At the Queen & Slim premiere several weeks back, Jodie Turner-Smith seemed to be wearing a billowy maternity-looking gown. She walked the carpet with Joshua Jackson, who was (at the time) described vaguely as her boyfriend or partner. It was their red-carpet debut as a couple, but they’ve been together for a year or longer. It was interesting because over the summer, there was a lot of low-key gossip about how they had gotten quietly married. Turns out, all of it was true – they’re married and expecting their first child:

Joshua Jackson and Jodie Turner-Smith have secretly tied the knot, Us Weekly can exclusively confirm. A source tells Us that not only are the duo married, but that Jackson is “so supportive of Jodie and loves to cheer her on.” Us Weekly can also confirm that Jodie Turner-Smith is pregnant and expecting her first child with her husband, Joshua Jackson.

The news comes just one month after the couple made their red carpet debut at the premiere of Turner-Smith’s new film, Queen & Slim, the 2019 AFI Fest in Los Angeles. At the event, an eyewitness told Us, “Joshua looked so thrilled to be there to support [Jodie]. He was all smiles and doting on her and her family all night. A total gentleman.” They both showed up in Gucci attire, with the Cruel Intentions star wearing a three-piece hunter green suit and the model, 33, rocking a lilac gown with a matching sheer cape.

Rumors swirled, however, when fans took note of how Turner-Smith accessorized her look — with a massive diamond ring on her left hand.

[From Us Weekly]

So, it was as we expected. Congrats to them! I also wanted to talk about this Variety podcast interview Jodie did to promote Queen & Slim several weeks ago, because it relates! Jodie was born in Britain and is a British citizen, but she’s been living in America for a while. I’m pretty sure she does a flawless American accent, which is how she got cast as an American woman in Queen & Slim, which is her film debut. So now that she’s living and working in America and married to a… Canadian citizen (?), and presumably about to give birth to an American citizen (which will happen if she gives birth here), what’s happening with her citizenship? She spoke about that on the Variety podcast:

On Queen & Slim: “In the middle of all of this, while this group of people in this country, black people are being oppressed, are being killed, are being murdered, there is still this beauty that cannot be killed and that is also what this movie is about…This is a movie about black survival at all costs.”

She says she’ll eventually apply for U.S. citizenship. Turner-Smith, who grew up in the U.K., moved to Los Angeles about 10 years ago after being introduced to Pharrell Williams while she was living in Pittsburgh. The musician persuaded her to head west to pursue a modeling career. Turner-Smith, 33, who has been in a relationship with Joshua Jackson for more than a year, thinks she’ll eventually apply for U.S. citizenship. But she’s torn. “I’ve been in this country now for so long, so it’s like I should, but I’m not certain that I want to live here and raise my family…. It’s a very complicated relationship that I have with America. I love it so much. And I also see the places where it’s flawed.”

[From Variety]

This reminds me a little bit about the kerfuffle around Emily Blunt becoming an American citizen for “tax purposes” and how there was a backlash to her general sadness towards becoming a citizen. But… where Emily came into that conversation as a rich white woman who probably had a team of citizenship lawyers handle everything for her in a short amount of time, Jodie’s situation is a bit different. The truth is, she will have a much longer and more intense process of becoming a citizen because of her race alone, especially in Trump’s ‘Murica. I respect Jodie’s qualms about becoming an American citizen, honestly. And frankly, she’ll probably want American citizenship more if and when she gives birth here.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.