Erin Foster’s Husband Had No Idea She Created Nobody Wants This About Their Marriage

If you, just like us, have already binged the whole season of Nobody Wants This on Netflix, then you’re probably just as obsessed with the show as we are. After all, Kristen Bell and Adam Brody‘s chemistry as Joanne and Noah (aka the “hot rabbi”) is simply off the charts.

But, while we ate up all ten episodes of their love story, you might be surprised to learn that it’s all based on a true story. As it turns out, Erin Foster, who worked as the showrunner, executive producer and writer of the show, was inspired by her relationship with her husband, Simon Tikhman.

Foster and Tikhman, who have been married since 2019 and share their daughter, Noa, share countless similarities with the show’s protagonists. While Tikhman isn’t a rabbi like Brody’s character, he is Jewish while Foster grew up non-religious. And, much like the show hints about Joanne and Noah’s future, Foster ended up converting to Judaism to be with him.

With a story as swoon-worthy as this one, it’s no wonder Foster decided to put it on paper. Tikhman, however, wasn’t totally on board.

“He was like, ‘Sorry, you sold a show about what?’” Foster told the Los Angeles Times. “I immediately panicked. I hadn’t even considered it [being a problem]. To me, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m taking our story and turning it into something cool. You’re welcome.’ And he had a different point of view.”

For Tikhman, sharing details about their relationship was a little too public for his taste. “I’m from a very private family,” he said. “My mom would always tell us stories about how if you said the wrong thing in the Soviet Union as a Jew, you could be taken to jail.”

After his reaction, Foster, who had already sold the show to Netflix, tried to stall it from getting made. But, as the show pivoted to a slightly different storyline (including having Noah as rabbi instead), Tikhman became more supportive.

“I had a lot of anxiety around that, and I intentionally made the characters really different than the people are in real life because I didn’t want to get divorced,” Foster explained to the Today Show. “My husband is, like, really private. Being married to someone like me is his personal hell. Literally today, he was like, ‘Have a great day. Good luck with the interviews. Please don’t talk about me.'”

With time, however, Tikhman became her biggest cheerleader. “Also, this is what Erin’s supposed to be doing,” Tikhman said of his wife’s new role. “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,'” he added.

To Foster, it seems all the points are now aligned. Tikhman’s her “muse” while he’s not uneasy about the story being too similar to their own. “This show is like a love letter to him,” Foster said. How adorable!

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