Who is Dakota Johnson’s stepmum Kelley Phleger? The teacher and former debutante married Miami Vice star Don Johnson in 1999, and the pair have been going strong ever since

May 30 , 2025

Don Johnson and his wife of 25 years, Kelly Phleger, are still going strong. Photo: @donjohnson/Instagram, @kelley.johnson/Instagram

Actor and singer-songwriter Johnson has 5 children by 3 different mothers, some of whom – like Dakota – have also gone into the entertainment industry

Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson’s father, Don Johnson, is a Hollywood legend in his own right. The Golden Globe-winning actor shares Dakota with his ex-wife, Oscar-nominated actress Melanie Griffith, whom he met when he was 22 and she was 14. The former couple started living together when Griffith was just 15 and got engaged as soon as she turned 18. They married in 1976, divorced the same year, remarried in 1989, and divorced again in 1994. By 1999, Johnson had moved on and was tying the knot with his now-wife Kelley Phleger, who is about 18 years his junior.

Johnson is a father to five children, including Dakota Johnson and Jesse Johnson (whom he shares with Patti D’Arbanville). He welcomed his three youngest children, Atherton Grace, Jasper Breckenridge and Deacon Johnson with his current missus, Kelley Phleger.

But what else do we know about the woman who made Don Johnson settle down?

She’s a teacher

Kelley Phleger is a former debutante. Photo: @kelley.johnson/Instagram

According to People, Kelley Phleger graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in fine arts. Soon after, she started working as a teacher at a Montessori nursery. She was also a 1986 Cotillion debutante and a well-known socialite in San Francisco, per Hollywood Life.

How did she meet Don Johnson?

Kelley Phleger’s ex-boyfriend is the current governor of California, Gavin Newsom. Photo: @kelley.johnson/Instagram

When Johnson first met Phleger in 1996 through their mutual friend Jo Schuman Silver at a party, she was reportedly in a relationship with Gavin Newsom, the current governor of California. They allegedly broke up not long afterwards and she got together with Johnson.

They’ve been together for 25 years

Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger married in 1999. Photo: @kelley.johnson/Instagram

In a September 2024 Instagram post, Johnson gushed over his wife as he marked their 25th wedding anniversary with a beautiful picture of them matching in black outfits. “My Best Gurl for 25 years!! Think I’ll keep her,” he captioned the post along with a red heart emoji. Indeed, this is Johnson’s longest marriage and the couple are clearly going strong.

What are her children doing?

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