Michelle Buteau’s Husband Gijs van der Most Is a Photographer

Michelle Buteau’s husband, Gijs van der Most, has been integral to the comedienne’s happiness and well-being. The couple has been married for over a decade and are parents to two beautiful children; however, their journey into parenthood wasn’t easy.

Michelle Buteau initially pursued a journalism career as a news footage editor, but her passion for entertainment took over. Following the events of 9/11, the New Jersey native started doing stand-up comedy, and her change of path paid off.

She debuted onscreen as Natalie, the co-worker in the 2006 comedy film “The Story of Juan Bago.” She took a hiatus that year and returned to screens briefly in the comedy series “Whitney” as Girlfriend in 2011.

Buteau played a similar role in the beloved MTV show “Key and Peele,” with fellow comedians Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key. She then dabbled in voice acting, voicing Wendeloquence and Mrs. Falgot in “China, IL.”

From 2018 onwards, after several minor roles in TV shows, she began focusing more on films, starring in “Almost Love” and “Always Be My Maybe.” She also shared the screen with Rebel Wilson and Liam Hemsworth in 2019, playing Martina in “Isn’t It Romantic.” In 2020, she released her special “Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia.”

Her most recent credits come from 2022’s “Marry Me,” starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson, “First Wives Club,” and 2023’s “Meet Me in Paris.” But in addition to a rewarding entertainment career, Buteau has her hands full as a mom of two and wife to her husband, Gijs van der Most.

Van der Most studied photography at the Utrecht School for Arts in The Netherlands. He graduated in 2005 and began working independently in 2008. The Dutch-born professional has a website detailing his experience and former clients and showcasing some of his work.

He has collaborated with Esquire, People Magazine, Men’s Health, LPV Magazine, and Mossless. He explained why he chose photography in a short anecdote on the site, revealing a bit of his humor, writing:

“My images are driven from a genuine interest in people and their environment. To capture a special and unique moment from an ordinary situation lies the challenge for me. I realize I might also sound like a dating website profile, but that’s ok!”

Van der Most can capture many photographic styles, including portraits, fine art, still life, photojournalism, and fashion. He is also skilled in interior design. In 2012, he founded his shop Van Der Most Modern in Brooklyn, New York, offering Mid-Century Modern furniture and decor pieces.

In 2019, Buteau sat down with The New York Times and offered a glimpse into her Sundays. She had become a mom at the beginning of that year, and although her days with her babies could be overwhelming, she maintained:

“Mine is a cute overwhelmed. Not like a substitute teacher overwhelmed.”

Since she welcomed her twins, she developed a Sunday routine between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. The actress would start by feeding and changing her kids before taking a stroll on the beach. She would feed them again around 10 a.m. and squeeze in a meal she can “graze through” during the day.

Buteau would also play with her children while waiting for van der Most to return from his shop with treats; the doting dad would bring Caribbean food for his wife. “I love Caribbean food. He’ll bring me Haitian patties or jerk chicken and I’ll graze on that,” Buteau said.

Van der Most would then cook dinner much to his wife’s liking, as she explained, “If he does salmon, he makes sure the skin is crispy. If he does steak he’ll do it with a butter sauce. If he’s making a salad he’ll put three or four different herbs in the dressing. That’s how you stay married.”

Buteau and van der Most struggled to conceive naturally for years. They eventually tried in vitro fertilization, but that, too, didn’t work. It began taking a heavy physical and emotional toll on Buteau, and her husband talked her into slowing down.

“My husband said, ‘You know, I want you back. You are so unhappy and just physically wrecked,'” Buteau recalled. Tentatively, they considered an alternative: surrogacy. Buteau admitted that she was reluctant to try this option, but she did her research and took the plunge.

Her twins, Hazel and Otis van der Most, were born in January 2019, and the actress said she was “forever thankful” to their surrogate mother. She even sends her pictures of the twins (now four years old) now and then to express her gratitude further.

In August 2019, the family of four enjoyed the Afropunk Festival in matching coordinated outfits. Two years later, they made Halloween a family affair as they all dressed up like the characters from “Wizard of Oz,” including Dorothy, Scarecrow, and The Tin Man.

When Buteau celebrated her 45th birthday in July 2022, she shared a black-and-white photo of herself cuddling with their kids. Alongside the sweet image, she wrote, “Another lap around the sun & I’ve still got the cutest to do list ♌️.”

Still, the twins aren’t the only ones getting love from their mom online. In September 2021, she posted a heartwarming tribute on her husband’s birthday, writing that he was her “most favourite person” while asking her followers to give him his flowers.