Jared Padalecki’s Wife Genevieve Cortese to Play His ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ Spouse

Jared Padalecki’s real-life wife, Genevieve Cortese, has been cast in the Supernatural star’s upcoming Walker, Texas Ranger reboot. Cortese, who shares three children with Padalecki, will star as Walker’s deceased wife and will appear in flashbacks. Cortese and Padalecki met on the set of Supernatural, in which she had a recurring role as Ruby.

In the new series, simply titled Walker, Padalecki will play Cordell Walker, a widower and father of two who returns to Austin after working undercover for two years. He clashes with his conservative family and is surprised by his new partner, Micki, played by The 100 star Lindsey Morgan. He also begins to wonder if there is more to his wife’s death than previously known.

Cortese will play Emily, a strong and generous woman who was dedicated to helping the disenfranchised, reports Deadline. Padalecki retweeted the outlet’s report, adding, “Close Deadline, but I get to act in a heavily recurring role opposite Gen. Congrats.” The Wildfire star also shared the news, jokingly adding, “There are rumors I’ve slept with the lead and I would like to put them to bed.”

Walker will air on The CW, which also aired Supernatural. The series is based on the 1990s crime drama starring Chuck Norris and created by Albert S. Ruddy and Leslie Grief. The reboot will be filmed in Austin, Texas, where the Padaleckis live. Casting Cortese will also help the show during the coronavirus pandemic since the couple lives together. Producers are hoping to start filming in mid-October, now that Padalecki has finished filming the last episodes of Supernatural in Vancouver.

The CW has never existed without a Padalecki-starring show, and that will continue with Walker. He has starred on Supernatural as Sam Winchester alongside Jensen Ackles for the show’s entire 15-season run, which predates The CW’s existence. Supernatural debuted in September 2005 on The WB. The following year, it became part of The CW’s inaugural line-up. The show’s last season was put on hold in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the crew reunited to finish up the remaining episodes. Season 15 will resume on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. ET, with the series finale airing on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.

Padalecki and Cortese marked their 10th wedding anniversary in February. They are parents to sons Thomas, 8, and Austin, 6, and daughter Odette, 3. Over the weekend, Cortese celebrated the end of Supernatural with a tribute to what the show meant to their family. “Jared what you have given to Sam Winchester, to the cast, the crew, the friends you’ve met the family you’ve grown is immeasurable,” she wrote on Instagram. “You walked in a young kid of 23 and walked away married to a demon and spawned 3 children. I am so proud of this adventure and everything you gave to it.”