5 days Ago By Natalie King
Despite being on our screens for over two decades, Brian Dietzen keeps a low profile off-camera. As Dr. Jimmy Palmer on NCIS since 2004 and a series regular since season 10, not much is known about his personal life.
But recently, Brian gave followers a peek of his off-screen life on Instagram with an adorable snapshot of himself alongside his wife Kelly, out in Los Angeles on Sunday (April 15). The pair enjoyed a baseball game, cheering as the Chicago Cubs triumphed over the LA Dodgers with a staggering 16-0 score. Born in Barrington, Illinois, Brian sported a cap showing love for his Chicago roots, while Kelly donned an LA Dodgers hat, cheering for their home team.
But despite cheering for different teams, the pair looked happy together. Captioning his Instagram post, Brian expressed surprise at the Cubs' performance: "Seeing the Cubs for the first time this season, and they didn't disappoint! 16-0! I did not see that coming..
" View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brian Dietzen (@briankdietzen) But he pledged to switch sides at upcoming games: "Always a good night when we get to go to Dodgers for a game. The rest of the season I'll proudly wear my Dodgers cap, but this week, I'm repping my hometown." Brian's post drew excited reactions with fans backing the Cubs.
One fan declared, "Go Cubs! Lifelong cub fan 60 + years", and another enthusiastically added, "Go Cubs Go". Brian, who married Kelly in 2004, keeps his family life private on social media, only revealing that they share two children, a son and daughter, whose names and ages he has not confirmed. Celebrating 20 years of marriage in a heartfelt June 2024 Instagram tribute, Brian expressed his gratitude to his wife: "I am beyond blessed to have met someone like you, Kel.
I'm so glad you're my person, and we get to do life together. "Thanks for the smiles, For our family, For saying yes. Here's to all the memories to come.
Happy anniversary my love." But the couple have faced difficult times together; notably, Brian suffered a stroke at home in 2020, leading to major surgery and a challenging recovery path. In a 2022 Variety interview, Brian shared how technology played a critical role during the emergency.
"I'm going to say something that's going to sound like an advertisement and it's not, but the Apple Watch saved my life. I was on the floor of my bathroom, throwing up, and I pulled out my phone and I was like, 'Oh s***, I can't use my fingers.' And so I said, 'Hey, Siri, call Kelly,' and called my wife and I said, 'I need help.
'" Brian recalled Kelly's reaction, saying, "You sound like you have marbles in your mouth.'" With the help of Siri, he managed to contact emergency services and was rushed for an MRI scan, sharing his thoughts during the critical moment. "'I don't think there's much that I've left undone, because everyone that I love knows that I love them' - that sort of thing.
But then I was like, 'Whoa, no, I can't start thinking that way,' and then I started trying to get my mind in the right place.".
