You might say that in 2020, after 6 years apart, Julie Shore and Scott Gaede were “happily divorced.” That is, they were glad they were no longer married and didn’t have to be around each other. Then the pandemic hit, and, for the sake of their two daughters, the two became part of the same “pandemic bubble.” Like it or not, they decided to be adults about it.
“It was forced proximity,” Julie, 54, TODAY.com. “Neither of us were looking forward to spending time together.” The couple had been married for 17 years before they split, and even their daughters say that at the time, the divorce was for the best.
“There was so much tension and conflict in our house,” says daughter Rachel, who was a teen at the time but who now lives in New York City. “After they finally parted ways, we were like, ‘This is the right move.’”
When the two began spending time together with their daughters during the COVID-19 lockdowns, they admit is was difficult at first. But, daughter Rachel says by the end of 2020 she noticed something very peculiar: her parents were actually enjoying each other’s company.
“They were authentically having a good time together, and it wasn’t a show they were putting on for my sister and myself,” Rachel says. “But I don’t think my parents noticed what was happening until late 2021.”
Once they realized they were in love again, they began living under the same roof once more, happily this time. Julie says that when her ex-husband suffered two heartbreaking losses, she realized that they should truly be together. Standing with him at a funeral, she says, “Everything from the past fell away and I realized that family was all that mattered and the four of us needed to be together again.”
@gachelraedespilling our family lore♬ My Love Mine All Mine – Mitski
Scott’s daughters began campaigning for him to do his part and propose to Julie for the second time. He told TODAY he didn’t need much convincing, and in 2022, he got down on one knee and with their daughters looking on, asked Julie to be his wife—again.
Two days before Christmas 2023, Scott and Julie remarried in an intimate ceremony with their daughters as bridesmaids. Though few witnessed the nuptials in person, millions have seen it on TikTok.
Daughter Rachel captioned her now-viral video “WAR IS OVERRRRRR! Our parents are officially Remarried and we are no longer children of divorce.”
@gachelraedesuccessful parent trap♬ WAR IS OVERRR – sarah
“Successful parent trap,” she added, evoking the famous Disney movies.
No one in the family is worried about the marriage breaking apart this time.
“Some people are saying, ‘All that drama between your parents was for nothing,’” Rachel tells TODAY.com. “But it wasn’t for nothing. They learned about forgiveness and resilience and growth.”
The sweetest part of this re-birth of the family is that Rachel and her sister Caroline now both wear rings made from the stones in their mother’s original engagement ring. The special jewelry was a Christmas gift from their parents and I can’t imagine anything more special!
“It’s a symbol of everything we’ve been through,” mom Julie explains. “This wasn’t just two people getting remarried — it was a family coming back together.”
Best wishes to the whole family for a lifetime of love to come.
