What does Joel Lovell do for a living? All about Amy Poehler’s boyfriend as couple step out in West Hollywood for date night

Actress Amy Poehler was recently spotted stepping out from Sushi Park with her boyfriend, Joel Lovell, after dinner in the West Hollywood restaurant, according to pictures obtained by Just Jared. The couple coordinated in blue, with Amy wearing a denim jacket and Lovell sporting a blue button-down shirt.

Comedic actress Amy Poehler and her boyfriend Joel Lovell made a rare appearance on a dinner date at celebrity hotspot Sushi Park in West Hollywood.

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In October 2024, People Magazine cited a source who claimed that the couple began dating over the summer.

Amy and Joel appeared to confirm the romance when they stepped out to the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar party.

According to an interview with the University of Michigan’s alumni newsletter in 2016, Joel was raised in upstate New York and attended Cornell University, initially planning to go to medical school.

However, while in college, he discovered a passion for literature and storytelling, which prompted him to pursue an M.F.A. program at University of Michigan.

"At some point, I started reading and writing a lot of fiction. So I decided to apply to an M.F.A. program, which is how I ended up at U-M," said Lovell.

After completing his degree, Lovell began teaching undergraduate fiction writing at Michigan and "lucked into a magazine job at Harper's."

"My friend had applied for a job at the magazine but decided not to take it, so he recommended me. I literally just got a call one day from an editor asking if I’d be interested in applying for an editing job. That was 20 years ago," he added.

Building an extensive career in writing and editing, he later worked for the New York Times Magazine and GQ, where he wrote a 2015 GQ cover profile of Stephen Colbert.

He then began working as an executive editor for This American Life.

"When I started at This American Life, I thought the editing process would be similar, just listening to it rather than reading. I was so totally wrong," said Lovell.

He also contributed to editing the first season of the Serial podcast.

"I think one of the reasons Serial was so popular—and there were a number of them—was because it was just so transparent. Often we pretend that journalism is a function of pure objectivity. But it’s not. There are always all sorts of biases at work, because we’re human beings. With Serial, the host was deftly honest about her subjectivity, and she examined it so that the listener always knew what she was struggling with, and it made the series even more compelling," he said.

After he left his position as deputy editor of The New York Times, Joel began working as an executive editor at Pineapple Street Studios, a role he currently holds, according to ELLE.

There, he has edited several of the studios' podcasts, including Richard Simmons, Winds of Change and 9/12.

According to his IMDB Page, Joel is also known for producing podcasts such as My Fugitive (2021) and Magnificent Jerk (2023).

Outside of his career, Joel is a father of three children from a previous relationship: Addie, Tess, and Julia.

"I had fun with my date": Amy Poehler’s rare remarks about boyfriend Joel Lovell

Having kept her relationship with Joel Lovell out of the public eye for almost a year, Amy Poehler made a rare remark about him at this year's Vanity Fair Oscar Party, referring to him as her date.

"I had the trifecta tonight, which never happens. I'm just gonna say, I liked how I looked, which never happens — you know what, I want to be one of the greatest! I want to be the Michael Jordan of this party. I liked how I looked, I had fun with my date and my feet don't hurt," said Amy.

The Good Hang podcast host was formerly married to actor-comedian Will Arnett, and the couple share two sons, Archie and Abel.

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Praising Amy in a 2022 interview with The Guardian, Arnett stated:

"It's been almost 10 years and my kids are so lucky that Amy is their mother. And I’m so lucky that we’re such a huge part of each other’s lives, even more so than we were five years ago."

Amy expressed similar sentiments in her 2014 memoir Yes Please, writing she's "beyond grateful" that Arnett is their children's father.

"I am proud of how my ex-husband Will and I have been taking care of our children. I am beyond grateful he is their father, and I don’t think a 10-year marriage constitutes failure. That being said, getting a divorce really sucks," wrote Amy.

Amy Poehler and Will Arnett got married in 2003 and finalized their divorce in 2016.