Fran Drescher Reveals How Her Gay Ex-Husband Keeps Men Away From Her Love Life

Fran Drescher is embracing life as a single woman and speaking openly about why she isn’t interested in a traditional romantic relationship. The Nanny star, now 68, told PEOPLE that she doesn’t have the energy or desire to compromise for a partner at this stage of her life.

“It takes a lot of work!” she said about the idea of being in a committed relationship. “Selfishly, I don’t want to compromise.” Drescher explained that living on her own has made her more independent and less reliant on validation from others. “That’s a lot of what it is when you’re with somebody…but the more you live on your own, the less you want to do that, and the less you need it if you happen to have a gay ex-husband,” she added.

Her longtime friendship with her ex-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, has shaped her view on love. Drescher and Jacobson met when they were teenagers, married in 1978, and co-created the hit sitcom The Nanny. Their marriage ended in 1999 when Jacobson came out as gay, but they have remained incredibly close.

“I can have friends with benefits. That’s easy,” Drescher said about dating casually. “But because I have Peter, I think he’s a bit of a c—block. I take him to everything, and I don’t really care. I have a gay ex-husband — live with it! But I’ve been with him since I was 15. Who can compete with that?”

She noted that their relationship has changed a lot since their romantic days. “And over the years, he grew tremendously. He’s not the same person. Neither one of us are who we were when we were married,” she said. Today, they work together, travel together, and share family life in a way that feels like a partnership without romance.

“But we are soulmates. So soulmates really can’t ever [split]…they’re like magnets, and we just had to figure out how to be happily divorced, and we so are,” Drescher said. She added, “We travel together now, and my family is his family and it’s great.”

Her approach to life and relationships is influenced by a mix of Buddhism and her Jewish faith. “I’m a Buddhist or a Bu-Jew, if you want to call it that,” she said. “I’m always trying to think, how can I take this experience and grow through it to be better than I was before?” She believes that love doesn’t have to come from marriage. “You’re not supposed to be married to everybody just because you love them, and you learn that the hard way very often,” Drescher explained.

She reflected on the lessons she’s learned about relying too much on a partner for happiness. “We put a lot on our mate that we don’t so much put on our friends,” she said. “So sometimes, that feeling that you had way back in the beginning, that got all messed up in a marriage that probably shouldn’t have been, you can kind of rekindle that if you just pare it down to much simpler expectations. And we’re good with that.”

Fran Drescher remains best known for her role as Fran Fine in The Nanny, which ran from 1993 to 1999. She earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the show and later turned her real-life divorce into the TV Land sitcom Happily Divorced, which she co-created with Jacobson.

She has also become a major voice in Hollywood, serving as president of SAG-AFTRA since 2021. Drescher was a prominent leader during the historic 2023 actors’ strike and continues to advocate for labor rights.

Recently, she has returned to acting with notable projects. Drescher joined the cast of the A24 film Marty Supreme, directed by Josh Safdie and starring Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Beyond her career, Drescher is a dedicated health advocate through her nonprofit Cancer Schmancer. As a uterine cancer survivor, she has spent decades promoting early detection and healthcare awareness.

Fran Drescher’s life today reflects a blend of independence, close friendships, and ongoing creativity. She is thriving without a romantic partner, but maintains a deep and lasting bond with her ex-husband.

Do you think ex-spouses can truly remain platonic soulmates, or is Fran’s situation one in a million? Share your thoughts in the comments.