- Bob Odernkirk is married to Naomi Odenkirk (née Yomtov).
- The couple tied the knot in 1997.
- They have two children together.
To many, Bob Odenkirk is a titan of television. His work on Mr. Show with Bob and David, The Larry Sanders Show, Tom Goes to the Mayor, Breaking Bad, and the subsequent spin-off, Better Call Saul – along with the countless other credits under his belt – has shown him to be a master of comedy and drama. For most of his career, there has been one who has been through the thick and thin of it: his wife, Naomi Odenkirk. For over twenty-five years, Naomi has been by Bob’s side and has been more than just his significant other. Naomi has had a hand in his career – and the careers of others. But, who is Bob Odenkirk’s wife — and the mother of his children? Read on to find out.
Naomi Odenkirk Is A Producer & Talent Manager
Born Naomi Yomtov, the woman who would marry Bob in 1997 has worked behind the scenes in Hollywood for quite a while. She worked as an assistant at the William Morris talent agency, where she “scouted new talent at comedy clubs across Los Angeles,” per a 2014 profile in Playboy. At the time, she represented Jenna Fischer, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Casey Wilson, and Derek Waters (both from Drunk History). She’s credited with discovering Bill Hated when he was working as a production assistant on The Frank International Film Festival, a comedy short for the DVD release of Bob Odenkirk’s feature-length directorial debut, Melvin Goes to Dinner.
“It was so great,” Hader told Playboy. “Naomi was jumping up and down, saying, ‘I think you’re going to get the show!’ That’s the thing I love about her. There’s no bullsh*t. You can also tell that she has a genuine curiosity and appreciation for comedic actors and good material.”
Naomi also managed Bob. “It was very hard for a long time,” Bob told the Wall Street Journal of Naomi being his manager. “In the case of Naomi, a really smart, informed person with a point of view … you want your wife or your partner to care about how it’s making you feel and not the thing itself. If I said to Naomi, ‘oh I wrote this pilot. I turned it in [and] the network said they didn’t like it,’ I don’t want her to say, ‘well, they’re right.'”
“We figured out how to work together,” Naomi told Playboy of working with her husband. “There were a few years where we hadn’t figured it out yet, and feelings would get hurt.”
“I can be pretty blunt, so I think I’ve hurt her feelings a few times, especially when I don’t like something she likes,” Bob told Playboy. “But Naomi has gotten better at her critiques, and I’ve gotten better at hearing them. That’s true with anyone, if you’re married to them or not.”
Naomi Knew Right Away She Was Destined To Marry Bob
In 1994, when Naomi was working for William Moris, she stopped by the UnCabaret in West Hollywood. It was there that she saw Bob take the stage to talk about his upbringing, weaving a comedic story of growing up in the Midwest with six siblings and an absent, alcoholic father.
“A week later I was driving around doing errands, and I thought, That’s the man I’m going to marry,” Naomi told Playboy. “It popped into my head just like that. I was disturbed at first. I wasn’t marriage-minded. In fact, I was very career-minded. But I couldn’t ignore this thought. I went home that night and told my roommates, ‘I know which man I’m going to marry. But I’m embarrassed because I don’t actually know him yet.'”
Eighteen months passed as Naomi continued to work and watch Bob perform. Eventually, the opportunity arose and they struck up a conversation outside a comedy club in Santa Monica. He asked for her number. She gave it to him. Two months later, they were dating exclusively. In 1997, they walked down the aisle and became husband and wife.
She’s Why We Have Better Call Saul
“I can be pretty blunt, so I think I’ve hurt her feelings a few times, especially when I don’t like something she likes,” Bob told Playboy. “But Naomi has gotten better at her critiques, and I’ve gotten better at hearing them. That’s true with anyone, if you’re married to them or not.”
Bob has a reason to trust his wife’s sensibility. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan called Naomi because he wanted Bob to play lawyer Saul Goodman on the show’s second season. Bob hadn’t seen an episode before when Gilligan called, and he was hesitant to take the role. Naomi pushed him to say yes.
“He had to see himself through different eyes,” Naomi said. “On Breaking Bad, he just showed up as an actor. He didn’t write it; he didn’t create it. He had to come to terms with a paradigm shift in his career from a director and creator of comedy. It was interesting to see him embrace an opportunity like that and go with it.”
Bob took the role, and it has become one of the defining moments of his life and career.
She’s Also A Mom.
On top of helping the careers of some of comedy’s biggest stars of the past two decades, Naomi gave birth to her and Bob’s two kids. They welcomed their son Nate in 1998 and their daughter Erin in 2000.