Who Is Ginger Zee's Husband? All About Ben Aaron
The meteorologist and broadcast journalist have been married since 2014
Ginger Zee might be known for covering inclement weather, but it’s sunny skies at home with husband Ben Aaron.
The chief meteorologist for ABC News began dating the journalist in 2012 after meeting at a charity event through a mutual friend. Aaron popped the question the following year, and the couple got married in June 2014.
“Ben is my partner for life,” Zee told PEOPLE exclusively before their Michigan wedding. “I knew it as soon as I met him. I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”
The pair expanded their family in December 2015 when their son Adrian arrived, followed by son Miles in February 2018. “Still in disbelief I’m surrounded by boys but couldn’t be happier,” Zee told PEOPLE after Miles’ arrival.
So who is Ginger Zee’s husband? Here’s everything to know about Ben Aaron and his relationship with the meteorologist.
He grew up in New York
Benjamin Aaron Colonomos, who goes by Ben Aaron, was born on Sept. 10, 1981. He grew up in Piermont, New York, about 20 miles outside of New York City. He is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, with a bachelor of arts degree in media.
Zee and Aaron met at a charity event
Zee and Aaron met in 2012 at a SoulCycle charity event in N.Y.C. He brought a friend to the event who knew Zee and introduced them. After the event, he walked her home.
“Through Central Park we strolled as we talked about where we lived, what we’ve done, and John Cusack. That’s a long story,” Aaron shared in a segment recapping their relationship.
For him, it was love at first sight. “Finally, I got her home. We said our goodbyes, and at this point I was a goner. In love. Absolutely this was the girl that I wanted,” he added.
However, Zee might not have felt the same way initially. Aaron explained in the video that she got his email address from their mutual friend, and sent him a message that she wanted to be “friends.”
“There is no way on Earth I wanted to be just friends with this girl, so I asked her out,” Aaron explained.
A year later, he proposed in August 2013 outside Lincoln Center by hiding her ring in a Magnolia Bakery banana pudding cup.
He is a journalist
Aaron’s career as a journalist began with a position as a host for Radio Disney, before he moved to Tucson, Arizona, to work as a radio host. From there, he began hosting the morning TV newscast Daybreak OC in Orange County, California, and later worked as a features reporter for KSWB in San Diego.
In 2009, he joined WNBC’s New York Live, where he wrote, edited and produced daily lifestyle segments, earning him three New York Emmy Awards for best features reporter.
With singer Kellie Pickler, Aaron hosted the syndicated series Pickler & Ben from September 2017 until its cancellation in May 2019. The daytime talk show focused on human interest stories, with celebrity, beauty and lifestyle segments, and earned him two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for best host.
“We want to be a bright light on television and just make people feel good,” the American Idol alum told PEOPLE of their Nashville-based series. “In the time that we’ve known each other, [Aaron] has come to feel like a big brother.”
“Ginger comes down whenever she’s able to with her job and brings Adrian. And he is the most precious little boy,” Pickler added. “But it is great. We’ve all been able to spend time together, and Ben’s commuting back and forth from New York to do the show, and then I’m on the road — we’re all bouncing all over the place.”
In January 2020, Aaron started working as a featured morning correspondent on PIX11 Morning News out of the Big Apple.
Zee and Aaron got married in 2014
The couple said “I do” on June 7, 2014, in a beachside ceremony on Lake Michigan. Before their official nuptials in front of 55 guests at the Inn at Bay Harbor, they shared a first look and private vow ceremony.
“Bringing our crazy families from all over the States to enjoy some peace and quiet in northern Michigan will be the greatest day of our lives,” Zee told PEOPLE ahead of their big day.
The Michigan native enlisted the help of her best friend and wedding planner Francesco Bilotto to organize the special day, which included touches like pashminas for guests and a wooden heart puzzle with the initials of their parents in lieu of a unity candle.
“Think Hamptons on the lake,” Bilotto shared of the décor. “Lots of navy blue and off-white, very formal coastal is the look.”
Guests dined at one long table on artisan cheese plates and a salad with local produce and danced the night away to Zee’s brother’s band, The Outer Vibe.
“I am so proud to be from Michigan and I have countless memories of growing up along this gorgeous lake,” said the bride, who wore a lace Pnina Tornai dress. “I wanted to have one of the most important moments of my life here and make another one of those memories.”
He is a father of two
In June 2015, Zee announced she was pregnant with their first baby. She gave birth to their son, Adrian Benjamin, on Dec. 19, 2015. Born via C-section at 11:05 a.m. in N.Y.C., Adrian weighed in at 7 lbs., 8 oz. and measured 20.5 inches long.
In August 2017, the meteorologist announced she was expecting the couple’s second child.
“Adrian already asking to hold his little brother😉💙💙💙 new baby boy coming February 2018,” she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), accompanied by a photo of her son holding an ultrasound picture.
Son Miles Macklin arrived via scheduled C-section on Feb. 9, 2018, in N.Y.C., weighing 8 lbs., 7 oz. and measured 21.5 inches long. “Ginger and baby are doing great,” a source close to the meteorologist told PEOPLE.
“Cherishing every moment with Miles, even the long nights and feeding sessions,” Zee told PEOPLE after his birth, sharing exclusive photos of her new family of four. “I am adoring the relationship Adrian is already developing with his little brother.”
He had a TV show with Zee
The couple relocated from cramped quarters in the city to a suburban fixer upper in 2017, and documented their journey to transform the 1,800-square-foot space into a dream home on their own DIY Network series, Renovation Realities: Ben & Ginger.
“After two weeks I just kind of wanted to light a match and see what happens to it,” Aaron told PEOPLE.
“We might have screwed up a little bit,” he added of their Rockland, New York home. “But you just have to enjoy the process.”
Zee shared, “He enjoys the demo. Anything that’s not precise, he enjoys.”
He’s supportive of Zee’s mental health
Zee has opened up about being diagnosed with depression at 21, and although she doesn’t believe “anybody’s forever cured,” she has a solid support system in her corner, including Aaron.
“I’ve been lucky to find a husband who doesn’t judge my past,” Zee told PEOPLE. “In fact, writing this book, he wanted more, which says a lot. He’s like, ‘I want to listen. I want to be a part of that.’ ”
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