Inside Elisabeth Moss’ life from pregnancy to ‘traumatic’ Wednesday star marriage
Elisabeth Moss stars in Apple TV’s newly released thriller Imperfect Women, alongside Kerry Washington and Kate Mara.
Inside Elisabeth Moss’ life from ‘traumatic’ famous marriage to ABBA family link(Image: APPLE TV)
Elisabeth Moss, renowned for Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale, is back for an “appallingly good” thriller.
Apple TV’s adaptation of author Araminta Hall’s Imperfect Women revolves around a woman’s murder which leaves her lifelong friends Mary (played by Elisabeth Moss) and Eleanor (Kerry Washington) heartbroken.
But as the investigation continues, they discover that their deceased friend Nancy (Kate Mara) had plenty of secrets she wanted to stay buried.
As thriller fans delve into the world of Imperfect Women, many have grown curious about actress Elisabeth Moss who is no stranger when it comes to hit shows.
Inside Elisabeth Moss life
ABBA family link
Actress Elisabeth Moss is the second cousin, once removed, of ABBA legend Bjorn Ulvaeus. (Image: GETTY)
Actress Elisabeth Moss may have found worldwide fame in 2007 when she starred in the unforgettable period drama Mad Men but she has always had a link to the music world.
She is the second cousin, once removed, of ABBA legend Bjorn Ulvaeus, thanks to her Swedish maternal ancestry.
Her great-grandmother, Judith Linnea Nilsson, and Bjorn’s maternal grandmother Eleanora Constantia Nilsson, were sisters.
While they are related, neither of the famous stars have openly talked about their familial connection.
Handmaid’s Tale
Actress Elisabeth Moss plays June Osborne in The Handmaid’s Tale. (Image: HULU)
Moss’ biggest role to date has been as June Osborne in the award-winning dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale, based on Margaret Atwood’s hit novel.
The 43-year-old initially turned down The Handmaid’s Tale as she was reluctant to take on another major project so soon after her eight-year run on Mad Man.
But when it was leaked who the producers were planning on offering the role to instead, Moss claimed it would be “over [her] dead body”.
Opening up on The Jennifer Hudson Show, she shared: “It was the thing that made me realise that I needed to do it.
“I couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else playing that role, you know what I mean?
“That was the thing that made me realise how badly I wanted to do it.”
‘Terrible’ marriage
Actress Elisabeth Moss was briefly married to Wednesday star Fred Armisen. (Image: GETTY)
Moss was married to Wednesday’s Uncle Fester star Fred Armisen after they met on Saturday Night Live in 2009 when her Mad Men co-star Jon Hamm was hosting.
They married later that year but it was short-lived as they went their separate ways just eight months later with Moss opening up on the “awful” relationship in 2014.
She told New York magazine: “Looking back, I feel like I was really young, and at the time I didn’t think that I was that young.
“It was extremely traumatic and awful and horrible. At the same time, it turned out for the best.”
She also previously told Page Six two years prior: “One of the greatest things I heard someone say about him [Armisen is, ‘He’s so great at doing impersonations. But the greatest impersonation he does is that of a normal person.’
“To me, that sums it up … And I think that’s … that’s it.
“I’ve never told anyone that. And I don’t want to waste any more of my life talking about it.”
But Armisen has never disputed how he was in the relationship with Moss, telling host Howard Stern: “I think I was a terrible husband. I think I’m a terrible boyfriend.
“I want it all – fast. I want to be married … the amount of girls I’ve lived with right away…and then somewhere around a year, two years, I get freaked out … I feel bad for everyone I’ve gone out with.”
Pregnancy
Moss announced that she was pregnant with her first child in January 2024 when she was on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, joking that she was a “little bit” pregnant.
She gave birth to the child in March 2025, but has never disclosed their gender or the identity of the baby’s father.
Moss, who shared that she felt “really lucky” through her pregnancy journey, started filming Imperfect Women just a couple of months after giving birth.
What’s next
Moss already has a number of other projects in the pipeline, the first is a crime thriller called Conviction where she portrays a defense attorney who is blackmailed by a mysterious stranger during a high-profile murder case.
She is also currently working on comedy-drama Last Night at the Lobster with My Oxford Year actress Sofia Carson and TV biopic She Will Rise where she will portray former Congresswoman Katie Hill.
Imperfect Women is available to watch on Apple TV.