Meet the Real-Life Loves of Netflix'sMeet Me Next ChristmasCast

Mar. 15, 2025

Christina Milian, Matt Pokora, Devale Ellis and Khadeen Ellis.Photo:Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty; Paras Griffin/FilmMagic

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty; Paras Griffin/FilmMagic

The fairytale romance is real in Netflix’s new holiday rom-comMeet Me Next Christmas.

Christina Milian— who plays Layla, a woman on a mission to get sold-out Pentatonix tickets so she can reunite with a handsome stranger she met last Christmas — told PEOPLE in October that her two potential on-screen suitors,Devale EllisandKofi Siriboe, made the chemistry part “easy.”

“Devale and Kofi are two very handsome men, but also two very unique guys,” the actress and singer-songwriter said. “I think women are going to be excited to see these men.”

While the movie is about going to great lengths to find that special someone, most of theMeet Me Next Christmascast already has. Milian has been with her husband, French singerMatt Pokora, since 2017, and Ellis and his wife, Khadeen Ellis, have been married since 2010.

Here’s everything to know about the real-life partners of theMeet Me Next Christmascast.

Christina Milian and Matt Pokora

Christina Milian and Matt Pokora.Emma McIntyre/WireImage

Emma McIntyre/WireImage

Milian and Pokora, whoshe calls her “twin flame”on Instagram, have been together since 2017. They first connected at a restaurant in France after a host insisted they meet. TheLove Don’t Cost a Thingactress toldJennifer Hudsonduring a 2024 appearance onThe Jennifer Hudson Showthat when they exchanged numbers, she found out they had something major in common.

“We had the same birthday,” she said. “So it was our birthday that really brought us together. It was meant to be.”

Milian and Pokorawelcomed their first child, Isaiah, on Jan. 20, 2020, and their second son, Kenna,was born the following yearon April 24, 2021. She also shares a daughter, Violet, with her ex-husband,The Dream. In 2023,Milian and Pokora moved to Parisso their kids could attend school there.

Devale Ellis and Khadeen Ellis

Devale Ellis and Khadeen Ellis.Paras Griffin/Getty

Paras Griffin/Getty

InMeet Me Next Christmas, Devale plays a concierge named Teddy, who Layla hires to help her get the tickets. Like his character, he also found his real-life love in New York City. According to a 2023 documentary about their relationship calledLove Against the World,the former NFL player met his wife of 14 years, Khadeen, in a Brooklyn elementary school.

“This doc will dissect the choices we made as 18 year old individuals to fight for our love, even when we didn’t exactly know what we were fighting for,” the couplewrote in an Instagram postpromoting the project. “We just knew we had to be together.”

Devale and Khadeen tied the knot on July 4, 2010. They share four sons — Jackson, Kairo, Kaz and Dakota — and co-host a podcast together calledDead Ass with K&E. They also have a YouTube Channel calledThe Ellises, where they share behind-the-scenes clips of their lives.

Kofi Siriboe

Kofi Siriboe.Unique Nicole/FilmMagic

Unique Nicole/FilmMagic

Siriboe’sMeet Me Next Christmascharacter, James, is the handsome stranger Layla agrees to reunite with at the Pentatonix show. The actor’s seemingly last public relationship was with model Duckie Thot in 2018.BETreported the two had split within a year.

Even though he mostly keeps quiet about his dating life, theQueen Sugaractor did say in 2020 that he was taking his time to find love.

“I just realized that I still had voids that I was trying to fill and I still have self-love work to do,” Siriboe said during a live taping ofEssence’sYes Girl!podcast. “I’m not going to be in a relationship unless I’m really able to commit. Before I’m able to commit, I have to show myself that I can commit to myself and become the man I want to be.”

Kirstin Maldonado and Ben Hausdorff

Kirstin Maldonado, Elliana Violet and Ben Hausdorff.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Apparently, all great love stories start atPentatonixconcerts — because that’s where Pentatonix memberKirstin Maldonadomet her husband, Ben Hausdorff. She told PEOPLE in 2024 that she first connected with the videographer and director while on tour with the group in 2018.

The couple welcomed their first child, Elliana Violet, on June 28, 2022, and got engaged the following year. On April 21, 2024,they tied the knotat a vineyard in McKinney, Texas, with all the members of the Grammy-winning a cappella group present.

“I think we’ve finally caught up to our relationship or our relationship has finally caught up to where we are,” Hausdorff told PEOPLE. “And I think there’s something special about that. Just being like, yes, ‘My wife!’ and this is our life, and this is our daughter, and that’s it.”

Scott Hoying and Mark Manio

Scott Hoying and Mark Manio.Amy Sussman/Getty

Amy Sussman/Getty

The Pentatonix singer has been with his husband, Mark Manio, since 2017. According to Hoying,they instantly hit it offat a friend’s birthday party and started hanging out every single day.

“People always say that six years later, we still haven’t lost our ‘honeymoon phase,’ and we couldn’t agree more,” he told PEOPLE in 2024.

Hoying popped the question in April 2022, and the couple got married the following year in July 2023. They held a seaside ceremony in Santa Barbara, Calif., with his Pentatonix group members and celebrities likeColton Haynes,Adam RipponandRandy Jacksonas guests.

Kevin Olusola and Leigh Olusola

Kevin Olusola and Leigh Olusola.Kevin Olusola/Instagram

Kevin Olusola/Instagram

Kevin Olusola has been with his wife, Leigh Olusola, since 2017. After meeting through a mutual friend, the couple started dating andtied the knottwo years later with a two-day wedding in Simi Valley, Calif. The first day was an American-style ceremony, and the second was a traditional Nigerian wedding to pay respect to Olusola’s heritage.

“The theme was a blending of two cultures with traditional Nigerian food, clothing, and music at the Nigerian ceremony. Then, Italian food and villa setting at the American wedding," the couple told PEOPLE. “We are both just so excited to have our absolute best friend as a spouse as we enjoy this crazy journey we call life."

The Pentatonix singerannounced on Instagramin April 2021 that they had welcomed their first child, a girl named Kai Noelle. In June 2024, the coupleshared on Instagramthat they had a new addition to their family: a son named Christian.

Matt Sallee and Sarah Bishop

Matt Sallee and Sarah Bishop.Amy Sussman/Getty

Like James and Layla inMeet Me Next Christmas, Pentatonix’s Matt Sallee and Sarah Bishop had an instant connection.The couple told PEOPLEin 2022 that they both knew what they had was special after their first date.

“We’d both separately been praying for our life partners and knew that this wasn’t a coincidence,” they said, “and our walk on the moonlit beach that night solidified it.”

source: people.com