “valuable” than he is, and is the “leader” in their home.
“How do you think it goes down when I come back from my day writing for a comedy show, writing jokes? You can see her eyes roll back into her head and go ‘just shut up,’ " he quipped. “When you’ve been in a war you have no time for the insecurities of a mid-range comedian.”
So, who is John Oliver’s wife? Here is everything to know about Kate Norley and her relationship with the comedian.
She grew up in Virginia
Mike Pont/FilmMagic
Norley grew up in Virginia and attended Episcopal High School, a boarding school in Alexandria, according toStars and Stripes.
She grew up in an affluent family. Her stepfather, Dennis Mannion, has been a sports executive in the MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL. According tothe NBA, Dennis married Pam, Norley’s mother, when Norley was a child. Dennis likened their family toThe Brady Bunch— when Dennis and Pam married, he had two sons, she had two daughters and they later had one more child together.
She survived a severe car accident at 16
However, she made a full recovery and decided to forego college to join the army following the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
She’s an Iraq War veteran and former U.S. Army medic
Larry Busacca/Getty
Norley joined the Army after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which she recalled at a 2008American Veterans Centerconference as being “the scariest day” of her life. “I had no idea what was happening,” she said. “But I felt that I needed to react.”
At that same conference, she advocated for recognizing and supporting female veterans. She shared that when she returned home from overseas, she didn’t hear about women and the sacrifices they made while they served.
In the Army, she worked as a combat medic and mental health specialist. “If they told me tomorrow I could go home … I wouldn’t be satisfied I’m finished with what I set out to do,” she told Stars and Stripes. “I’m doing things I never dreamed I was capable of doing.”
During her deployment, Norley helped both soldiers and locals near Camp Blackjack in Iraq, and has since returned there to visit. While she was there, she met Eaman al-Gobory, who was studying at the University of Baghdad. Years later, Norley and al-Gobory reunited when al-Gobory received the International Women of Courage Award at the White House for her work helping sick and wounded children, perThe Washingtonian.
She met Oliver at the Republican National Convention in 2008
According toThe Daily Beast, a group of veterans — including Norley — helped Oliver and his crew hide from security. The pair began emailing each other before they started to date.
She advocates for more funding for veterans
Neilson Barnard/Getty
Oliver proposed to her in 2010
The couple got engaged on a Caribbean vacation in July 2010. “We were in St. Thomas on holiday,” Oliver told PEOPLE.
“I was a medic in the Army,” Norley added. “It was difficult, but right now it’s nice that I get to spend time with the love of my life.”
“It’s the most emasculating thing I could possibly do to go out with someone who has actually done something valuable with their life,” Oliver added jokingly.
She married Oliver in 2011
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The couple married a year later, in 2011. Norley and Oliver kept their nuptials private.
She is a mom of two sons
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Norley and Oliver have two kids: Hudson, born in 2015, and another son, born in 2018.
In 2017, Oliver spoke about Hudson, who was born premature, onLast Week Tonight. “I have a son. He is 19 months old, he was born prematurely following a very difficult pregnancy and I’m worried about his health and I still worry about his health a lot,” he said.
“It’s bewildering [and] exhausting juggling that and the show, but no, it’s the greatest,” hetold PEOPLE.
“He’s going to start preschool. It’s going to be incredible,” Oliver said.
He added that the milestone might be an emotional one for him. “As a British person, I don’t really have a middle ground — it’s either no emotion at all or I’m collapsing in tears,” he said. “So it will probably be the second one.”
She’s fought for Republican causes
As seen onLast Week Tonight, Oliver may have supported DemocratJoe Bidenin the 2020 presidential election, but when he and Norley met, she was campaigning for Republican candidates.
Oliver has been politically open-minded since meeting Norley. He described his wife as an “American with a capital ‘A’ " toThe Boston Globeand added that he’s more “defensive” of the country she fought for now.
“I’m a little more defensive of how America is perceived overseas,” he told the outlet in 2014. “America takes a lot of s—, much of it well earned, from the rest of the world. And yet when something terrible goes down, people are waiting for Americans to fall out of the sky and help them.”
As a tribute to his wife and her service, Oliver sometimes wears a 1st Cavalry Division pin, even wearing one in his 2013 appearance onThe Late Show with David Letterman.
She and Oliver have attended the Emmy Awards together
Kate Norley and John Oliver attend the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Kevin Mazur/Getty
Kevin Mazur/Getty
In January 2024, Norley accompanied Oliver to the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, whereLast Week Tonightwon two awards.
The couple had another Emmys date night in September 2024, when Oliver gave Norley another shout-out as he accepted the award thatLast Week Tonightwon for outstanding scripted variety series, though he did flub their son’s name in his excitement.
“I’d like tothank my wife, Kateand our kids, husband — ‘husband’ — Hudson, his name is Hudson. Ouch. That’s gonna come back to haunt me,” he said.
She and Oliver attended the 2024 Albie Awards
John Oliver and Kate Norley in 2024.John Nacion/getty
John Nacion/getty
source: people.com
