The Strangest Things About HGTV's Jonathan Scott & Zooey Deschanel's Relationship
It all started with a song. That's what you could say when describing the relationship between Zooey Deschanel of "New Girl" fame and Jonathan Scott from HGTV, since they met while doing "Carpool Karaoke: The Series" in August 2019. Their siblings, Emily Deschanel and Drew Scott, were in tow, so it wasn't exactly a first date. Plus, Zooey was still married to her now ex-husband Jacob Pechenik. Zooey and Pechenik announced their split on September 6, 2019 per People. By September 13, Hollywood Life had photos of Zooey and Jonathan holding hands, and People confirmed the "Property Brothers" star and actor were an official item.
There are a lot of sweet moments in Zooey and Jonathan's relationship, but the speedy rate at which they got together may be odd to some. However, Zooey and Pechenik were reportedly already separated prior to announcing their breakup, according to a source for People. A different insider spoke about Zooey and Jonathan to the outlet and explained that they enjoyed their time making "Carpool Karaoke," saying, "They became friends after and then started talking as friends and realized there was more to it," adding that Zooey and Jonathan liked a lot of the same things.
Despite their apparent soulmate-ism, there are other strange things about Zooey and Jonathan's relationship.
The couples' first date was on a tight schedule — literally
Some people have a laissez-faire approach to dates, wanting them to seem casual and not over-scheduled. On the other hand, when Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel went on their first date, Scott had everything planned out exactly. Thankfully, that's exactly the kind of thing that Deschanel liked.
In a People interview for their October 2023 cover story, Deschanel explained that she did an escape room for the first time on her first date with Scott and that she's gotten better at them over time. Scott chimed in, "Well actually, the very first date we went on, you were impressed because I sent you a schedule."
"I was like, 'Oh my God. He sent me an itinerary. This is like my dream,'" Deschanel said. "I'm a Capricorn, so ... " (It wouldn't be surprising if Deschanel asked Scott Capricorn-specific first date questions to see if they were on the same wavelength.) After dinner, drinks, and the escape room, their first date also included karaoke. A first-date schedule is strange, but love looks different for different people!
Did mystical forces predict their relationship?
Before seeing a psychic for the first time, you should know that they could possibly predict a major change in your relationship status. According to Jonathan Scott, that's what happened to him after a tarot card reading. Before his relationship with Zooey Deschanel, Jonathan dated Jacinta Kuznetsov for three years. They broke up in 2018. When Jonathan and his brother Drew Scott were at a wrap party for one of their shows in Toronto the year after, a special guest was there.
"We had a tarot card reader at this party that we thought, you know, 'This'll be fun. Everybody will enjoy,'" Jonathan told Entertainment Tonight in 2022. The tarot card reader gave him an interesting prediction. "When she was doing my cards she's like, 'Ah, yes. You will be a father within the year,'" Jonathan said. "And I'm like — 'Missing some key information, there!' 'Cause I wasn't even dating anyone at the time. Three months later, I met Zooey. We then started dating, never even thought of it until all of a sudden — I was the insta dad."
Deschanel had two children with her ex-husband: Elsie and Charlie. It seems they approve of Jonathan as an additional paternal figure in their lives. The non-superstitious bunch may find it a little strange and chilling that Jonathan's tarot cards were correct.
Jonathan Scott couldn't get Zooey Deschanel's engagement ring the right size
It's hard to believe someone who works on home renovations professionally would flub any sort of measurement, but Jonathan Scott initially botched Zooey Deschanel's engagement ring. He popped the question in August 2023 while on a trip to Scotland with Deschanel and her two kids. The details of the engagement are so sweet, and Elsie and Charlie were involved in it too.
However, one thing that was a little off was Deschanel's ring. Although it was the unique cut and color she wanted, it was too big. During their October 2023 People interview, Deschanel said: "It was big for me. I didn't wear it." When people questioned where the ring was, Deschanel would explain the size discrepancy. Scott said, "I measured so badly." He was afraid to take one of Deschanel's rings to the jeweler in case it was for toes or pinky fingers and not ring fingers. The jeweler advised size 6, which wasn't the case.
Deschanel said the ring was actually size 5.5 the first time, before being refitted to size 5. Her true ring size is 4.75, and at the time of the interview the ring still needed more work. The ring drama doesn't end there – Scott also almost lost Deschanel's engagement ring in another country.
Jonathan Scott said 'I love you' for the first time at an interesting place
One of Jonathan Scott's talents is stage magic, and his past career as an illusionist led to him becoming a member of the Magic Castle in L.A. In their October 2023 People interview, Scott and Zooey Deschanel explained the circumstances of their first "I love you," which happened to be at the Magic Castle.
"We were sitting at a magic show, and that's when I turned over and I told her that I love her," Scott said. Deschanel confirmed that she did reply "I love you" back to him, but not without also making a "Star Wars" joke and claiming she actually said, "I know."
It's unknown if that monumental visit to the Magic Castle is the same visit the couple did for the third anniversary of the day they met in August 2022. In an Instagram post Scott shared from that day at the Magic Castle, he spoke highly of Deschanel and added, "you make everything better" with a smiling, heart-covered emoji.
So much of the couple's relationship is public
Society's reliance on the internet means most people across the spectrum of celebrity — from the niche-famous, to the ultra-famous, to the sort-of-well-known — use social media to share updates about their lives with the world. Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel do as well. After they both posted a photo from Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights on Instagram in October 2019, they've continued sharing sweet photos and videos of their relationship with the world.
In April 2023, Deschanel shared a black-and-white picture of herself and Scott on Instagram with the caption, "My favorite photo booth partner." Scott shared a video for Valentine's Day 2024 that was silly and heartfelt, where he did a voiceover as he penned a card for Deschanel. After listing off some of her lovely attributes, he expressed excitement at their future marriage: "I can't wait to be your husband and I can't wait to continue making you laugh and still pinching your butt at 90 years old. I love you to the moon and back."
For the non-famous and people who prefer a quieter, private life, being so public about your relationship may seem odd. However, in Scott and Deschanel's case, it seems like a byproduct of just how much they love each other. They do keep some things secret, such as when Scott used the 2024 eclipse to tease the date and location of his and Deschanel's wedding while still keeping us in the dark about their wedding details.