Matt LeBlanc and his daughter Marina made what has been described as a “rare” public appearance in California on October 16.
The sighting comes in the wake of the two attending Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour stopover in the Golden State two months earlier.
Le Blanc has been observed keeping a low profile after the Friends spinoff, Joey, was cancelled in 2006. At that point, Marina was only two years old and suffering from an illness that caused her seizures.
Le Blanc decided to turn the sudden gap in his schedule into a 20-year hiatus to care for his ailing daughter.
Matt Le Blanc, unshaven, looked comfortable in his casual wear
Paparazzi snaps showed the actor, 58, and his red-haired offspring walking side by side.
Le Blanc, a far cry from his Joey Tribiano character, looked grizzled yet comfortable in his baseball hat, long-sleeve Ducati-branded shirt, and faded jeans, as he traipsed across a parking lot.
His daughter favored white for the day and could be seen with her phone in hand, her red hair open in a strappy top, jeans, and heeled boots.
According to Page Six, the two were seen entering a building with Le Blanc holding the door open for his Marina.
Some say they confused him with Joe Rogan
Perhaps due to the rare sightings, Le Blanc was unrecognizable to many.
“I had to look a dozen times to be sure that wasn’t Joe Rogan,” wrote one person.
“Thank God I’m not the only one,” echoed another.
The internet had words for Marina, too.
“That is absolutely the woman version of Matt Leblanc. Can’t be a single gene from mom flowin’ in there because she looks identical to Daddyo,” wrote one netizen.
The last time they were seen out was when they took a photo with Shakira backstage in California
The two documented their previous outing themselves.
A photo of Marina and her father showed them standing arm in arm with Colombian singer Shakira backstage at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Le Blanc was seen in a satin black short-sleeved shirt and jeans. His daughter put more effort into her appearance for the event and donned leather shorts with a strappy sequined top.
Notably, unlike the scowls and surprised looks captured by the paparazzi recently, Marina could be seen beaming cameras on October 4.
Le Blanc says he was burned out for years after Marina grew out of her illness
Marina is the reason for Le Blanc’s long break from acting. At 11 months old, she was diagnosed with cortical dysplasia, a condition in which the brain’s cortex develops abnormally and results in seizures.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror a decade after Joey, he said: “My daughter was diagnosed with a problem with her head. It was a very dark period.
Marina would grow out of illness, but Le Blanc claimed that his exhaustion was ongoing.
“For years and years, I barely left the house. I was burnt out,” he said.
Marina’s parents separated in 2006 when she was roughly two years old
“Most actors call their agents and say, ‘What’s going on?’ I’d call mine and say, ‘Please lose my number for a few years.’” Le Blanc recalled.
Marina on Feb. 8, 2004, a few months before the final episode of Friends aired. Le Blanc shares her with actress Melissa McKnight, who is known for her role in the 2001 mockumentary Triangles and Tribulations.
The two got engaged in 1998 and were married by 2003. The marriage lasted 3 years, and in 2006, like Friends, it ended.
McKnight, who has two children from her previous marriage, and Le Blanc settled into a co-parenting arrangement
Marina’s birth changed Le Blanc’s perspective
Le Blanc has no regrets. In fact, he seems to appreciate the change of pace the birth of his daughter ushered in.
Speaking to the UK’s Sunday Times in 2005 he said: “My favorite thing is not to work. I like to be with my family or my friends, to ride my bike. I do my thing, go home and live my life.”
“Maybe having a daughter, maybe that’s what it was, but life’s too short to be stressing out about your career.”
“I don’t care as much as I used to,” he concluded.
Fans say Marina is a spitting image of her father
