Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Who Is Joel Lovell? Here’s Everything We Know About Amy Poehler’s Boyfriend
Amy Poehler is keeping her love life low-key — but not totally under wraps. The Parks and Recreation alum quietly confirmed her romance with editor Joel Lovell when the pair made their red carpet debut in March 2025 at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. While Poehler hasn’t publicly spoken about the relationship, the two have been steadily seeing each other for months.
Back in October 2024, People reported that Poehler and Lovell had been dating since the summer, with a source sharing that they were simply “enjoying spending time together.” Since then, the couple has kept things largely private, opting for subtle appearances over splashy headlines.
Poehler, 53, has been linked to a few familiar faces in the past, including John Stamos, Nick Kroll and Benjamin Graf, but her most well-known relationship remains her marriage to actor Will Arnett. The former couple were married for 13 years before divorcing in 2016 and share two sons, Archie, 16, and Abel, 14.
So who exactly is Joel Lovell? Here’s everything to know about Poehler’s boyfriend so far.
Where He’s From
Lovell is originally from upstate New York and attended Cornell University. According to a 2016 interview with the University of Michigan’s alumni newsletter, he initially planned to go to medical school before realizing his passion lay elsewhere. He pivoted toward writing and literature, later earning his MFA from the University of Michigan. After graduating, Lovell even taught undergraduate fiction writing at the school — a far cry from where his career would eventually land.
His Career
Lovell’s path into media was anything but traditional. He once shared that he “lucked into a magazine job” at Harper’s Bazaar after a friend passed along an opportunity.
“So, he recommended me,” Lovell explained. “I literally just got a call one day from an editor asking if I’d be interested in applying for an editing job. That was 20 years ago.”
From there, Lovell went on to work at The New York Times Magazine and GQ. After writing a buzzy profile on Stephen Colbert in 2015, he became increasingly connected to the comedy world. He later served as deputy editor of The New York Times Magazine before shifting his focus to audio storytelling.
Today, Lovell is the executive editor at Pineapple Street Studios, owned by Audacy — the same company behind Poehler’s 2023 scripted comedy podcast, Say More with Dr? Sheila. His credits include editing Missing Richard Simmons, Winds of Change, and 9/12. Prior to that, he worked as executive editor at This American Life and helped shape the first two seasons of the hit true crime podcast Serial.
His Family
Like Poehler, Lovell is a parent. He shares three children — Addie, 23, Tess, 21, and Julia, 17 — from a previous relationship.
Poehler, meanwhile, continues to co-parent sons Archie and Abel with Arnett, maintaining a supportive dynamic years after their split.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Life & Style does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.