Karen Kline: The Woman Who Noticed Linda Hunt’s Corduroys
In a 2019 interview on CBS Sunday Morning, a reporter asked Karen Kline what first attracted her to Linda Hunt. It was a leading question. The obvious answer — given that Linda Hunt is one of the most recognized faces in American television, an Oscar winner, and a woman whose physical presence has defined her entire career — would be something about charisma, talent, or presence.
Karen Kline said: “I was kind of struck by Linda’s corduroys.”
That answer tells you almost everything you need to know about Karen Kline. She is a retired psychotherapist from Davis County, Utah, who has been with one of Hollywood’s most decorated actresses for nearly four decades. She has given almost no interviews. She has no social media presence. She has never tried to be famous.
She noticed the corduroys. She married the woman inside them. That is the story.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Karen Kline |
| Born | April 26, 1944 |
| Age (2026) | 82 years old |
| Birthplace | Davis County, Utah, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White (German and English ancestry) |
| Father | Orville Ronald Billhymer |
| Mother | Viva Honor Rominger Billhymer |
| Siblings | Not publicly identified |
| Education | Not publicly documented |
| Profession | Retired psychotherapist |
| Partner | Linda Hunt (actress, Oscar winner) |
| Together since | 1987 (most consistently cited; some sources say 1978) |
| Married | 2008, California |
| Children | None |
| Pets | Three adopted dogs (per multiple sources) |
| Residence | Hollywood, California (historic bungalow) |
| Net worth (est.) | Not publicly confirmed; widely estimated at $3 million |
| Social media | None — no verified public accounts |
Davis County, Utah — The Starting Point Nobody Writes About
Karen was born on April 26, 1944, in Davis County, Utah, to parents named Orville Ronald Billhymer and Viva Honor Rominger Billhymer. Davis County sits north of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front — a stretch of mid-century American suburbia that was, in 1944, predominantly white, conservative, and Mormon-adjacent in its cultural atmosphere.
She carries the surname Kline, not Billhymer. The change was likely through marriage to a prior partner, though no documentation of a previous marriage appears in any public source. The origin of the Kline name is simply not addressed in any article that covers her.
Her childhood and upbringing are entirely absent from the public record. No schooling mentioned. No stories from family or friends. No indication of when she left Utah or what brought her to Los Angeles, where she eventually built a career as a psychotherapist and met Linda Hunt.
She is 82 years old in 2026. Most articles miss this entirely — citing her age as younger based on outdated articles that were already wrong about her birth year.
The Psychotherapy Career — Accomplished, Undocumented
Karen Kline worked as a psychotherapist before and during her relationship with Linda Hunt. This is consistently reported across all sources. What is consistently absent is any detail about her actual practice.
No clinic is named. No specialization is confirmed. No academic institution where she trained is identified. The length of her career is not documented. When she retired is not recorded anywhere.
Multiple sources describe her practice as “successful” without a single verifiable fact to support that characterization. The available evidence is simply: she was a psychotherapist, she is now retired, and Linda Hunt has mentioned in interviews that her fascination with psychology may be part of why they connected.
One source speculates they may have met through a shared interest in psychology — possibly through a mutual connection in the field. This is inference, not confirmed history. The actual circumstances of how they met have never been publicly established. What is established is when: 1987 is the year most major sources cite for the beginning of their relationship.
The Corduroy Moment — The Only Quote That Defines Her
The CBS Sunday Morning interview is the single most-cited piece of direct Karen Kline sourcing in existence. It is also the only place she is known to have spoken directly to press about her relationship with Linda Hunt.
Her comment about the corduroys was not accidental. It was a deliberate deflection of the most loaded possible question — what attracted you to this woman? — into something domestic, funny, and entirely focused on clothing rather than fame or physical appearance. She was, by that answer, saying: I saw a person, not a celebrity. I noticed her pants.
Linda Hunt’s response was equally characteristic. She turned the moment into a joke about their age gap — Karen is six years younger, and Hunt said she “forgives her daily” for it.
It is the most intimate window into their dynamic that exists in any public record. Two people entirely comfortable with each other, neither performing for the camera, both treating what could be a loaded interview as something light and private and already settled long ago.
Their Timeline — And Why One Date Discrepancy Matters
Most credible sources, including CBS News, Cheat Sheet, and multiple entertainment outlets, state that Karen and Linda began dating in 1987. They lived together in Los Angeles from that year.
One source — a Fandom wiki page — places the start of their relationship in 1978. This date is not corroborated by any mainstream source and appears to be an error or a misread of a different detail.
