AJ Michalka Says She 'Sobbed' When Sister Aly Got Engaged and Recalls Thinking 'I'm Going to Lose My Sister'

Mar. 15, 2025

Aly & AJ in February 2023.Photo:Mike Tran/Billboard via GettyIt wasn’t easy forAJ Michalkato watch her sisterAlyget engaged to now-husbandStephen Ringer.The Aly & AJ musicians appeared on the Jan. 8 episode ofAlex Cooper’sCall Her Daddypodcast, and AJ opened up about feeling quite emotional upon learning Aly was gearing up to tie the knot with Ringer, whom she married in 2015 and now shares9-month old son Jackwith.“He’s literally become like my brother. I love him, and I have so much respect for him as a husband and dad. To watch him as a father, it’s really beautiful. But in the beginning I was like, ‘I don’t know about this guy,'” recalled AJ, 33, who noticed how “shy” and “quiet” the filmmaker, 40, was then.Aly Michalka and Stephen Ringer.Aly Michalka/InstagramThe formerGoldbergsstar added, “He’s, like, an intellectual. He’s super grounded, super smart, and I think I felt maybe a little like, ‘Okay, here’s this Ivy League guy. I’m not going to be able to like carry a conversation with him. He’s probably smarter than me.’ I think I was intimidated.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.When Aly, 35, and Ringer got engaged, AJ — who lived with her sister in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles at the time — got emotional. “I lived in the top loft, and I closed my closet door, and I sobbed,” she recalled. “I was so happy for her, but at the same time I was like, ‘I’m literally going to lose my sister,’ and it didn’t happen at all.“Eventually, AJ overcame the admittedly “unrealistic” feelings. But while dancing with their father, Mark, in a “really sweet moment” at Aly and Ringer’s wedding, she was reminded of the worries.“Dad goes, ‘Honey, how are you doing?’ And I was like, ‘I’m really happy for them. Like, I feel really good about this.’ And he was like, ‘That’s awesome. You know what? You lost a sister, but you gained a brother,'” said AJ. “I was like, ‘Huh?’ It was everything I had cried about.“She insists Mark “didn’t mean it,” telling Cooper, “Our dad talks like that.“AJ Michalka and Aly Michalka in December 2024.Monica Schipper/GettyAJ then shared a funny, yet dark story to explain Mark’s personality. “This is also the same man who lost his father a few years ago, and Steven never got to meet him, our Grandpa,” she said. “At the funeral, [our dad] told Steven, ‘I want you to meet my dad,’ and he was dead in the casket.“In April 2024, Aly and Ringer welcomed their first son, Jack. During her pregnancy, theiZombiestar spoke toPEOPLEabout feeling confident in her husband’s approach to fatherhood.“I can see Stephen being a really great dad, obviously, which is a reason why I wanted to have kids with him. He’ll be very tuned in to their feelings and emotions,” she said.

