Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s Relationship: All About theI Love LucyCostars' Romance On and Off Screen

Mar. 15, 2025

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in January 1954.Photo:CBS via Getty

CBS via Getty

From the start,Lucille Balland Desi Arnaz’s relationship was a whirlwind romance straight out of a Hollywood movie.

After meeting on the set of the filmToo Many Girlsin 1940, Ball and Arnaz quickly fell in love, and married later that year. Their union marked the beginning of one of Hollywood’s most iconic relationships that would go on to captivate audiences for decades, and leave a lasting legacy on the entertainment industry.

The duo created the iconic sitcomI Love Lucyin 1951, which revolutionized television and made significant contributions to comedy and representation on screen. Despite the challenges they faced as a couple and their eventual divorce, Ball and Arnaz’s relationship remained a powerful testament to their close bond and professional partnership.

From their whirlwind romance to their enduring friendship, here’s a look back at the iconic relationship of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

They met on a movie set in 1940

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz smiling out of the window of a trailer in a promotional portrait for director Vincente Minnelli’s film, ‘The Long, Long Trailer’ in 1954.Archive Photos/Getty

Archive Photos/Getty

Ball and Arnaz first crossed paths on the set ofToo Many Girlsin 1940. Ball, who was starring in the film, was already an established actress at the time, while Arnaz was still emerging and cast in a supporting role.

Among their first interactions, Arnaz asked Ball if she knew how to rumba and, after a quick demonstration that caught the actress’ attention, Arnaz said: “I can teach you quickly, but only on condition that you go out with me tonight,” according to Warren G. Harris’ biography,Lucy & Desi: The Legendary Love Story of Television’s Most Famous Couple.

“I never fell in love with anyone quite so fast,” Ball recalled, per Harris. “He was very handsome and romantic.”

The pair quickly formed a bond, and their palpable chemistry became evident to the rest of their costars on set.

“You could tell the sparks were flying with Lucy,”Too Many Girlscostar Eddie Bracken told PEOPLE in 1996. “It happened so fast it seemed it wouldn’t last. Everybody on the set made bets about how long it would last.”

Ball and Arnaz eloped six months after meeting each other

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, circa 1950s.Archive Photos/Getty

AfterToo Many Girlswrapped, Ball and Arnaz continued their relationship amid their respective hectic schedules, with long-distance calls that the actress later estimated to total up to $29,000, per Coyne Sanders’ biography,Desilu.

However, in November 1940, Ball and Arnaz were both in New York — where the musician was scheduled to play a show at the Roxy and the actress was giving an interview to a magazine (where she told the interviewer, “It would never work,” referring to Arnaz). Nonetheless, he proposed and the two eloped in Greenwich, Conn., on Nov. 30, 1940, about six months after they first met.

“Eloping with Desi was the most daring thing I ever did in my life,” Ball said, per Harris. “I knew I shouldn’t have married him, but that was one of the biggest attractions.”

“My friends gave the marriage six months,” Ball said, per Sanders. “I gave it six weeks.”

They createdI Love Lucytogether and revolutionized television

Studio portrait of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in 1955.Hulton Archive/Getty

Hulton Archive/Getty

In 1950, Ball and Arnaz founded their own production company, Desilu (combining both of their names) and a year later, created and starred in the iconic sitcomI Love Lucy.

The show was a groundbreaking success, not only cementing their status as Hollywood icons but also revolutionizing television with its contributions to the industry. Ball’s role as the lead onI Love Lucywas relatively unheard of, as women were generally seen as secondary characters at the time. Similarly, Arnaz, as a Cuban-American, brought diversity and representation that was rare for primetime television in the 1950s.

The duo pushed boundaries further when Ball, pregnant with their second child, was among the first actresses to appear on television with a bump. However, making it happen wasn’t an easy feat. Ball and Arnaz received fierce pushback from the show’s execs, as the word “pregnant” wasn’t allowed on television, perCollider.

