Melanie Lynskey and Jason Ritter love their life as a family of three.
The Yellowjackets and Matlock stars welcomed their daughter in December 2018. However, it wasn’t until January 2019 that Lynskey confirmed her arrival.
Since then, the actors have maintained their child’s privacy by not revealing her name or showing her face online. Still, the couple share glimpses of her on social media, including posting photos highlighting their summer break adventures.
Speaking to InStyle in August 2022, Lynskey explained that for the well-being of their family, her husband has declined acting roles that aren’t “life-changing,” so he’s not away from them for too long. During times when Lynskey is off on the road working, she has a special way to stay connected to her daughter.
“She loves to write notes and receive notes, like little cards that say, ‘I love you so much,’ or if she gets upset about something, she’ll write out an apology card,” the New Zealand actress told PEOPLE in April 2024.
Lynskey continued, “It says, ‘I’m sorry for getting upset that I wasn’t allowed a lollipop,’ or whatever. So we have stacks and stacks of cards that we’ve written each other.”
From her artistic skills to watching her parents perform, here’s everything to know about Jason Ritter and Melanie Lynskey’s daughter.
She was born in 2018
Lynskey and Ritter welcomed their baby girl in December 2018, though it wasn’t until a month later they announced her arrival. The Two and a Half Men star confirmed she had given birth to their daughter in late January 2019.
“We feel lucky to have been able to have our news just be for friends and family for a while, but I guess the story got out, so! Yes! @JasonRitter and I had a daughter in December,” she wrote on X at the time. “We love her so much; she’s perfect. Thanks to everyone for your sweet messages.”
Lynskey later posted a follow-up message on the social platform to jokingly “correct a couple things that have been stated in articles online” during her daughter’s birth.
“1) Jason was NOT in Boy Meets World and wow that would have been pretty easy to check 2) I did NOT welcome the baby ‘quietly,’ I was blasting A$AP Rocky and yelling a lot,” she added.
Ritter thinks she may become an actor
With both of her parents having robust careers in the entertainment industry, it’s not too far off to believe Lynskey and Ritter’s child might act in the future.
Ritter revealed she was “already showing signs” that she could follow in their footsteps during a March 2023 appearance on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show.
He didn’t sway one way or another but noted that “the more you try to control someone’s life, the more they rebel.” So if her daughter gravitates toward acting like them, Ritter plans to be supportive.
“I think you want to help your child be as fully who they are as they want to be,” he said.
She enjoys writing notes to Lynskey
While she’s busy working on her various acting jobs, Lynskey’s child’s “favorite thing” to do is gift her mother notes.
Lynskey often returns the favor, opening up about a time she was filming in London when she “cut little heart shapes out and left little surprise notes” for her daughter to find.
“She went on a mission, she got so excited. So she’s like, ‘Where are the rest of my notes?’ ” The Last of Us star told PEOPLE in April 2024.
Lynskey continued, “I’m like, well you found them, you found 12 notes, but one was in her lunchbox and one was under her pillow.”
She consoled Lynskey after missing the 2023 Emmys
After being nominated for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her work on Yellowjackets at the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards, Lynskey notably didn’t attend the awards ceremony — but for good reason.
She explained on Instagram that she and her daughter were at home sick, recovering after testing positive for COVID-19. Lynskey added that the nomination was “the greatest honour of my career” and admitted she was sad not to be in attendance.
After having “a bit of a cry” about the unfortunate news, her daughter gifted her a drawing and note where “one page says that she loves me, and the other page says that Dada loves me, and then there’s a mama snail and baby snails (???).”
Her child’s art, pictured in the January 2024 Instagram post, “reminded [Lynskey] of all that is important in my world” and lifted her spirits.
She concluded, “I would choose cuddling my feverish little one every time, even if it means missing a night like tonight.”
She is “the joy” of Lynskey and Ritter’s lives
Lynskey and her Yellowjackets‘ character Shauna might both be moms, but they have “opposite parenting styles.”
At the show’s season 2 premiere in March 2023, Lynskey explained she and Shauna had contrasting motherhood experiences.
“I feel so fortunate to have my daughter, and I love her,” she told PEOPLE. “It’s like the joy of my life. Every day, I’m like, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you for this child.’ I want to spend every minute with her.”
The mother of one further expressed how much love she has for her kin on Instagram in a celebratory post for her 6th birthday in December 2024.
Lynskey called her child the “kindest, most deeply feeling little person” whose “beautiful little face is 80% Ritter, 20% Lynskey and 100% you.”
Ritter responded to the heartfelt post in the comment section, rebutting her sentiments and writing, “This is so beautiful and made me cry. We love you smoosh.”
She inspired one of Lynskey’s tattoos
While their daughter loves writing notes, Lynskey adored one of her drawings so much that she got it permanently tattooed onto her body.
The Heavenly Creatures alum shared a side-by-side photo of her baby’s sketch of a cat and the “meticulous recreation” tattoo in a January 2024 Instagram post.
In the caption, she explained that she got the drawing because “even in the most challenging moments … there is true joy in my life and fills me with deep gratitude.”
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