Not only is Jensen Ackles the “Sexiest TV Star,” according to PEOPLE readers, he’s also a devoted family man.
Jensen and his wife Danneel Harris Ackles have been together since 2006, when they both starred in the romantic comedy Ten Inch Hero, and later tied the knot in 2010. The Supernatural stars welcomed their first child in 2013, and three years later, the couple expanded their family once again — with twins!
The pair now lives in Austin, Texas, near Jensen’s hometown of Dallas, with their three kids: daughter Justice Jay and fraternal twins, Zeppelin Bram and Arrow Rhodes.
“As we drove by, Danneel and I both looked at our real estate agent and were like, ‘See, that is the kind of house we’re looking for,’ ” Jensen told Architectural Digest of their kid-friendly family home, which the couple loved so much they convinced the previous owners to sell them the unlisted house.
While the family might have established their roots in Austin, Jensen and Danneel also enjoy taking their kids on the road. The Ackles crew took a trip to Disneyland in March 2022 to celebrate Danneel’s birthday, where they posed in front of the castle and even rode a few roller coasters.
“It was @danneelackles512 birthday yesterday and in keeping with tradition…she gave the celebration to the kids,” Jensen captioned a carousel of images from the day.
In April 2022, Danneel posted a photo of the fivesome in New Orleans, where the couple were filming their highly anticipated Supernatural spinoff, The Winchesters.
“I am feeling blessed and grateful to be with my family and friends in this great city where I find endless inspiration and magic on every corner,” she captioned the sweet family snap.
Keep reading to get to know Jensen and Danneel Ackles’ three kids.
Justice Jay Ackles, 10
Justice Jay, also affectionately known as “JJ,” was born on May 30, 2013. “We are happy to announce the birth of our precious baby girl,” Danneel tweeted a week later, announcing her arrival to the world. “She was born happy and healthy.”
JJ recently walked alongside her dad for her first red carpet at the premiere of the Disney+ movie Zombies 3. “Proud papa moment,” the actor captioned a sweet Instagram post. “Took JJ to her first “Hollywood Premier.” She walked the carpet like a pro (a pro that held on tight to her dad).”
Supernatural fans can actually thank JJ for helping get her dad on Instagram — she inspired Jensen to create his account when she was just 2 years old! “In an effort 2 squash some posers, my daughter is helping me start an Instagram,” Jensen joked on Twitter in 2015. “Chk it out. Hint: it’s just my name.” His very first post on the platform was a cute snap of him and JJ, captioned “Hello Instagram.”
In honor of JJ’s 10th birthday in May 2023, Jensen shared a father-daughter selfie on Instagram as well as a photo of his little girl looking all grown up.
“10yrs old today. A whole decade. I can’t. What is happening?!” he wrote. “Welp…Happy Birthday, Birdie. I love you forever🫶🏼.”
Zeppelin Bram Ackles and Arrow Rhodes Ackles, 7
On Dec. 2, 2016, Jensen and Danneel welcomed a son, Zeppelin Bram, and a daughter, Arrow Rhodes, into the world.
While Danneel was the one to announce JJ’s birth, this time it was Jensen who shared the good news on Instagram. “Danneel, JJ and I are excited to announce the birth of our twins Zeppelin Bram and Arrow Rhodes,” he wrote next to a photo of Dr. Seuss’ Thing 1 and Thing 2. “They were born early yesterday morning. Everyone is doing great! #twinning.”
And while it might seem like the couple gave Zeppelin his name after the iconic band Led Zeppelin, it turns out the moniker’s inspiration has little to do with rock music.
Jensen later explained during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan that the pair’s own unique names influenced those of their three children, and that it took him and Danneel two days to come up with “Zeppelin.”
“The grandparents are there and everybody’s spitting out names and everybody’s looking on ‘100 Best Baby Names’ sites and I’m like, ‘We’re not gonna find the name there,’ ” he recalled, before sharing how they ended up landing on the little boy’s name.
“When the doctor pulled Zeppelin out, his umbilical cord was tied into a knot. Which could be very dangerous but luckily it was a very loose knot and nothing was happening, he was totally fine.”
After it was confirmed that the boy was doing okay, the moment stuck with Jensen, who then turned to a “sailing-knot site” to browse a list of knot names. “And at the very end was the Zeppelin bend, which was the knot they used to tether the Zeppelin blimps to the ground,” he explained.
The Winchesters star quickly showed a knack for daddy double-duty, as Danneel showcased in a snap she posted on Instagram of her #ManCrushMonday showing off his parenting skills while feeding both twins at the same time.
Jensen is a very protective father, and has been vocal about how the Uvalde school shooting left a mark on him. When the twins graduated from preschool in June 2022, he told USA Today: “I was celebrating them and excited for them, but at the same time, in the back of my head, I was like, ‘I’m glad I don’t have to put my kids back in school for the next however long.’ ”
The duo is already getting their young children involved with activism. In June 2021, Danneel shared a photo of her and the three kids posing under a rainbow while wearing Pride shirts.
