Matthew Lillard’s wife scolds him for calling Jacob Elordi ‘delicious’

Matthew Lillard revealed that his wife, Heather Helm, scolded him for publicly calling actor Jacob Elordi “delicious,” joking that he’s “not allowed to say [anything] anymore.”

The Scream 7 star, 51, opened up during a recent appearance on the Everything Iconic podcast with Danny Pellegrino. 

When asked who he would pick as PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2026, Lillard began, “So, Jacob Elordi is, like …” before Pellegrino interjected with “sculpture.” Lillard laughed, adding, “I was calling him delicious in public, and my wife's like, ‘You can't say that. You're married to me for 26 years.’ But Jacob Elordi's legit a really handsome man.”

Lillard and Helm, married since August 2000, share three children: Addison, 23, Macey, 21, and Liam, 17. 

The actor also shared the secret to his long-lasting marriage, emphasizing communication and accountability.

“We don't go to bed angry. I mean, we've been married 25 years, which is over a hundred years in Hollywood. ‘Don't go to bed angry’ is pretty pure,” he told People. 

“We have a big thing in our family where we clear space. So that you're actively engaged when you are fighting… you find the end of it in clear space, which is an apology a lot of times, which is taking responsibility for how you behaved.”

He continued, “I do think that it makes us both accountable to what is said in the moment and letting it go. 

At the end of the day, you have to work on what the issue was. It's never about cleaning the kitchen — it's about something else. So it's about working through to find out what is at the core of that.”

On family life, Lillard revealed that his children are largely indifferent to his Hollywood fame. 

“It's like if you're a father and you're an accountant or a plumber or a heart surgeon, the reality is that your kids just want you to love them, to provide a roof over their heads and make sure that they're getting raised safely,” he said. 

“My kids have the exact same level of appreciation for my job as any other kids, but I don't know if they've ever seen Scream.”