Instead, they used terms like “expecting” and “with child” to integrate Ball’s real-life pregnancy into the script, and the episode “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” made history, bringing in more viewers than any other program episode at the time, according toHistory.com.

The couple’s on-screen partnership, which reflected their real-life dynamic, was also unique for the times and added an element of authenticity that viewers increasingly tuned in for. The show ran for six seasons from October 1951 to May 1957, winning five Emmys throughout its run.

Ball and Arnaz had two children together

American actress Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz arrive at London Airport with their children Lucie and Desi Jr., on June 10, 1959.J. Wilds/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty

J. Wilds/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty

Ball and Arnaz had two children during their marriage, daughter Lucie Arnaz, born on July 17, 1951, and son Desi Arnaz Jr., born on Jan. 19, 1953. Their children became an integral part of their lives and often appeared onI Love Lucyspinoffs,Here’s LucyandThe Lucy Show.

Ball and Arnaz’s commitment to theirchildrenremained strong despite their marital issues.

“The marriage wasn’t good, it was just long,” Ball reportedly toldThe Washington Starin 1980. “But it wasn’t disastrous. Because you can’t have two beautiful children and call it disastrous.”

Lucie pursued a successful theater career, wherein she met her husband Laurence Luckinbill during a stage production and the two married in 1980. They have three children together and Lucie is the stepmom to Luckinbill’s two children from a previous marriage. Lucie also went on to earn an Emmy in 1993 forLucy and Desi: A Home Movieand later recording audiobooks of her parents’ autobiographies.

Desi Jr. also dabbled in acting, earning a Golden Globe in 1971 for his role inRed Sky at Morning. He married Amy Laura Bargiel in 1987 and together, they restored the Boulder Theatre and adopted Bargiel’s daughter. Desi Jr. continued to act and produce, earning an Emmy nomination for theI Love Lucy50th Anniversary Special and working onBeing the Ricardos.

In August 2024,Lucie posted a picture with Desi Jr.on Instagram, writing “Desi is alive and well, my friends- just likes to stay a bit ‘undercover.’ "

They divorced in 1960

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz at the Emmys on March 16, 1957.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Despite their love for each other, Ball and Arnaz’s marriage was not without its difficulties. Their demanding careers often kept them apart, and Arnaz’s struggles with alcohol abuse and supposed affairs added strain to their relationship.

“It got so bad that I thought it would be better for us not to be together,”Ball saidin court.

“They were just going through a routine for the children,” he added. “She told me that for the last five years of their marriage, it was ‘just booze and broads.’ ”

However, Ball and Arnaz managed to be civil throughout their separation.

“They had a very successful divorce. … They never said bad words about each other and they stayed friends until the day they died,” Lucie toldCloser Weeklyin February 2020. “It was a fantastic romance that got even more passionate and friendlier after they were not married to each other anymore.”

Ball and Arnaz remained close after their split

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz with their Academy of Television Arts & Sciences trophies at the Emmys on Feb. 5, 1953.FPG/Getty

FPG/Getty

“Maybe I’m the romantic, but there was a great, great love there, there really was,”I Love Lucydirector William Asher told PEOPLE in 1991. “Desi was very unhappy about the breakup, and I think she was too. I don’t think either one of them ever got over it.”

The last time they spoke was coincidentally on their wedding anniversary

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in 1955.Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

“I could hear her say, ‘I love you.’ She said it five times in a row. And he was nodding and saying, ‘I love you too, honey,’ " Lucie said. “He died in my arms. None of us realized it at the time, but the day they last spoke was Nov. 30, their wedding anniversary.”

She added that when thinking of the sitcom and legacy her parents left, at the core, “They did the show so they could be together.”

“They gave the country this wonderful creation,” Lucie said “But they never got what they wanted — to stay together. They loved each other until the end.”

Arnaz died of lung cancer on Dec. 2, 1986. Ball died of cardiac arrest a little over two years later on April 26, 1989.

source: people.com