Comedian Patton Oswalt only recently made his relationship with actress Meredith Salenger official -- the pair made their first public appearance last month at the LA premiere of Baby Driver -- but already, the couple have taken things to the next level: they're engaged.
It's been just over a year since Oswalt's first wife, well-known true crime writer Michelle McNamara, passed away suddenly in her sleep, leaving the stand-up and their now 8-year-old daughter, Alice, alone together to grieve. Since McNamara's death, Oswalt has been very vocal about his experience as a new widow and an unexpected single parent, posting lengthy, confessional letters to his Facebook, like this one -- on the April anniversary of her death -- in which he reflects on the past year and talks about how he's putting his life back together:
Last night I took off my wedding ring. I couldn’t bear removing it since April 21st, 2016. But now it felt obscene. That anonymous poem about the man mourning his dead lover for a year and a day, for craving a kiss from her “clay cold lips.” I was inviting more darkness. Removing the ring was removing the last symbol of denial of who I was now, and what my life is, and what my responsibilities are.
But it’s not fatal.
Indeed, Oswalt seems to have found happiness in the face of such profound tragedy. According to a friend, the comic met his new fiance through a mutual friend, actress Martha Plimpton, and while their relationship may be fairly new, the two are clearly in love, posting photos and cute notes to each other on social media ever since they made their public debut. Salenger announced the news of their engagement on her Twitter, complete with photos of Oswalt's adorably homemade proposal note:Oswalt, on his own account, gave a cheekier version of the event:It's official. I'm the luckiest happiest girl in the universe!!!!💖 I love you @pattonoswalt I love you Alice Oswalt! pic.twitter.com/6V6JnQ0XKJ
— Meredith Salenger (@MeredthSalenger) July 6, 2017
And, judging by this nerdy engagement photo, the two seem like a pretty great match:I put the ring in a marzipan Slave I replica and said, "Will you be my Padawan of Love?" She maced me but said yes later. https://t.co/9gIr2yxfP5
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 6, 2017