Buffy the Vampire Slayeractress Alyson Hannigan hilariously recounts a piece of advice she received from a co-star about dating her future husband, Alexis Denisof. Hannigan was just 22years old when she was cast inBuffyas Willow Rosenberg, Buffy’s nerdy best friend turned all-powerful witch. Besides Willow, Buffy had many allies, including stuffy Watcher, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, played by Alexis Denisof. While Hannigan remained onBuffyfor all seven seasons, Denisof moved to the spinoff series,Angel. Behind the scenes, Hannigan and Denisof fell in love and were married in 2003.
Recently, Hannigan and Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, who have remained close friends long afterBuffy the Vampire Slayerwrapped, sat down withUs Weeklyto discuss the upcomingBuffyreboot. With Ryan Kiera Armstrong recently announced as the star of the new series, Gellar, who is also starring and producing the project, revealed that several children of formerBuffyactors auditioned for the show. However, the real tidbit came whenHannigan revealed that not only would Denisof not initially date her, but Giles actor Anthony Stewart Head actually advised her not to start a relationship with him. Check out Hannigan’s statement:
“I remember Anthony Stewart Head saying — because at this point Alexis was on [the spinoff] Angel — and so it was so obvious that we needed to decide whether or not this was going to be something… So I went to Tony and I was like, ‘Should we go on a date?’ He’s like, ‘Absolutely not. It will ruin your friendship. You guys are too good. Do not date him.’ So on the big anniversaries, I’m like, ‘Hey Tony, thanks for the advice.”
Our Take On Giles Advising Willow Not To Date Wesley
The Scoobies Never Listen
With Giles being the oldest member of the Scooby Gang, it’s unsurprising that Anthony Stewart Head found himself taking on the father figure role to his younger co-stars. Buffy and co. rarely went to Giles for dating advice, and he mainly stayed out of their romantic lives, but the Watcher was always ready with advice should it be sought out. It’s clear that this happened more behind the scenes, and Head gave Alyson Hannigan sound, logical guidance. However, logic and love don’t often go hand in hand, andHannigan and Alexis Denisof were right to follow their hearts.
It also appears that Sarah Michelle Gellar is a bit of an accidental Cupid, as she revealed a similar connection she witnessed on the set ofAll My Childrenwith Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Gellar said,
“Do you know this has happened to me numerous times? Because there was also another girl that had a similar, very hard crush on someone that I watched. It was Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. And I watched Kelly the day that she met Mark, and she came running and she’s like, ‘there is the hottest guy.’ And he was like, ‘No, not where I work.’ So, usually, I know how that ends.”
Where Alyson Hannigan & Alexis Denisof Are Now
They’ve Been Happily Married For 22 Years & Have Two Children
As Alyson Hannigan pointed out, Anthony Stewart Head was dead wrong about the outcome of her romance with Alexis Denisof. Hannigan and Denisof were married on June 08, 2025, at the Two Bunch Palms Resort in Desert Hot Springs, California.The couple has two daughters together, Satyana (16) and Keeva (12).
Alyson Hannigan’s first pregnancy resulted in her character Lily disappearing for severalHow I Met Your Motherepisodes in season 4. Her second pregnancy was written into the storyline in season 7.
Hannigan and Denisof continue to act, and even starred together on the popular sitcomHow I Met Your Mother, in which Hannigan played main character Lily Aldrin, while Denisof played Sandy Rivers in three episodes. However, if Hannigan has her way, her children won’t be joining the family business anytime soon. When Sarah Michelle Gellar revealed the tidbit about kids ofBuffythe Vampire Slayeralumni auditioning, Hannigan humorously replied, “It better not have been one of my kids!”