Aly & AJ in February 2023.Photo:Mike Tran/Billboard via Getty

Mike Tran/Billboard via Getty

It wasn’t easy forAJ Michalkato watch her sisterAlyget engaged to now-husbandStephen Ringer.The Aly & AJ musicians appeared on the Jan. 8 episode ofAlex Cooper’sCall Her Daddypodcast, and AJ opened up about feeling quite emotional upon learning Aly was gearing up to tie the knot with Ringer, whom she married in 2015 and now shares9-month old son Jackwith.“He’s literally become like my brother. I love him, and I have so much respect for him as a husband and dad. To watch him as a father, it’s really beautiful. But in the beginning I was like, ‘I don’t know about this guy,'” recalled AJ, 33, who noticed how “shy” and “quiet” the filmmaker, 40, was then.Aly Michalka and Stephen Ringer.Aly Michalka/InstagramThe formerGoldbergsstar added, “He’s, like, an intellectual. He’s super grounded, super smart, and I think I felt maybe a little like, ‘Okay, here’s this Ivy League guy. I’m not going to be able to like carry a conversation with him. He’s probably smarter than me.’ I think I was intimidated.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.When Aly, 35, and Ringer got engaged, AJ — who lived with her sister in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles at the time — got emotional. “I lived in the top loft, and I closed my closet door, and I sobbed,” she recalled. “I was so happy for her, but at the same time I was like, ‘I’m literally going to lose my sister,’ and it didn’t happen at all.“Eventually, AJ overcame the admittedly “unrealistic” feelings. But while dancing with their father, Mark, in a “really sweet moment” at Aly and Ringer’s wedding, she was reminded of the worries.“Dad goes, ‘Honey, how are you doing?’ And I was like, ‘I’m really happy for them. Like, I feel really good about this.’ And he was like, ‘That’s awesome. You know what? You lost a sister, but you gained a brother,'” said AJ. “I was like, ‘Huh?’ It was everything I had cried about.“She insists Mark “didn’t mean it,” telling Cooper, “Our dad talks like that.“AJ Michalka and Aly Michalka in December 2024.Monica Schipper/GettyAJ then shared a funny, yet dark story to explain Mark’s personality. “This is also the same man who lost his father a few years ago, and Steven never got to meet him, our Grandpa,” she said. “At the funeral, [our dad] told Steven, ‘I want you to meet my dad,’ and he was dead in the casket.“In April 2024, Aly and Ringer welcomed their first son, Jack. During her pregnancy, theiZombiestar spoke toPEOPLEabout feeling confident in her husband’s approach to fatherhood.“I can see Stephen being a really great dad, obviously, which is a reason why I wanted to have kids with him. He’ll be very tuned in to their feelings and emotions,” she said.

It wasn’t easy forAJ Michalkato watch her sisterAlyget engaged to now-husbandStephen Ringer.

The Aly & AJ musicians appeared on the Jan. 8 episode ofAlex Cooper’sCall Her Daddypodcast, and AJ opened up about feeling quite emotional upon learning Aly was gearing up to tie the knot with Ringer, whom she married in 2015 and now shares9-month old son Jackwith.

“He’s literally become like my brother. I love him, and I have so much respect for him as a husband and dad. To watch him as a father, it’s really beautiful. But in the beginning I was like, ‘I don’t know about this guy,'” recalled AJ, 33, who noticed how “shy” and “quiet” the filmmaker, 40, was then.

Aly Michalka and Stephen Ringer.Aly Michalka/Instagram

Aly Michalka/Instagram

The formerGoldbergsstar added, “He’s, like, an intellectual. He’s super grounded, super smart, and I think I felt maybe a little like, ‘Okay, here’s this Ivy League guy. I’m not going to be able to like carry a conversation with him. He’s probably smarter than me.’ I think I was intimidated.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

When Aly, 35, and Ringer got engaged, AJ — who lived with her sister in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles at the time — got emotional. “I lived in the top loft, and I closed my closet door, and I sobbed,” she recalled. “I was so happy for her, but at the same time I was like, ‘I’m literally going to lose my sister,’ and it didn’t happen at all.”

Eventually, AJ overcame the admittedly “unrealistic” feelings. But while dancing with their father, Mark, in a “really sweet moment” at Aly and Ringer’s wedding, she was reminded of the worries.

“Dad goes, ‘Honey, how are you doing?’ And I was like, ‘I’m really happy for them. Like, I feel really good about this.’ And he was like, ‘That’s awesome. You know what? You lost a sister, but you gained a brother,'” said AJ. “I was like, ‘Huh?’ It was everything I had cried about.”

She insists Mark “didn’t mean it,” telling Cooper, “Our dad talks like that.”

AJ Michalka and Aly Michalka in December 2024.Monica Schipper/Getty

Monica Schipper/Getty

AJ then shared a funny, yet dark story to explain Mark’s personality. “This is also the same man who lost his father a few years ago, and Steven never got to meet him, our Grandpa,” she said. “At the funeral, [our dad] told Steven, ‘I want you to meet my dad,’ and he was dead in the casket.”

In April 2024, Aly and Ringer welcomed their first son, Jack. During her pregnancy, theiZombiestar spoke toPEOPLEabout feeling confident in her husband’s approach to fatherhood.

“I can see Stephen being a really great dad, obviously, which is a reason why I wanted to have kids with him. He’ll be very tuned in to their feelings and emotions,” she said.

source: people.com