Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This” is based on a true story and these are 15 real couples

Uncategorized phamhuyen — October 10, 2024 · 0 Comment

The sunflower moment in Nobody Wants This actually happened with creator Erin Foster and her husband, Simon Tikhman.

Kristen Bell and Adam Brody in cozy attire in a scene from "Nobody Wants This"

">Netflix

A scene from "Nobody Wants This" where Noah tells Joanne it would kill him to ever break her heart

Netflix

With their differing outlooks on life, coupled with modern dating obstacles and some well-meaning but sabotaging family members, Joanne and Noah might be the answer the other person was searching for.

A scene from "Nobody Wants This" where Kristen Bell and Adam Brody kiss on a sidewalk

Netflix

Erin Foster / Instagram / Via instagram.com

There are obviously MASSIVE spoilers ahead!

Erin Foster / Instagram / Via instagram.com

Speaking about knowing he wanted to marry a Jewish woman, Simon told the LA Times, “I really respect my parents and know the adversity they went through because they were Jewish. I wouldn’t want to disappoint them.”

Erin Foster and David Foster on a red carpet together

Jason Laveris / FilmMagic / Getty Images

Her father has been married five times, with his second wife being Erin’s mom.

David has been married to Katharine McPhee, who is almost two years younger than Erin, since 2019.

In an interview with Vulture, Erin said, “To me, normal is exotic.”

Erin Foster and her husband Simon Tikhman at an event together

Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Netflix

Simon’s parents emigrated from the former Soviet Union to the US in 1979.

A scene from "Nobody Wants This" featuring Noah holding a massive bouquet of sunflowers

Netflix

Erin said when she told the sunflower story in the Nobody Wants This writers’ room, “the men were baffled, but the women immediately got it.” She added, “That made me feel like it was a good story to tell.”

Adam Brody and Kristen Bell engage in a serious conversation outdoors in a scene from Nobody Wants This

Netflix

Simon recalled in the same Vulture interview, “I personally don’t remember the sunflowers being that big. But I do remember driving home and thinking, It’s not about the flowers.”

Erin Foster / Instagram / Via instagram.com

While appearing on Erin and her sister Sara Foster’s podcast, The World’s First Podcast, in 2021, Simon said, “For someone to do that for you…[it] is the biggest thing you could ever do. I’ll always be grateful for Erin.”

Also sharing their love story on her podcast, Erin added, “They say being a Jewish couple is not about what you learn in class. It’s about the drive home together and what you talk about. Being a Jewish couple is about how you implement it into your lives.”

Erin Foster / Instagram / Via instagram.com

She told Vulture about when she first went to synagogue with Simon’s family for a Rosh Hashanah service, and afterward, she admitted that she “wasn’t that moved.” She said, “I knew immediately I’d made a mistake,” and they fought.

Erin Foster / Instagram / Via instagram.com

She continued, saying, “But in a TV show, you have to have conflict. It’s important that I had Noah’s parents in the show be immigrants because immigrant culture is very different than American Jewish culture.”

Erin Foster / Instagram / Via instagram.com

Erin documented the whole thing on her Instagram story at the time, with Erin captioning a photo of Simon down on one knee with, “I was in shock.”

Erin Foster / Instagram / Via instagram.com

Speaking about their wedding to People, Erin said, “I think as women, your whole life is built around your wedding day, and you really should focus much more on the marriage that’s going to come after it. So, Simon and I have been paying attention to the kind of relationship that we have and the marriage we’re gonna have, and that’s so much more important than a wedding.”

A scene from "Nobody Wants This" featuring Noah and Joanne talking, illuminated by a street light

Netflix

In fact, Erin was so worried that she hoped the pilot and offer for Nobody Wants This, which was originally sold to Fox and titled something else, would disappear, but they didn’t.

With the help of one of the executive producers, Steve Levitan, who created Modern Family, Erin and Simon began to feel more comfortable with using their story for a TV show when Erin changed Noah to be less like Simon IRL, namely making Noah a rabbi.

