John Ritter's 4 Children: All About Jason, Carly, Tyler and Noah

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Barry King/WireImage

John Ritter’s legacy lives on in his children.

TheEmmyandGolden Globe-winning actor suddenly died on Sept. 11, 2003, at age 54 after suffering an aortic dissection. In addition to his contributions to comedy, Ritter was also a proud dad to four children. He shared sonsJason, 45, and Tyler, 40, and daughter Carly, 43, with his first wifeNancy Morgan, whom he was married to from 1977 to 1996; as well as son Noah, 26, with his wifeAmy Yasbeck, whom he was married to from 1999 up until his death.

His children are all adults now, and many of them have gone on to follow in their late father’s footsteps and pursue careers in entertainment. Through the years, several of the Ritter children have also been open about the impact losing their father has had on them and the legacy he left behind.

“When there’s someone in your family who’s a force of nature, where they come into a room and that’s where the focus goes, it’s bizarre when that person is gone,” Ritter’s eldest Jason said on the podcastMelissa River’s Group Text. “There’s like a black hole of energy … and your family becomes something different but it’s hard to comprehend that a life like that is over.”

Keep reading for everything there is to know about John Ritter’s children.

Jason Ritter, 45

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Ritter’s eldest child, son Jason, was born on Feb. 17, 1980, in Los Angeles.

Jason began following in his dad’s footsteps at a young age, landing his first acting gig in an animated Christmas special when he was 6 years old — thanks to some help from his famous dad.

“I will say, without any hesitation, this waslike a full-on nepotism hire. I will admit that. He for sure got me the job. I did try to stay away from that later,” Jason later admitted during a March 2023 appearance onThe Jess Cagle Show. “I got to play Little Acorn inThe Real Story of O Christmas Tree, and he played my Uncle Piney.”

After graduating from New York University, he began to pursue acting full-time, booking his first major role in the 2003 slasher filmFreddy vs. Jason.

In a 2002 interview withEntertainment Tonight, Ritter boasted about his son, explaining, “My son is now in Vancouver. He’s an actor, God help him, he’s 22 and he’s doing a horror movie up there.” At the premiere of the movie, just a month before Ritter’s passing, Jason said that his dad advised him to be himself and “try not to be nervous.”

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Jason went on to become an accomplished television actor. He has over 100 credits to his name, including shows likeGirls,A Million Little ThingsandRaising Dion. He has also been nominated for twoEmmy awardsfor his roles inParenthoodandTales of Titans.

As for his personal life, Jason is one half of aHollywood power couple.He has been with his now-wife,YellowjacketsstarMelanie Lynskey, since 2013 and the pair shareone daughter.

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Although the couple is affectionate on social media, the two have kept their relationship private. They have, however, shared the screen together a number of times and continue to make cameos in each other’s projects, includingYellowjackets,The Last of Us,Candy,The InterventionandWe’ll Never Have Paris.

Carly Ritter, 43

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Carly Ritter is Ritter and Morgan’s second child and only daughter. She was born on March 1, 1982, in L.A.

While both of her parents were actors, Carly pursued a career in country music, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Country Music Hall of Fame musicianTex Ritter.

Despite having a legendary country artist in her family, Carly has said she didn’t fall in love with the genre until later in life. “My dad hadn’t really played that much of [country] music for us growing up,” she toldKCETin 2013. “Having been exposed to so much country music as a kid, when he discovered rock and roll, he just never looked back.”

Carly released a self-titled debut album in 2013 through Vanguard Records. Although she hasn’t released another album since, Carly still writes music and sings. In 2021, she released the song “They Don’t Work Here Anymore (Ballad of a Bygone Climate)” onYouTube.

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Carly is also an activist and is heavily involved withThe Huntington’s Disease Society of America, where she hasperformed numerous timesfor HDSA’s annual Freeze HD event. She has also supportedMoms Demand Action, a grassroots movement fighting gun violence.

Tyler Ritter, 40

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John’s third child and second son with Morgan,Tyler Ritter, was born on Jan. 31, 1985, in L.A.

“It feels very kind of surreal because he didn’t see a lot of my acting abilities,” he toldEntertainment Tonightin 2014. “I do feel his presence and I know somewhere he’s proud of me.”

He continued, “I really got to see my dad enjoy every day that he was working … Everybody should be able to have this much fun when they go to work. He really paved that way for us and so here I am.”

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Before he began his acting career, Tyler graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a teacher in Argentina for three years, where he met his now-wife, Argentinian film director Leila Parma. The two married in 2007 andwelcomed a son, Benjamin Parma Ritter, on June 11, 2017. He shared the news onInstagram, writing, “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life. He’s Benjamin Parma Ritter. And we’re feeling good.”

Benjamin was the late Ritter’s first grandchild.

Noah Lee Ritter, 26

Ritter’s fourth child, Noah Lee Ritter, whom he shared with his second wife Yasbeck, was born on Sept. 11, 1998. Ritter died on Noah’s 5th birthday, during his first week of preschool.

Noah leads a much more private life than his older siblings. His Instagram and Twitter accounts are both private, and his Twitterbio reads: “I don’t use social media anymore much, a private guy… rarely accept follow requests. have a nice day.”

In May 2022, Noah did make a rare public appearance with the rest of the Ritter clan at An Evening from the Heart in L.A. to supportThe John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health.

source: people.com