Actor James Lafferty and his wife Alexandra Park have welcomed their first child together, marking a new chapter in their relationship that began on a television set more than a decade ago.
The couple announced the birth of their son, River Jay Lafferty, through Instagram in April 2026. The infant was born on December 4, 2025, according to the announcement, which featured a photograph of the newborn's hands. The caption accompanying the image read, "Love has new meaning. River Jay Lafferty - 12/4/2025."
Lafferty, best known for his role in the television series One Tree Hill, and Park, who portrayed Princess Eleanor on The Royals, have maintained a notably private approach to their personal lives throughout their relationship. The birth announcement represents one of the rare occasions the couple has shared intimate family news with their followers.
A Relationship Born on Set
The couple's love story began in 2015 when Lafferty directed an episode of The Royals, the E! series that shared a creative team with The CW drama One Tree Hill. Park starred as one of the lead characters on the show, and Lafferty went on to direct four additional episodes of the series across its four-season run.
Their relationship became public in June 2018 when the pair made their romance Instagram official while attending a friend's wedding in Monaco. In September 2020, Lafferty announced their engagement through social media with a photograph of the newly engaged couple in their kitchen, captioning the post, "She said yeah."
Park addressed their preference for privacy in an exclusive interview in January 2021, explaining their approach to sharing their relationship with the public. "We are very private by choice, but we want to get some love out for the show, and we want to share our lives with our supporters and fans," the Shooting in Vain actress stated. "We walk the line of putting a little bit out there at times."
Professional Collaboration
While the couple maintains boundaries around their personal life, they have embraced working together professionally. In January 2021, they appeared as an onscreen married couple in Everyone Is Doing Great, a Hulu series they developed together. The show, which Lafferty co-created with his former One Tree Hill costar Stephen Colletti, premiered that same month.
Park discussed their collaborative dynamic in an interview, noting the natural chemistry they bring to their work. "We thought it would just be great [to play a married couple]. The chemistry is in there," the Elephant Princess alum explained. "We love working together. That's one of the things I'm so grateful about in our relationship is that we're able to work together doing the things that we love."
The Small Town Crime actor has occasionally shared glimpses of their relationship through social media, including a May 2021 post celebrating Park's memoir Sugar High, which details her journey with type 1 diabetes and her career evolution. "I couldn't be more proud/in awe of this woman," Lafferty wrote, describing the book as "a raw, honest, funny and inspiring journey."
Marriage and Beyond
The couple married on May 23, 2022, in an intimate ceremony in Oahu, Hawaii. Colletti served as one of the groomsmen, while Park's Royals costar and longtime friend Tom Austen was part of her bridal party. The newlyweds confirmed their wedding date one month after the ceremony when they shared photographs from the event on social media.
In June 2023, following their first wedding anniversary, Lafferty reflected on their busy first year of marriage while promoting the second season of Everyone Is Doing Great at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. "It's been going well. The first year of our marriage has been crazy because we've been working on season two," he explained. "It's been a wild ride. It's been tough and challenging, but this is sort of where we thrive. This is how we get closer when we both do what we love together."
The Australia native has occasionally shared affectionate posts about her husband, including a July 2021 birthday tribute in which she called him "my favorite person in the whole entire world," and a July 2022 honeymoon post playfully referring to him as "my first husband."
With the arrival of River Jay Lafferty, the couple enters a new phase of their relationship, one that began with a professional collaboration and evolved into a partnership that balances creative work with family life.