A scene from "Nobody Wants This" featuring Noah and Joanne dancing together

Netflix

Simon also told the LA Times, “Also, this is what Erin’s supposed to be doing. She’s a writer, and she’s incredible at it. I was sitting here the other day watching an episode and thinking, ‘I wish I was as good as this character.'”

Recently, Erin also responded to criticism from some in the Jewish community about the depiction of Jewish women in Nobody Wants This. She told the LA Times, “I think we need positive Jewish stories right now. I think it’s interesting when people focus on, ‘Oh, this is a stereotype of Jewish people,’ when you have a rabbi as the lead. A hot, cool, young rabbi who smokes weed. That’s the antithesis of how people view a Jewish rabbi, right?”

Since she didn’t grow up Jewish, Erin also made sure the writers’ room was filled with colleagues who were born Jewish.

Joanne opening up to Noah about her fears of falling in love and then the person leaving her, and Noah reassuring her that her being honest is very attractive

Netflix

She continued, saying, “This is my worldview. No one’s going to be able to change it. These are my habits. They are what they are. And then you meet someone who totally turns that upside down, who makes you want to be a better version of yourself, and who makes you question all the things that you thought were true.”

Erin Foster / Instagram / Via instagram.com

In an Instagram post about giving birth at home, Erin wrote, “We feel so lucky and grateful. No matter how hard the journey is, once you get to where you were aiming for, none of it matters.”

Erin Foster / Instagram / Via instagram.com

She told the LA Times, “I didn’t think it was possible, and I had gotten kind of OK with that. And now I have to stop myself from going over and sitting in his lap. I’m obsessed with Simon; he’s my muse. And this show is like a love letter to him.”

Reportultra

Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This” is based on a true story and these are 15 real couples

If you’ve been on Netflix recently, you’ve probably noticed there’s a new #1 show in the US. Nobody Wants This is a brand-new romantic comedy series that has everyone talking.

Since the series debuted on Netflix, everyone has been talking about Adam and Kristen’s electric chemistry in the series, alongside how much they love Joanne and Noah’s relationship.

And it turns out that Joanne and Noah are actually based on series creator Erin Foster and her husband, music executive Simon Tikhman.

So, if you’re curious like I was, here are just 15 facts about the real couple that inspired Nobody Wants This:

1. First, Erin Foster and Simon Tikhman first met in 2018 at a gym in LA. In an interview with the LA Times, Erin said that during their first conversation “over juice at the gym,” Simon mentioned that anyone he marries “has to be Jewish.”

2. Erin, the daughter of songwriter David Foster and model Rebecca Dyer, told the LA Times that, given her “complicated family structure,” religion and tradition were always something she gravitated toward. She even attended a few classes about Judaism with her friend prior to meeting Simon.

3. Meanwhile, Simon is a music executive who cofounded a music talent management company, The Core Entertainment. He works with bands like Nickelback and country singers like Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith.

5. And, similar to Noah, Simon didn’t let the sunflower incident end their relationship. Erin recalled to Vulture, “Simon was like, ‘Get over it. I’m supposed to care what your parents think because I want to marry you.’ I was so in love with him at that moment.”

6. Erin converted to Judaism for Simon. Part of the conversion process included attending a 10-week program at American Jewish University. Before their wedding, Erin and Simon both attended an eight-week Choosing Judaism class.

7. While Nobody Wants This depicts Noah’s family not liking Joanne because she’s not Jewish, Erin said Simon’s family was not like this. However, they were “skeptical” at first.

8. Erin said that converting to Judaism actually bonded her and Simon’s parents “in such a great way.” She told the LA Times, “They honestly never had an issue with me because me converting to Judaism was such an honor for them.”

9. Simon proposed to Erin in 2019 while planning a very elaborate fake wedding weekend in Napa. Unknown to her, Erin’s family was in Napa to celebrate the big surprise with them. Simon had “balloons and signs for this fake ass wedding,” just to make the illusion as real as possible.

