Zooey Deschanel is reportedly dating Jonathan Scott, the Canadian-born star of the home-improvement show, “Property Brothers,” and former teen magician.
They seem to have met when she and her sister Emily Deschanel filmed a segment for “Carpool Karaoke” with the two brothers. They were also pictured holding hands in Los Angeles last week.
On Friday, Scott — wearing a patterned shirt and seated beside Zooey Deschanel in the Instagram photo below — told Us Weekly about his new relationship, although he wouldn’t name the woman in question.
“I am seeing someone,” he said. “I’m a very private person, so I don’t typically talk about that. It’s definitely special for me because I am the guy who raises the bar in what I’m looking for in a partner. I was caught a little off guard. It was definitely a pleasant surprise.”
Deschanel announced her separation from her movie producer husband Jacob Pechenik a few weeks ago. “After much discussion and a long period of contemplation we have decided we are better off as friends, business partners and co-parents rather than life partners,” they told People in a statement.
Pechenik told Hollywood Life that he’s doing well following the split. “Everything is amicable and we have two beautiful children together,” he said. “We’ve been raising them and we’re going to continue to raise them, and take great care of them … I’m happy.”
Wait, which Property Brother is Jonathan?
Great question. As you may recall, the two Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott grew up on a ranch in Vancouver and later attended the University of Calgary. They worked as “tween clowns” and later, as teen waiters — Jonathan waited tables in Banff, Alta., where he would perform magic tricks to get better tips.
If he had made it as a magician, there likely wouldn’t be a “Property Brothers” empire. He legally changed his middle name from “Ian” to “Silver” — undeniably a better magician name — but was forced to give up magic when a Calgary con man stole $80,000 worth of tricks. He hasn’t given magic up completely, however and says he feels like the approach he used towards “illusions” is similar to the one he uses on the show.
“I used to design my own illusions, designed them, and did all the woodworking myself,” he told Glamour. “For me, it’s like telling a story. I think that’s why we do well with ‘Property Brothers.’ It’s our charisma with each other and with the audience. We’ve always been great storytellers.”
In their early 20s, the brothers also dabbled in acting, appearing together in an ad for Molson Canadian and an episode of the beloved boat-themed high school comedy “Breaker High.”
Eventually, they transitioned to working together to flip houses, helping people buy and renovate homes in the Calgary area.
That format is essentially what they translated to their show, “Property Brothers.” Drew, the realtor, will find a house, and Jonathan, the contractor, will make additions to it. The show is popular enough to have spawned multiple spinoffs, including “Property Brothers: Buying and Selling,” “Property Brothers: Brother vs. Brother,” “Property Brothers: At Home” and “Property Brothers: At Home On The Ranch.”
They also have a production company, a homeware line, and several successful books. And they’re not finished expanding their empire. They’re working on a scripted sitcom based on their lives before they got famous (which we have to assume includes magic) and on a screenplay about a pick-up artist who can’t find love himself.
As very rich adults, the brothers live together in a home they designed in Las Vegas, which is weird but fine.
In 2018, Drew married Linda Phan, former creative director for their production company. Jonathan, meanwhile, was married to Kelsy Ully from 2007 until 2013, and was engaged to Jacinta Kuznetsov until last April.
Before her marriage to Pechenik, Deschanel was married Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard from 2009 until 2011.
In what’s certainly an entirely coincidental fact, the Property Brothers’ new show “A Very Brady Renovation,” just premiered. The show involves the brothers restoring what the show refers to as “The Brady Bunch House,” although house was just used for exterior shots on the iconic sitcom, which did not film inside the house.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified Drew Scott as his brother, Jonathan Scott, in the embedded Instagram photo and Getty Images photo. Drew is the more heavily bearded twin.