Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. just celebrated 24 years of marriage, which is romantic, adorable, and potentially very expensive for Howard Stern.
Gellar marked their wedding anniversary on Instagram with throwback photos of the couple looking ridiculously young and ridiculously in love.
'@realfreddieprinze can you imagine telling these kids where they would be 24 years later (well tech 26... but 24 married) #happyanniversary,' she wrote.
Twenty-four years, two children, and several shared films later, those 'kids' are still together. Somewhere, an unpaid $1 million bet involving broadcaster and comedian Howard Stern would presumably like a word.
Howard Stern Bet Against Their Marriage
Before Gellar and Prinze tied the knot on 1 September, 2002, Prinze appeared on The Howard Stern Show in 2001 and discussed his plans to marry the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star.
Stern wasn't exactly shopping for a wedding gift.
'So, you will marry Sarah Michelle Gellar even though you know that it won't last?' the broadcaster asked.
Prinze insisted their relationship absolutely would last, prompting Stern to propose a wager, confident that the pair would split soon after marrying.
'I wanna make a written bet with you,' Stern said. 'In about 10 years, you're gonna hunt me down and go, "Howard, I owe you money."'
Twenty-five years later, it's safe to say that Howard Stern might have a long-overdue debt to settle.
Sarah Michelle Gellar Hasn't Forgotten the $1 Million
By 2016, Prinze was already reminding Stern about the spectacularly ageing prediction.
'You have not paid that bet, young man,' the actor joked during an AOL Build interview while discussing the work required to maintain a marriage.
Then came anniversary number 20.
In 2022, Gellar dug up screenshots from her husband's old Stern interview and tagged the broadcaster directly.
'I think you owe us,' she wrote.
Prinze reposted his wife's demand with an equally ominous warning: 'She will not forget.'
Four more anniversaries have now been celebrated, and counting.
At this point, Howard Stern is going to need an annual reminder of the bet he so spectacularly lost. Even fans have an elephant-like memory in terms of the famous wedding bet.
Fans took to Gellar's comment section with both praise and playful banter. 'And Howard Stern said you'd be divorced in a year! Meanwhile 24 years later ♥️♥️♥️', said one supporter.
Another seconded the motion with, 'he owes them a million dollars right??'
Other fans were just happy to celebrate the couple with a series of Scooby Doo GIFs and well wishes such as 'Relationship goal forever and ever ❤️ Love u guys!!' and 'The GOAT celebrity couple remains undefeated'.
From Horror Set to Hollywood's Favourite Love Story
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. first met while filming 1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer, although romance didn't arrive immediately. They began dating in 2000 and married two years later at ages 25 and 26.
Their careers subsequently crossed paths on screen again, most famously when they played Daphne and Fred in 2002's Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel. Their silver screen characters clearly evolved from being responsible for the mystery to being the ones solving it. Now, Gellar's latest throwback on Instagram has taken them all the way back to those early years.
Twenty-four years after saying 'I do', the Hollywood couple has outlasted Stern's prediction several times over.
As for that $1 million? Perhaps the real secret to a lasting marriage is love, laughter, and never letting Howard Stern forget his outstanding tab.
