Martie Allen is the longtime partner of Kristy McNichol, the Emmy winning former child star best known for the 1976 to 1980 television series Family and for playing Barbara Weston on Empty Nest from 1988 to 1992. In January 2012, McNichol publicly confirmed she is gay and revealed that she and Martie had been together for roughly twenty years, a disclosure that made national headlines and was widely covered by mainstream news outlets at the time.
This article looks at what is known about Martie Allen, from her decades long relationship with Kristy McNichol to the public reaction that followed McNichol’s 2012 announcement. It also traces Kristy McNichol’s own remarkable career, since so much of the public interest in Martie comes from her connection to one of television’s most beloved former child stars. Readers interested in other partners and family members of well known entertainers may also want to read about Walton Goggins’ first wife and Chuck Norris’s first wife.
Quick Bio Table
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Martie Allen |
| Known For | Longtime partner of actress Kristy McNichol |
| Partner | Kristy McNichol, actress |
| Relationship Length | Together for roughly twenty years as of 2012 |
| Public Confirmation | January 2012 |
| Public Profile | Has remained almost entirely private |
Her Relationship With Kristy McNichol
Martie Allen and Kristy McNichol built a private life together for roughly two decades before McNichol chose to speak publicly about their relationship in January 2012. McNichol explained at the time that she wanted to come forward partly to support anti-bullying efforts, telling reporters that she hoped being open about her own life might help others who were struggling with similar issues. The announcement marked a significant and deeply personal moment for McNichol, who had largely stepped away from the public eye in the years following her television career.
This decision to speak publicly after so many years together reflected a considerable shift for a couple who had otherwise kept their relationship almost entirely private throughout the previous two decades, choosing to share their story only when McNichol felt it served a purpose larger than her own personal life.
The Public Reaction to the 2012 Announcement
McNichol’s disclosure about her relationship with Martie Allen was met with a wave of support from fans, former colleagues, and entertainment reporters, many of whom praised her courage in speaking openly after years out of the spotlight. Coverage from outlets including Today.com and CBS News treated the announcement respectfully, focusing on McNichol’s own stated motivations rather than sensationalizing the relationship itself.
This overwhelmingly supportive response illustrated how much public attitudes had shifted since the height of McNichol’s fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s, offering a notable contrast to the pressures many gay public figures faced in earlier decades of American entertainment.
Her Life Away From the Spotlight
Martie Allen has consistently maintained a private life, choosing not to give interviews or make public appearances alongside Kristy McNichol even after their relationship became public knowledge. This preference for privacy has meant that very little independent biographical information about Martie exists beyond her connection to McNichol, a choice that stands in contrast to the extensive media attention McNichol herself received throughout her acting career.
This consistent avoidance of the public eye, maintained even after McNichol’s announcement drew national attention, reflects a deliberate choice by Martie to keep her own life separate from the fame her partner experienced decades earlier as a celebrated young actress.
Kristy McNichol’s Rise as a Child Star
Kristy McNichol became one of television’s most recognizable young performers during the late 1970s, winning two Emmy Awards for her role as Letitia “Buddy” Lawrence on the drama series Family, a performance that established her as one of the most talented child actors of her generation, according to reporting from CBS News. Her early success led to a string of film roles throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, including appearances in Little Darlings and The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, further cementing her status as a major young star of the era.
This remarkable early career, achieved while McNichol was still a teenager, gave her a level of fame that few actors ever experience at such a young age, a foundation that shaped the remainder of her career and public life for decades afterward.
Kristy McNichol’s Later Career on Empty Nest
Following her success on Family, Kristy McNichol went on to star as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest, a role she played from 1988 until her departure from the series in 1992 due to health reasons. Her performance on the show earned her continued recognition throughout the late 1980s and helped extend her career well beyond her earlier fame as a child star on Family.
This second major television role demonstrated McNichol’s staying power as a performer, allowing her to transition successfully from a celebrated child actress into an adult television star during a period when many former child performers struggled to maintain their careers.
Kristy McNichol’s Retirement From Acting
After leaving Empty Nest in 1992, Kristy McNichol largely stepped away from acting altogether, making only rare public appearances in the years that followed and choosing to live a considerably more private life than her earlier fame might have suggested. This extended period away from the spotlight, lasting for decades, meant that her 2012 announcement about her relationship with Martie came as a surprise to many fans who had not heard from her publicly in years.
This long absence from public life, followed by her decision to speak candidly about her personal life in 2012, illustrates how McNichol chose to reenter public conversation on her own terms rather than through any return to acting or entertainment work.
