‘Stranger Things’ Star Cara Buono Shares A Kid With Longtime Husband

Cara Buono is an accomplished American actress who has appeared in several hit TV shows, such as the HBO crime drama The Sopranos, AMC drama series Mad Men, and Netflix science fiction horror drama Stranger Things.

In the Netflix original series, she portrays the role of Karen Wheeler, a character that she has been playing since the first season. Buono is set to reprise the character again in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, releasing on November 26, 2025.

Speaking a little about her character arc in the last season, the writers kept it quite normal as compared to what the viewers witnessed in other seasons. Karen Wheeler and Billy Hargrove’s chemistry was teased a bit in the second season.

And it was continued in the third season as well. So, did Mrs. Wheeler and Billy hook up? The answer is no. But, Buono’s Mrs. Wheeler had thought to go on a late-night date at a local motel with Dacre Montgomery‘s Billy.

Mrs. Wheeler cancels that date when she sees that her husband, Ted Wheeler, was asleep in a recliner with their third and youngest daughter, Holly Wheeler, in his arms. That puts a realization into Mrs. Wheeler’s mind as she decides that the date with Billy isn’t worth it.

So, that does it for Mrs. Wheeler’s small character arc in Stranger Things. Let’s come back to Cara Buono now. Is the actress well-settled in real life like her character in the Netflix show? Does she have any children?

Does Cara Buono have a husband?

Before moving into the New York native actress’s kids, let’s dive into her relationship first. Buono is presently in a blissful marital relationship with her longtime husband, Peter Thum. Thum is a businessman and philanthropist, plus the founder of Ethos Water, a branded bottled water company.

Buono met her future husband, Thum, while they were together on a flight to Los Angeles, California. They became friends, and as they got to know each other more closely, they eventually started dating.

A couple of months after being in a relationship, they decided to take a new step in their relationship and get married. The couple shared the wedding vows on July 12, 2009. Their wedding ceremony was held in New York.

Cara Buono with her husband, Peter Thum, at their New York-based wedding (Photo: Instagram)

While Buono and Thum actually tied the knots on July 12, 2009, many media outlets, including her IMDb page, have mentioned their wedding date as December 31, 2008. However, that’s not true at all.

The wedding date mentioned by other media outlets could be proven wrong after having a glance at Buono’s Instagram handle. For instance, on July 12, 2020, the actress shared a couple of pictures via Instagram to mark her 11th wedding anniversary with her husband.

In the caption, she first wished a happy anniversary to her husband. And then, she pointed out the second picture she posted, which was taken last year during their 10th wedding anniversary, for which the couple traveled to Sicily, Italy.

It meant that they marked their 11th wedding anniversary on July 12, 2020. Afterward, she stated that she is looking forward to their 12th wedding anniversary, on July 12, 2021, “without masks and in the world again.”

Fast forward to July 2025, Buono and Thum’s marital relationship is still going strong as they are now married for 15 years. Recently, Thum took to his Instagram handle to celebrate his wife on Mother’s Day and posted a wholesome video of Buono and his child over the years.

Cara Buono and Peter Thum are parents to a child

Not only are Cara and Peter a married couple, but they are also parents of a child. The couple is blessed with a daughter named Esmé Thum. Besides Esmé, the longtime couple do not have any other kids.

The love birds welcomed their little bundle of joy more than four years after their marriage, on October 19, 2013. Since then, the two have done everything in their power to raise their child in a healthy environment.

Their daughter has already grown up and is now over 11 years old. Since Esmé’s birth, the actress can be seen taking her daughter to various events and movie sets, and her Instagram account is filled with pictures of her daughter.

Cara Buono and her husband, Peter Thum, with their daughter in Italy (Photo: Instagram)

On October 19, 2021, Cara took to her Instagram handle to post multiple pictures taken alongside her daughter and wished her a happy birthday. “Happy Birthday to my spirited girl. You’ll always be the best part of me,” she wrote in her caption.

Additionally, Cara’s Instagram highlight reveals that Esmé was present at her parents’s romantic 10th wedding anniversary in Sicily, Italy, where Cara and Peter renewed their vows with their daughter serving as the officiant.

Furthermore, every year, on the last day of Esmé’s school, the actress dresses up uniquely and goes to pick up her daughter. As of now, it’s reported that the family of three happily resides in their house in New York’s Greenwich Village.