If you spent any time watching Unhappily Ever After on The WB back in the late 90s, you probably remember Nikki Cox as the breakout star who played Tiffany Malloy. She was the quintessential "it girl" of the era. But behind the scenes of that weirdly dark sitcom—the one with the talking puppet in the basement—there was a real-life romance brewing that most people still find hard to believe.
We’re talking about Nikki Cox and Bobcat Goldthwait.
It’s one of those Hollywood pairings that feels like a fever dream when you look back at it. She was the rising starlet frequently gracing magazine covers, and he was the veteran comic known for a high-pitched, gravelly voice and a chaotic stage persona. They weren’t just a passing fling, though. They were together for nearly a decade.
The Secret Start and a Very Public Heartbreak
The story of how they got together is kinda messy, honestly. At the time, Nikki was actually dating her on-screen brother, Kevin Connolly (who later went on to star in Entourage).
Connolly has since opened up about how he found out things were over. It wasn’t a "we need to talk" sit-down. Instead, he reportedly found out by picking up a copy of the National Enquirer and seeing photos of Nikki and Bobcat out on a date. Imagine having to go into work the next day and film a sitcom with your ex and the guy she left you for.
Basically, it was a disaster for Connolly, but for Nikki and Bobcat, it was the start of a seven-year journey.
Why the Nikki Cox and Bobcat Goldthwait Engagement Still Fascinates Us
The age gap was the first thing people pointed at. When they got engaged in 1997, Nikki was only 19 and Bobcat was 35. That’s a 16-year difference, which in today's world would probably break the internet for all the wrong reasons. Back then, it was just "quirky" tabloid fodder.
They met on the set of Unhappily Ever After, where Bobcat wasn't actually on screen—he was the voice and the puppeteer for Mr. Floppy, the cynical rabbit who lived in the basement. There's something deeply ironic about the show's "hottest" star falling for the guy hidden inside a puppet rig.
Nikki famously told Gear magazine in 2001 that she had a "mad crush" on him and was the one who told him so. She leaned into the "opposites attract" narrative. He was the cynical, experienced artist; she was the young, ambitious actress.
Why didn't they ever get married?
They were engaged for years. Like, a long time. They stayed together through the end of their show in 1999 and well into the early 2000s. But the wedding never happened.
According to an interview Bobcat gave years later to an Atlanta radio station, the breakup was anything but mutual. He famously quipped that the relationship ended because he "wanted a little wedding and she wanted to nail other guys."
Ouch.
The specific "explosion" that ended them allegedly involved a hotel flower delivery gone wrong. Bobcat reportedly called a hotel to send Nikki flowers, only for the receptionist to ask if he wanted them sent to Jay Mohr's room.
If that sounds like a plot from a bad movie, it's because Hollywood is often less creative than reality. Nikki ended up marrying Jay Mohr in 2006, shortly after the split from Bobcat.
The Career Shift After the Breakup
For Nikki, the post-Bobcat era was defined by her role on the hit show Las Vegas and her marriage to Mohr. She eventually stepped away from the spotlight almost entirely.
Bobcat, on the other hand, moved away from the "crazy guy" persona and became an incredibly respected director of dark comedies like World's Greatest Dad. He rarely talks about Nikki anymore, though he’s been candid about how the "wheels just fall off" relationships sometimes.
What's wild is that the 90s were so saturated with these kinds of "odd couple" pairings that we almost forgot this one lasted nearly eight years. That’s a lifetime in Hollywood years.
Lessons from the Floppy Era
Looking back at Nikki Cox and Bobcat Goldthwait, it’s a reminder of how insular the TV world used to be. You worked on a set for 14 hours a day, and your world became the people in that building—even if one of them was a guy talking for a rabbit.
What we can take away from this:
- Workplace romances are risky: Kevin Connolly’s "24 weeks of misery" filming after the breakup is a cautionary tale for anyone dating a coworker.
- Long engagements aren't always a good sign: If you’re engaged for six or seven years without a date set, there’s usually a reason the "I do" hasn't happened yet.
- The "National Enquirer" was the original TMZ: Before social media, the tabloids were the only way people found out their lives were falling apart.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into 90s nostalgia, your next step should be checking out Kevin Connolly’s recent podcast appearances where he talks about the "Bobcat incident" with surprising humor. It’s a rare look at the human side of a tabloid scandal that felt like a joke at the time but was actually pretty devastating for those involved. You might also want to look up Bobcat’s directorial work to see how much he evolved after leaving the puppet—and the relationship—behind.