Jeremy Jordan lives in Morris County. Photo: Jenny Anderson
When Jeremy Jordan isn’t headlining Broadway—which he has with back-to-back shows over the last three years—he prefers the peacefulness of the Loantaka Brook Reservation trails.
“It’s quiet, so don’t tell everybody about it,” the actor, 41, jokes over the phone while concentrating on driving into New York City from Morris County, where he lives with his wife, fellow Broadway actor Ashley Spencer, and their 7-year-old daughter, Clara.
At the time of the phone call, Jordan was in the home stretch of all-day rehearsals for Just in Time. On April 21, he took over the role of famed crooner Bobby Darin, preceded by fellow Broadway mainstays Jonathan Groff and Matthew Morrison. There was even a two-week period where Jordan was pulling double duty with performances at night as the titular Jay Gatsby in Broadway’s The Great Gatsby.
While Jordan has been a fixture on Broadway since marking his debut in the ensemble of 2009’s Rock of Ages, his name has been lighting up marquees on his own since starring in 2011’s Bonnie & Clyde, followed by shows including Newsies (which premiered at Millburn’s Paper Mill Playhouse), Waitress and American Son. His numerous TV credits span Supergirl to Smash and even Hallmark’s Hannukah on Rye holiday movie.
Jordan, who played sports as a kid in Corpus Christi, Texas, fell in love with performing following a car crash when he was in the seventh grade. Unable to participate in athletics, he turned to choir and never looked back—continuing his education in musical theater at New York’s Ithaca College.
As for his most recent role in Gatsby, he originated the role when it premiered at the Paper Mill in 2023, then led the cast to Broadway in 2024. Ever since, Jordan’s been on a roll. In 2025, he starred in the musical revival of Floyd Collins, earning his second Tony nomination, this time for his portrayal of the 1925 Kentucky cave explorer. Then, he stepped back into Gatsby before taking on the legendary singer Bobby Darin in his new project Just in Time.
Jordan had planned on a break, but when the opportunity came to star in one of the highest-grossing and well- attended musicals in recent years, he couldn’t pass it up. “It was one of those offers that I was just like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to get to do something like this ever again,’ ” he says.
Jordan with wife Ashley Spencer at the 2025 Tonys. Photo: Shutterstock/Levin Radin
Just in Time follows Darin’s short life (he died at age 37) and his two love interests: New Jersey’s own Connie Francis and Sandra Dee. One of the biggest wow factors of the show is the staging—set-in-the-round—and its interactive audience participation.
“It’s a different kind of music and performance than I’ve ever really done on Broadway,” he explains, noting that his cabaret acts and solo concerts have prepared him for the challenge.
With eight performances a week, “it’s a little bit trickier” to get in those hikes with Ashley, especially the ones they like to do farther north in the mountains. The open Jersey air originally wasn’t on his radar until Ashley insisted that they looked to move outside of the city and into the suburbs.
“As soon as I crossed over, I was won over,” Jordan admits about moving in 2010. In 2019, the couple continued west, saying “we hadn’t really planned on looking quite as far as Morris County, but got a little bit more bang for our buck,” because there was a direct train line into Manhattan.
“Out where I am, it feels kind of like quintessential Main Street USA, which has its own allure,” he says.
Some of their favorite local spots are Lucco Cucina & Bar in Florham Park and Roots, Summit House or the Committed Pig in Summit. “If you’re going to get greasy, that’s the place to go,” he says. When he’s performing at the Paper Mill, the Millburn Deli and Millburn Standards are favorites.
The family are members of a community pool, and he loves taking Clara to the Funplex in East Hanover and the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange.
Jordan performs in “Just in Time.” Photo: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
“What really sucks about being on Broadway and having a small kid is that you have opposite schedules,” he says. Clara’s in school while he’s home during the day. Then, when she comes home, Jordan’s heading into work. “We miss each other a lot.”
But during the rehearsal period, he’s almost always home for bedtime, which he loves. He also recently took Clara to see him “at the office” for one of his last performances in Gatsby. He and Ashley prepped her for what to expect, especially some of the darker scenes that perhaps aren’t so child-friendly. “It was kind of an amazing thing,” he says. “She kept waving at me.”
They are still debating how much of Just In Time she can see. There’s no graphic content, but a decent amount of cursing.
He likes to bring Clara backstage to hang out during Sunday matinees “to be part of that environment. Any chance, I can bring her into the world and see what Daddy does is really special.”
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