While she may not be in the absolute top-tier A-list like Scarlett Johansson or Jennifer Lawrence, she’s highly respected for her talent, versatility, and lasting presence in both TV and film.
Kelly’s most recent major project is Ransom Canyon, an American romantic western series on Netflix, based on the book series by Jodi Thomas.
But Minka Kelly is, of course, more than just an actress. Since her mother’s passing in 2008, she has focused a lot on helping other women through various projects. She’s a strong advocate for regular breast cancer screenings.
The Friday Night Lights star also works with ABLE, a company dedicated to creating sustainable jobs for vulnerable women in Africa. ABLE began by employing and training women in Ethiopia who were former sex workers.
Her died of colon cancer
Her philanthropic work is deeply connected to the relationship she had with her mother, Maureen. Their bond remained complicated even as Kelly was breaking into Hollywood. Estranged for years over financial disputes, they only reconnected when her mother was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. Confronted with the reality of her mother’s final years, Kelly chose forgiveness over resentment.
“I found that the only way to fill that hole in my heart was to be of service. And I wanted to be of service with women,” she says about her charitable work.
At the end, she held her mother as she passed away in hospice — a moment both heartbreaking and transformative. Minka carries regrets, like missing her mom’s last Thanksgiving, but says writing her memoir, Tell Me Everything, was cathartic.
“It felt very liberating to sort of own my history as opposed to feel like I need to hide it anymore,” she says.
Abusive boyfriend
The book was widely praised upon its release and quickly made bestseller lists. It offered a unique look into the childhood that shaped Minka… but, as she herself says, it’s also a tribute to her mother and all working-class single mothers “who were dealt a bad hand.” Publishers Weekly called it “an immensely moving story of one woman’s unconquerable spirit.”
In her book, she also opens up about her first serious relationship. Her boyfriend at the time was cruel — repeatedly calling her a “slut” because of how she dressed and pressuring her to have sex with a female friend. When she refused, he went ahead and had sex with the friend right in front of her.
The next day, Kelly discovered she was pregnant.
When her mother returned, they went to Planned Parenthood, where Kelly agonized over whether to terminate the pregnancy. Her mother suggested raising the baby together, but Kelly wrote, “With what money? What home? What insurance? I couldn’t imagine bringing a baby into what my mother brought me into. Absolutely not,” Kelly wrote. She ultimately made the decision to have an abortion.
Since then, Kelly has had several high-profile relationships over the years.
During her time at Friday Night Lights, Minka Kelly dated her co-star Taylor Kitsch.
But their “toxic” romance not only impacted her personally, but also affected how she interacted with other cast members on the hit NBC series, which ran from 2006 to 2011.
Minka Kelly relationships
”On the days we had to work together and were broken up, he didn’t want to be in the hair and makeup trailer at the same time I was. We couldn’t ride in the van together from base camp to set for the same reason,” Kelly wrote in her memoir.
Then Kelly dated actor Chris Evans and was in a long-term relationship with former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter from 2008 to 2011. She also dated comedian Trevor Noah and had a brief romance with Jesse Williams, whom she met while working on Detroit: Become Human.
Since 2022, she has been in a relationship with Dan Reynolds, the singer and frontman of Imagine Dragons.
Outside of her relationships, Kelly has a passion for cooking and baking —she even graduated from the New School of Cooking in Culver City, California, in 2015 and has expressed interest in hosting a traveling cooking show.
So what does the future hold for this talented, beautiful, brave, and utterly inspiring actress? We can’t wait to see what her next project will be!