John Schneider and Dee Dee Sorvino’s Relationship: From Their Unexpected Meeting to Vegas Wedding 1 Year Later

John Schneider married for the fourth time in July 2024 to Dee Dee Sorvino.

The Dukes of Hazzard actor and Sorvino both lost their spouses in the two years before their nuptials. Schneider’s wife, Alicia Allain Schneider, died from breast cancer in February 2023, while Sorvino’s husband, Goodfellas actor Paul Sorvino, died the year prior in July 2022 from natural causes.

Schneider first revealed he was dating Sorvino in May 2024, five months after making a since-deleted statement on X (formerly Twitter) about President Joe Biden in which he said he should be “publicly hung.”

"God sent a widower to a widow and a widow to a widower who [gets] it, who understands,” he said of his relationship during an appearance on Grace Begins, The Podcast. “Because I tell you what, I was ready to give it up, all of it — everything."

From their personal losses to their nuptials, here’s everything to know about John Schneider and Dee Dee Sorvino’s relationship.

Schneider and Sorvino are both in the entertainment industry

Schneider is known for his starring roles on Dukes of Hazzard and Smallville, but he also is a country singer, with over 20 albums and five no. 1 singles on the Billboard Country chart. Sorvino, for her part, is an Emmy Award-winning host, having worked on Fox News and the CBS Morning Show.

In 2023, Schneider competed on The Masked Singer as Donut, finishing as the runner-up to R&B singer NE-YO in the season 10 finale.

"What an amazing opportunity to be able to honor Alicia, to be able to honor people who are grieving, maybe educate people who are grieving a little bit, in front of millions of people," he told PEOPLE after his second-place win. 

He added, "I'm a pretty strong guy but I'm also a very emotional guy. Being out there on that stage dressed like a donut, singing some of the greatest songs ever written and having people respond to the songs and the performance with no notion that it was me, really, really helped John Schneider."

Both Schneider and Sorvino lost their spouses in the two years before their marriage

Schneider and Sorvino have been open about how the loss of their previous partners affected their lives. In February 2023, Schneider’s wife Alicia died from breast cancer at 53 years old, while Sorvino’s husband, Paul, died in July 2022.

“I miss every damn thing, every day," Schneider told PEOPLE in August 2023 of how he was mourning his late wife. "I have to get to the point where I look around and see where she is, not where she's not. And I'm trying to do that, but that's hard. Somehow I love her more every minute, but with that, somehow I miss her more every minute."

Sorvino was simultaneously coping with the loss of Paul, who died from "natural causes and had dealt with health issues over the past few years," a release stated at the time.

"Our hearts are broken," Sorvino said in a statement at the time. "There will never be another Paul Sorvino, he was the love of my life, and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage."

Sorvino and Schneider supported each other through their losses

Sorvino and Schneider bonded through their mutual loss, with Schneider attending events in honor of Paul to support Sorvino.

“She and Paul were, and I believe still are, a delightful couple, and we have something in common. She lost Paul. I lost my bride,” Schneider told the Daily Mail in July 2023 at an American Legion Post 43 event honoring Paul. “We're kind of holding each other up, which is a good thing.”

They met at The Hollywood Museum in Los Angeles

The couple first met in person at Los Angeles’ The Hollywood Musem, where Schneider accompanied Sorvino at the opening of the Abbott and Costello exhibit in July 2023. The two posed for photos on the red carpet together and had an official wedding ceremony at the venue in August 2024.

Though Schneider said he wasn’t looking for a new relationship, he shared on Grace Begins, The Podcast that meeting Sorvino changed his mind, calling the situation a “miracle.”

"Then, just when I thought the very notion of dating or holding another hand was repulsive, I met this one, that crazy Dame over there,” he said, gesturing toward Sorvino, who was off camera.

"I was done," he continued. "And if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have been here, there's not a chance in the world."

They got married in Las Vegas

Schneider and Sorvino tied the knot on July 23, 2024, in Las Vegas, according to a press release. The “surprise” wedding took place at Vegas Weddings in a white convertible that was once owned by Usher.

The couple planned to also have a ceremony in August at the museum where they met, they confirmed in the release. 

“I felt it would be appropriate that we host their official wedding celebration,” Hollywood Museum president and founder Donelle Dadigan said. “We are looking forward to celebrating Dee Dee and John, and their love for each other.”

Not long after their elopement, Schneider and Sorvino followed through with their plans and hosted their wedding party at the Hollywood Museum on Aug. 1, complete with a red carpet.

They posed for photos together, and during the party, Eddie Money's children, Zachary and Jessica Money, sang "Two Tickets to Paradise."