Meet the Real-Life Loves of the“ Finding Joy” Cast (Including the Couple Who Are Costars in the Movie!)
- - Meet the Real-Life Loves of the“ Finding Joy” Cast (Including the Couple Who Are Costars in the Movie!)
Christopher RudolphNovember 5, 2025 at 11:30 PM
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Paul Archuleta/Getty; Eric Stanton Betts/Instagram
Natalie and Aaron O'Connell ; Eric Stanton Betts and Gabe Hilden-Reid -
The holiday movie Finding Joy premiered on Nov. 5 on Prime Video
The romantic comedy stars Shannon Thornton and Tosin Morohunfola
Costars Aaron O'Connell and Natalie O'Connell have been married since 2018
Finding Joy is helping kick off the holiday cheer with a Christmas romance, and the movie's cast has experienced their own special connections in real life.
The romantic comedy, which premiered Nov. 5 on Prime Video, follows Joy (Shannon Thornton), a fashion designer and romance novel bookworm who struggles with her love life.
After she follows her crush from New York to Colorado, she ends up being snowed in at a cabin with a man named Ridge (Tosin Morohunfola), who might be the connection she's been looking for.
Off-screen, several of the movie's cast members are in relationships. Eric Stanton Betts married his husband in June 2022, while Inayah got engaged to her fiancé in November 2023. In addition, costars Aaron O'Connell and Natalie O'Connell wed in 2018, and it's not their first time working together.
Here's everything to know about the real-life loves of the Finding Joy cast.
01 of 06
Shannon Thornton
Paras Griffin/Getty
Shannon Thornton on November 2, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia
Shannon Thornton leads the cast, playing the titular Joy. In the movie, she is obsessed with romance novels, but her love life hasn't had a happy ending yet.
When Joy follows her crush, Colton (Aaron O'Connell) to Colorado, she ends up getting stranded in a cabin with Ridge (Morohunfola) during a snowstorm. During their time together, they form an unlikely bond, further complicating her feelings.
It is unclear if Thornton is currently dating anyone, but her Finding Joy character has love on her mind.
"Joy is a dreamer," the actress told Ebony in October 2025. "But she’s working under someone who takes advantage of her ideas and passes them on as his own. She also believes in the kind of love some people only read about, which makes her vulnerable but very relatable."
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Aaron O'Connell and Natalie O'Connell
Paul Archuleta/Getty
Natalie and Aaron O'Connell on November 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California
Aaron O'Connell plays Colton, whom Joy follows to Colorado.
O'Connell might be the object of Joy's affection, but in real life, he is married to Natalie O'Connell (née Pack), who plays Heather in the movie.
This isn't the first time the husband and wife have appeared in a project together. They were also in 2018's This Is Our Christmas.
Outside of acting, Natalie competed on cycle 12 of America's Next Top Model in 2009 and was crowned Miss California in 2012.
The couple wed in 2018, and they share one child, a son named Avery, who was born in 2022, per O'Connell's Facebook.
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Tosin Morohunfola
Amy Sussman/Getty
Tosin Morohunfola on August 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California
Tosin Morohunfola stars opposite Thornton as Ridge, Joy's cabinmate.
Morohunfola is a romantic lead in Finding Joy, but the actor's relationship status is unknown. Still, when the holidays come around, he enjoys spending time with his loved ones in Kansas City, where he grew up, per his IMDb bio.
"I always, always, always go home to see my family in Kansas. I spend both Thanksgiving and Christmas back there and get a double-dose of Midwestern kindness and Nigerian jubilation," he told Parade in October 2025.
Morohunfola added, "I also say, I am nothing without my family. I feel like they keep my heart pumping. So I gotta get home to recharge and remind myself where I came from."
04 of 06
Inayah and Jay
Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty
Inayah and Jay at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California
R&B singer-songwriter Inayah plays Littia, one of Joy's close friends. Off-screen, Inayah is engaged to her fiancé, who is only known as Jay online.
The actress and sound editor met at a party thrown by Inayah's ex, as she revealed during an April 2024 appearance on Way Up with Angela Yee in April 2024.
"As I was leaving the party, Jay was walking into the party, and that's how we met," she recalled. "I was like, 'I can stay for a little bit longer.' It was so electrical, even when we first shook hands."
Inayah continued, "I've always been the opposite of fairy tales, but I truly believe the first time we saw each other, it was love at first sight."
The couple got engaged in November 2023. A video captured Inayah's shocked reaction when Jay popped the question.
05 of 06
Eric Stanton Betts and Gabe Hilden-Reid
Eric Stanton Betts/Instagram
Eric Stanton Betts and Gabe Hilden-Reid
Eric Stanton Betts plays fashion designer Pat-Treek.
Betts married his husband, Gabe Hilden-Reid, in June 2022, per Instagram.
"How lucky am I to have my person there for me through thick and thin, who I can rely on for support and truth," the actor wrote in an October 2022 Instagram post.
The actor continued, "How lucky am I to come home to a selfless man who gives me the world! Where all the commotion clears when I look into your eyes."
06 of 06
Brittany S. Hall
Arnold Turner/Getty
Brittany S. Hall on March 9, 2023 in Los Angeles, California
Brittany S. Hall portrays Ashley, another one of Joy's loyal friends.
Hall's relationship status has not been confirmed, but in July 2025, she posted a video on TikTok about seemingly being in a long-distance relationship, though she didn't elaborate.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
