Maureen McCormick credits humor for 40-year Hollywood marriage
The Brady Bunch star and her husband say laughter, patience and sobriety help them weather fame and time.
Maureen McCormick, the actress who played Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch, is marking a milestone this year: 40 years of marriage to Michael Cummings. The couple spoke at The John Ritter Foundation’s Evening from the Heart Gala in Los Angeles, where Cummings offered the simple secret to a lasting union under the Hollywood spotlight: humor. “You’ve got to have a sense of humor about things,” he said, adding that one should not take things too seriously and should “let things go and just love the one you’re with. It’s a lifetime deal.” McCormick nodded, noting that couples should celebrate the differences and that they knew early on they wanted to build a forever together. Cummings said he wasn’t starstruck by McCormick’s fame when they met, saying, “I didn’t know who she was, but I liked what I saw.” The couple’s account of their relationship emphasizes trust and shared purpose in a world of constant headlines.
Dating in the 1980s, McCormick and Cummings wed in 1985 and welcomed their daughter, Natalie Michelle Cummings, in 1989. In February, McCormick marked their bond with a public post calling Cummings her “forever Valentine.” Over the years, they have prioritized family over fame, maintaining a grounded life amid the ongoing spotlight. The couple’s narrative also includes a decades-long commitment to sobriety for McCormick, a pillar of their relationship.
McCormick has been sober for more than 40 years, a journey she has discussed publicly in recent years. In 2024, she told Us Weekly that sobriety has been “everything to me,” crediting her husband with helping her stay the course. “I’m so happy to be sober and to be really clear and comfortable in my skin,” she said, adding that Cummings, along with her family and close friends, played a key role in her recovery. The road to sobriety was not easy: for five years after The Brady Bunch ended, she battled cocaine addiction and bulimia, a period she detailed in her 2008 memoir, Here’s the Story. She described seeking refuge in glamorous cocaine dens above Hollywood, a path that cost her career and nearly her life. The memoir quotes cited in interviews recount a relentless struggle that included hospital stays and ongoing rehab efforts. In one painful moment she recalled that a relapse led Cummings to issue a stark ultimatum: if she ever used the drug again, he would leave. The moment proved pivotal, and she has since spoken of a renewed sense of purpose and gratitude.
Despite those battles, McCormick’s career has endured beyond The Brady Bunch. She reprised her role in various spinoff specials and films, and she later appeared on shows such as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. In 2016, she competed on Dancing with the Stars, expanding her public presence beyond the iconic TV family. She also remained connected to Brady Bunch fans through appearances at anniversaries and retrospective pieces, including a 1998 TV Guide exhibition in Beverly Hills.
The couple’s longevity reflects a shared approach to life and work: prioritize your partner, lean on humor, and keep family at the center. McCormick has described the years with Cummings as a rare blueprint for navigating fame without losing sight of what matters most. In February, she posted again about their bond, calling him her forever Valentine, a sentiment that resonates with the broader arc of her life: a public career, a private joy, and a resilient commitment that has lasted four decades.
As the 40th anniversary year continued, McCormick remained connected to fans and the industry while celebrating the everyday realities of partnership. Her story—rising from a television darling to a sober, grounded adult whose life continues to intertwine with her spouse and family—serves as a reminder of the power of laughter, honesty, and mutual devotion in a demanding, ever-changing entertainment landscape.
The Brady Bunch became a cultural touchstone of an era, and McCormick’s other credits—The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and a later appearance on Dancing with the Stars—helped keep her in the public eye without eclipsing the core values she and Cummings have cultivated. The couple’s ongoing presence at events, interviews, and milestones demonstrates that a long marriage can exist alongside a vibrant, ongoing career in Hollywood when humor, resilience, and family remain central. In reflecting on the journey, McCormick has repeatedly emphasized gratitude for the life she shares with Cummings, underscoring that the secret to forty years together isn’t a grand gesture but a steady, shared commitment to one another.
