Caitlin O’Connor Confirms Her ‘Meet-Cute’ Romance With Joe Manganiello Did Not Begin in a Hot Tub

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Caitlin O’Connor has Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty to thank for her relationship with Joe Manganiello — well, the Season 2 viewing party to be exact. The actress/TV host/producer was there to celebrate her portrayal as Dyan Cannon on the HBO series, and the True Blood star was fortunate enough to score an invite from show co-creator and executive producer Jim Hecht.

There was definitely a “meet-cute” fix-up plan in the works between Hecht and his wife, Courtney Friel. It’s the Hallmark moment everybody wants to have in real life. “Jim Hecht and Joe were writing a show together, so he invited Joe to the Season 2 viewing party,” O’Connor reveals to SheKnows in an exclusive interview. “He had told Joe, ‘There’s a girl from Pittsburgh who is going to be there,’ and Jim’s wife Courtney said, ‘Hey, we invited Joe, he’s from Pittsburgh.” That hometown connection is what sparked a connection, but she admits, “I had no idea that we would hit it off.”

The party happened in early August 2023, but the press didn’t catch wind of their romance until the Daily Mail spotted them post-workout at Gold’s Gym in Venice, California in mid-September, and TMZ gushed about their hot-tub flirtation — and that’s where O’Connor clears up the story for us. “We met in the kitchen before, so technically we met in the kitchen of the party, and then everybody went to the jacuzzi,” she laughs.

The best part of the interaction is her first impression of Manganiello. She describes him as “very down to earth” and “kind,” along with having “a beautiful smile.” Fans also know that the 47-year-old actor has a secret weapon with him at all times: Bubbles, his beloved chihuahua. “It was really Bubbles,” she says. “He put Bubbles on my lap the first time we met, and she doesn’t really like anybody. She just fell asleep right away, so Joe was like, ‘I think we should go on a date.'” Yes, O’Connor passed the Bubbles test with flying colors!

Their hometown roots are also a sweet bond — O’Connor is from Uniontown and Manganiello went to Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh. “He has a really great Pittsburgh-ese accent that he does to make me laugh, so it’s one of my favorite things,” she shares. “We always go to Fiori’s Pizzaria. We go to Nemacolin [Resort]. We go to Primanti Brothers.” That Pittsburgh link with Manganiello is one of O’Connor’s favorite parts of their romance. She gently says, “It’s nice to come home to each other, with each other.”

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity couples with the best stories behind how they met.