10. The duo got married on New Year’s Eve in 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Alongside Simon and Erin’s families, the special evening was also attended by Kate Hudson, Rachel Zoe, and more.

12. Eventually, Simon got on board with Nobody Wants This, especially because his parents were okay with it, too. He told Vulture, “[Erin’s] voice is such an honest voice. I know when she says things, it would be a disservice to tell her not to. But I also know Erin knows where the line is.”

13. Erin told The Today Show that the thing in Nobody Wants This that is most similar to her real-life relationship is the “emotional journey.” Similar to Joanne, she was really “set in her ways” and habits before meeting Simon.

14. Erin and Simon welcomed their first child together in May 2024. Their daughter, Noa, was born at home and after “over 20 failed rounds of IVF.”

15. And finally, Erin calls Nobody Wants This “a love letter” to Simon, especially after she spent years assuming a long-lasting relationship wasn’t in the cards for her.

Our Privacy policy

If you’ve been on Netflix recently, you’ve probably noticed there’s a new #1 show in the US. Nobody Wants This is a brand-new romantic comedy series that has everyone talking.

Since the series debuted on Netflix, everyone has been talking about Adam and Kristen’s electric chemistry in the series, alongside how much they love Joanne and Noah’s relationship.

And it turns out that Joanne and Noah are actually based on series creator Erin Foster and her husband, music executive Simon Tikhman.

So, if you’re curious like I was, here are just 15 facts about the real couple that inspired Nobody Wants This:

1. First, Erin Foster and Simon Tikhman first met in 2018 at a gym in LA. In an interview with the LA Times, Erin said that during their first conversation “over juice at the gym,” Simon mentioned that anyone he marries “has to be Jewish.”

2. Erin, the daughter of songwriter David Foster and model Rebecca Dyer, told the LA Times that, given her “complicated family structure,” religion and tradition were always something she gravitated toward. She even attended a few classes about Judaism with her friend prior to meeting Simon.

3. Meanwhile, Simon is a music executive who cofounded a music talent management company, The Core Entertainment. He works with bands like Nickelback and country singers like Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith.

5. And, similar to Noah, Simon didn’t let the sunflower incident end their relationship. Erin recalled to Vulture, “Simon was like, ‘Get over it. I’m supposed to care what your parents think because I want to marry you.’ I was so in love with him at that moment.”

6. Erin converted to Judaism for Simon. Part of the conversion process included attending a 10-week program at American Jewish University. Before their wedding, Erin and Simon both attended an eight-week Choosing Judaism class.

7. While Nobody Wants This depicts Noah’s family not liking Joanne because she’s not Jewish, Erin said Simon’s family was not like this. However, they were “skeptical” at first.

8. Erin said that converting to Judaism actually bonded her and Simon’s parents “in such a great way.” She told the LA Times, “They honestly never had an issue with me because me converting to Judaism was such an honor for them.”

9. Simon proposed to Erin in 2019 while planning a very elaborate fake wedding weekend in Napa. Unknown to her, Erin’s family was in Napa to celebrate the big surprise with them. Simon had “balloons and signs for this fake ass wedding,” just to make the illusion as real as possible.

10. The duo got married on New Year’s Eve in 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Alongside Simon and Erin’s families, the special evening was also attended by Kate Hudson, Rachel Zoe, and more.

12. Eventually, Simon got on board with Nobody Wants This, especially because his parents were okay with it, too. He told Vulture, “[Erin’s] voice is such an honest voice. I know when she says things, it would be a disservice to tell her not to. But I also know Erin knows where the line is.”

13. Erin told The Today Show that the thing in Nobody Wants This that is most similar to her real-life relationship is the “emotional journey.” Similar to Joanne, she was really “set in her ways” and habits before meeting Simon.

14. Erin and Simon welcomed their first child together in May 2024. Their daughter, Noa, was born at home and after “over 20 failed rounds of IVF.”

15. And finally, Erin calls Nobody Wants This “a love letter” to Simon, especially after she spent years assuming a long-lasting relationship wasn’t in the cards for her.

Related Posts