Why Fans Still Search for Martie’s Name
Interest in Martie Allen comes almost entirely from fans of Kristy McNichol who remember her celebrated career on Family and Empty Nest and who were moved by her candid 2012 announcement about her relationship. Because McNichol remains a beloved figure among those who grew up watching her performances, questions about her personal life, including her longtime partner, continue to surface among those researching her complete story.
Because Martie has chosen to remain almost entirely outside of public attention, most of what people can find about her traces back to the coverage surrounding McNichol’s 2012 announcement rather than to any independent public profile of her own.
How Their Story Compares to Other Celebrity Partners
Many partners of well known entertainers choose to maintain a private life away from the public attention their famous partner receives, and Martie Allen’s approach reflects this common pattern among people connected to celebrities who prefer to keep their personal lives separate from their partner’s public career. This choice, while not unusual among partners of public figures, stands out in Martie’s case given how significant McNichol’s own disclosure became within entertainment news coverage at the time.
This pattern of privacy, chosen deliberately by someone connected to a well known public figure, illustrates how personal relationships can remain largely undocumented even when one partner has achieved considerable fame, particularly when both individuals actively choose to keep their life together out of the public record.
The Broader Context of Coming Out in Hollywood
Kristy McNichol’s 2012 announcement came at a time when a growing number of entertainment figures were choosing to speak openly about their sexuality, part of a broader cultural shift that had been building across the previous decade within American media and popular culture. Her decision to discuss her relationship with Martie specifically in the context of supporting anti-bullying efforts distinguished her announcement from many others of the period, framing it as a contribution to a larger cause rather than simply a personal disclosure.
This framing, emphasizing a broader social purpose rather than personal celebrity narrative, reflected McNichol’s own stated values and gave her announcement a distinct tone compared to many other celebrity disclosures of the same era, adding meaningful context to why she chose that particular moment to speak about her life with Martie.
Kristy McNichol’s Health Struggles
Kristy McNichol has also spoken publicly over the years about health challenges she faced, including bipolar disorder, which she has said contributed to her decision to step back from acting in the early 1990s. Her openness about these struggles, shared in later interviews, added another dimension to the public understanding of why she chose to leave her acting career behind at a point when she remained a recognizable and sought after performer.
This willingness to discuss both her health and her personal relationship in later years reflects a consistent pattern of candor from McNichol once she did choose to speak publicly, even though she spent many years prior maintaining a largely private life away from media attention.
Family’s Continued Privacy
Both Kristy McNichol and Martie Allen have continued to maintain a private life together in the years since the 2012 announcement, rarely appearing in public together or granting interviews about their relationship. This sustained preference for privacy, maintained consistently in the years following McNichol’s disclosure, illustrates that the couple’s decision to speak publicly in 2012 was a deliberate, one time choice rather than an invitation to ongoing media coverage of their relationship.
This continued quiet life together, chosen deliberately by both Martie and Kristy in the years since the announcement, reflects a couple who valued sharing their story once for a meaningful purpose while otherwise preferring to keep the details of their day to day life private.
Fans’ Lasting Affection for Kristy McNichol
Despite her decades long absence from acting, Kristy McNichol has remained a fondly remembered figure among fans who grew up watching Family and Empty Nest, with many expressing continued appreciation for her work through fan communities and retrospective coverage of classic television. This enduring affection helped generate significant attention when she finally chose to speak publicly about her personal life in 2012, decades after her last major acting role.
This sustained fan interest, persisting across the many years McNichol spent away from public life, demonstrates how deeply her earlier performances resonated with audiences, a connection strong enough that her relationship with Martie became notable news even after such a long period out of the spotlight, and one that continues to draw curiosity from longtime fans revisiting her classic television work today.
Conclusion
Martie Allen is the longtime partner of former child star Kristy McNichol, having built a life together for roughly two decades before McNichol’s 2012 announcement brought their relationship into public view. Martie’s own story remains almost entirely private, known mainly through the coverage surrounding McNichol’s candid and widely praised disclosure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Martie Allen?
Martie Allen is the longtime partner of former child star and actress Kristy McNichol.
When did Kristy McNichol confirm her relationship with Martie Allen?
She confirmed the relationship publicly in January 2012.
How long had Kristy McNichol and Martie Allen been together at the time of the announcement?
They had been together for roughly twenty years.
What is Kristy McNichol best known for?
She is best known for her Emmy winning role on Family and for playing Barbara Weston on Empty Nest.
Has Martie Allen given any public interviews?
No. She has maintained a private life and has not given public interviews about her relationship with Kristy McNichol.
