strange things co-creator Ross Duffer he navigated a separation from his wife Leigh Janiak while in production in season 5 of the hit Netflix series.
Duffer and Janiak they met in 2006 when they were working as an intern and assistant producer, respectively, in a production company in Los Angeles. The couple married nearly a decade later and found individual success as screenwriters.
Ross and his brother, Matt Dufferbecame household names as co-creators, showrunners, executive producers and directors of strange things. Janiak, meanwhile, was the creative force behind 2014 honeymoon and those of Netflix Street of Fear Trilogy.
When production on Season 5 began in 2024, Janiak filed for divorce from Ross. Neither of them publicly addressed their end of the marriage. In the midst of change in his personal life, Ross ready to conclude his hit Netflix series.
“We feel very happy with how the show ended. I think in the end, in particular, the last scene, which again, we’ve had an idea of what that scene would be like for years, and when we sat down to break season 5, it’s the first thing we broke,” Ross told The Hollywood Reporter. “Everything is building right now and making sure it works. Because we knew that no matter what we did, we could make eight hours of entertainment that people love, and then if you screw up in the last five minutes, that’s all everyone’s going to talk about!”
He continued, “So you just want to make sure you get those five minutes right, and hopefully everything falls into place. We’re really proud of that scene and our cast’s performances in that scene, so that feels good. But it’s always nerve-wracking to put that out there for the audience.”
Keep scrolling to relive Ross and Janiak’s relationship:
2006
Ross and Janiak met in 2006 at a production company in Los Angeles where they both worked. While Janiak worked as a producer’s assistant, Ross worked as an intern and they later started dating.
2015
The duo exchanged vows at Korakia Pensione, a resort in Palm Springs, in 2015. The ceremony was officiated by Jennifer Knodewho was Ross and Janiak’s friend who became a Universal Life minister for the big day.
2016
Ross found success by working strange thingswhich inspired a Broadway play and yet-to-be-announced spin-off ideas. Janiak, for his part, released a three-part film series Street of Fear Trilogy in 2021 to critical and fan acclaim.
A slew of breakups rocked the celebrity world throughout 2026. The first major celebrity breakup news of the year came on Jan. 7, when People reported that Bill Hader and Ali Wong had called it quits after two years of dating. A source told the publication that Hader and Wong’s relationship fizzled because of their (…)
2024
After almost a decade of marriage, Janiak presented a list of legal procedures a date of separation as determinative and citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. Janiak filed for spousal support.
In his response, Ross asked to “terminate” the court’s ability to award spousal support to Janiak.
“Respondent is unaware of the nature and extent of his separate real estate assets and debts and will amend his answer when determined,” his response to the property read. “Respondent does not know the nature and extent of community and quasi-community real estate assets and debts and will amend his answer when determined.”
Ross asked that both sides pay their own legal fees.