Abbi Jacobson Says She and Wife Jodi Balfour 'Pretend to Be Sisters' on Road Trips to Feel Safe
(Illustration: USA Current Affaires)
Abbi Jacobson has shared a candid and quietly heartbreaking detail about life on the road with her wife.
The "Broad City" star, 42, spoke to Page Six exclusively at a special screening of her new animated Alzheimer drama "Tangles," where she revealed that she and her wife, actress Jodi Balfour, 39, sometimes pretend to be sisters when they drive across the United States. "As my wife and I drive, if we drive across the country, there are states where we are sisters. In case," Jacobson told Page Six.
It is a small, practical precaution — and a powerful reminder that even successful, openly gay celebrities in Hollywood still weigh their safety when they travel through parts of the country. Jacobson did not name the states, and she did not need to. The meaning of her words was clear: in some places, being honest about who they are to each other still feels like a risk.
The moment stood out because Jacobson delivered it without drama or anger. It was simply a fact of her life — the kind of everyday calculation that many same-sex couples will recognise instantly, and that others may never have had to think about at all.
Grateful to Work Without Hiding
Jacobson, who is openly gay, also told Page Six that she is grateful to work in Hollywood without having to hide her sexuality — noting that "many people were not able to" do the same. It was a pointed acknowledgement of how far the industry has come, and how much further the wider world still has to go.
The actress and comedian has built a career on honesty. From "Broad City," the cult comedy she co-created and starred in, to her voice work and her growing list of producing credits, Jacobson has always brought her real self to her work. Her openness about her relationship with Balfour is part of that — and it is exactly why her road-trip revelation has struck a chord with so many readers.
Jacobson and Balfour met virtually during the COVID pandemic, announced their relationship in October 2021, and married in June 2024. Their story is a modern romance in every sense: a connection forged over screens during lockdown, built into a marriage, and now shared — carefully, and on their own terms — with the world.
A New Film About Memory and Family
The screening where Jacobson spoke was for "Tangles," her new animated drama about Alzheimer's disease. The film also stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Beanie Feldstein and Seth Rogen, and it begins an awards-qualifying run on November 27, 2026, ahead of a limited release on January 15, 2027.
It is a serious, emotional project — a long way from the anarchic comedy of "Broad City" — and it shows a different side of Jacobson as a storyteller. The film's themes of memory, family and the people we hold close feel especially fitting given what she shared on the night.
Jacobson's comments have already sparked conversation online, with fans praising her honesty and many sharing their own experiences of navigating the same unspoken rules on the road. As awards season continues, Emma Watson was also out in Los Angeles this week, attending the GQ Men of the Year party at Chateau Marmont, and the red-carpet calendar shows no sign of slowing down.
For Jacobson and Balfour, though, the story is simpler than any headline. Two people, married and in love, driving across the country — and sometimes, just to be safe, introducing themselves as sisters. It is a detail that says a great deal about America in 2026, and about the quiet compromises that even the most visible couples still make. Tyra Banks also spoke candidly this week about her own single life, and Hollywood's stars are opening up like never before.
Have you ever had to hide who you are to feel safe while travelling? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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