When you search for Joanna Garcia ex husband, you’re actually looking for a ghost. Seriously. There isn't one. It’s one of those weird internet loops where because she’s been famous since she was a teenager on Are You Afraid of the Dark?, people just assume there must be a "starter marriage" hidden away in the early 2000s.
But here’s the reality: JoAnna Garcia Swisher has only been married once.
She tied the knot with former New York Yankees powerhouse Nick Swisher back in 2010. They’re still together. In fact, they just celebrated their 15th anniversary in December 2025. In Hollywood years, that’s basically an eternity. So why does everyone keep typing "ex-husband" into Google?
The Trace Ayala Engagement That Fooled Everyone
The confusion usually stems from a very high-profile relationship that almost made it to the altar. Before Nick Swisher entered the picture, JoAnna was in a serious, long-term relationship with Trace Ayala.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s probably because he’s Justin Timberlake’s childhood best friend and business partner. They co-founded the clothing line William Rast together. Trace and JoAnna were the "it" couple of the mid-2000s. They got engaged in June 2008 after dating for about two years.
It looked like a done deal.
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They were frequently spotted at events with Timberlake and Jessica Biel. The tabloids treated them like they were already married. Then, in 2009, they suddenly called it off. No messy divorce, no legal drama—just a quiet split. Because they were engaged and lived together, many casual fans remembered them as a married couple, which is likely where the Joanna Garcia ex husband search queries started.
Why the Nick Swisher Marriage Stuck
Honestly, her relationship with Nick moved fast. Like, "home run" fast.
They met in 2009, right after she and Trace broke up. Nick was at the height of his career with the Yankees, and JoAnna was filming guest spots on Gossip Girl. They were introduced by a mutual friend, and JoAnna has admitted in interviews that she was hesitant to date a professional athlete. She thought it would be too much "noise."
Nick won her over by being, well, Nick. He’s known for having a massive personality and an even bigger heart. By May 2010, they were engaged. By December 2010, they were married at The Breakers in Palm Beach.
- The Wedding Party: It was a total celeb-fest. Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman (her Reba co-stars) were bridesmaids.
- The Guest List: Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez were there.
- The Vibe: It was a massive, 375-person bash that cemented them as a power couple.
Since then, they’ve had two daughters, Emerson Jay and Sailor Stevie. Nick eventually retired from baseball in 2017 to spend more time with the family, which basically killed any rumors of a "split" or an "ex."
Misconceptions About Her "Past Lives"
People often mix JoAnna up with other actresses who have similar "vibe" or career paths. Because she played Cheyenne on Reba for six years, people sometimes conflate her character’s messy love life with her real one. On screen, Cheyenne’s marriage was a constant source of sitcom drama. In real life? JoAnna’s personal history is remarkably stable.
Another reason the Joanna Garcia ex husband search persists is the "Better with You" era. In that 2010 sitcom, she played a woman who gets married after knowing a guy for only seven weeks. The marketing for that show was everywhere right around the time she actually got married to Nick. Life imitated art, and the public's memory got a little fuzzy.
Setting the Record Straight
If you’re looking for a secret first husband, you won’t find one.
- Trace Ayala was the fiancé, not the husband.
- Nick Swisher is the first and only husband.
- The "Ex" doesn't exist.
It’s rare to see a Hollywood couple stay this solid for over fifteen years. They’ve navigated Nick’s trades from the Yankees to the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves, and JoAnna’s transition from sitcom star to the lead of Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias.
They even post these incredibly sappy, sweet tributes to each other on Instagram every year. In 2025, JoAnna called Nick "one of the greatest blessings" in her life. It’s clear they aren't heading for a "former" status anytime soon.
If you’re trying to keep track of celebrity timelines, focus on the Trace Ayala era of 2006–2009. That’s the only time she was close to having an "ex-husband," but they pulled the plug before the "I dos." Everything since 2010 has been the Swisher chapter.
To stay updated on JoAnna’s current life, you should check out her lifestyle brand, The Happy Place. She shares a lot of behind-the-scenes content about her home life in Georgia, her rescue dogs, and how she and Nick balance their careers. It’s the best way to see that the "ex" rumors are just that—rumors.
Go follow her official social media accounts rather than relying on outdated tabloid archives that still link her to the mid-2000s pop-star circles.