The 1987 date is the one consistent with Linda Hunt’s career timeline. By 1987, Hunt had already won her Academy Award for The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), had been Tony-nominated for End of the World (1984), and was an established stage and screen presence. The 1987 date places the beginning of their relationship squarely in Hunt’s post-Oscar period.
They lived together for twenty-one years before marrying. Same-sex marriage was illegal in California and across most of the United States for the duration of that period. When California briefly legalized same-sex marriage in 2008, they married. Linda Hunt described the legal status with characteristic directness at the time: “What that means legally, I don’t know. And remember, legal is only legal in California.”
They did not wait for the law to catch up. They had been a family for two decades before the paperwork existed to call it that.
The 2008 Marriage — Private, Minimal, and On Their Own Terms
The wedding in 2008 was not a public event. No guest list was published. No photographs from the ceremony entered circulation. No media coverage of the day itself exists in any form.
They chose to marry because the legal option had become available, not because they needed the event to define their commitment. By 2008, they had already been together for twenty-one years. The marriage was a formality attached to something that had already been real for a very long time.
Linda Hunt has called Karen her “lady” in various interviews — a word choice that is casual, warm, and completely devoid of celebrity-couple performance. It is the language of someone describing their actual life, not their public image.
The 2018 Car Accident — And the Hoax That Followed
On July 2, 2018, Linda Hunt was driving her black BMW SUV in Hollywood when she collided with a sedan and then a second vehicle while attempting a left turn. She was visibly shaken. Witnesses helped her to a nearby chair. She was hospitalized. The other drivers involved sustained minor injuries. She later described the crash as “minor.”
The accident caused her extended absence from NCIS: Los Angeles — she missed the rest of season 10 and most of season 11.
Within days, false reports began circulating online that Karen Kline had been in the car and had died. The story spread rapidly. Social media posts created eulogies. The claim was entirely fabricated. Karen was not in the vehicle. She was not injured. She was not involved in any way.
It was a death hoax of the kind that targets celebrity-adjacent figures who have no public platform to immediately deny false reports. Because Karen has never built any public presence — no social media, no regular press contact, no spokesperson — there was no mechanism for her to push back personally. The hoax spread for days before being debunked.
She was alive. She remains alive in 2026. She is 82 years old.
This episode illustrates something specific about what it costs to be as private as Karen Kline. Her silence, which is a genuine choice and an expression of who she is, creates a vacuum that false information can fill instantly. She had no voice to deny it. Linda Hunt’s team ultimately confirmed it was untrue.
The Hollywood Bungalow — The Only Window Into Their Daily Life
In 2014, the Los Angeles Times ran a piece about the home that Karen and Linda share in Hollywood. It is a 1919 bungalow in a historic neighborhood — an early 20th century American Craftsman-style home, restored and lived in rather than staged for magazine coverage.
The house is described as a blend of modern and country elements. It is two bedrooms. It has the feel, by all accounts, of a home where people actually live rather than a property that exists for real estate listings.
They share it with dogs — three adopted dogs, according to multiple sources citing USA Today. Linda Hunt is an ambassador for the Best Friends Animal Society, an animal welfare organization. The presence of multiple rescue dogs is consistent with that affiliation.
This is the fullest picture of their daily life that exists in public. A 1919 house. Three dogs. A retired therapist and a working actress. Privacy maintained not through lawyers or security but through simply not engaging with the machinery that tries to consume it.
The Mistaken Identity Problem
Karen Kline shares her name with a veterinary neurologist who practices in the United States. Dr. Karen Kline, the veterinarian, specializes in veterinary neurology and exotic animal medicine. She is not Linda Hunt’s wife. They are different people who happen to share a name.
Multiple articles confirm that people have repeatedly conflated the two. The confusion is harmless but persistent. A search for Karen Kline produces results for both women without always clearly distinguishing between them.
This is worth flagging because a reader researching Linda Hunt’s wife Karen Kline may encounter articles that reference “Dr. Kline” and assume they are reading about the same person. They are not.
What Is Known vs. What Is Not
Confirmed or well-sourced:
- Born April 26, 1944, Davis County, Utah
- Parents: Orville Ronald Billhymer and Viva Honor Rominger Billhymer
- Retired psychotherapist
- White American, German and English ancestry
- Began relationship with Linda Hunt in 1987 (per CBS News and most major outlets)
- Has lived in Los Angeles since 1987
- Married Linda Hunt in 2008 in California
- No children; three adopted dogs
- Lives in a 1919 Craftsman bungalow in Hollywood
- Appeared briefly on CBS Sunday Morning; “corduroys” quote is confirmed
- Was not in the 2018 car accident; death hoax about her was debunked
- No social media presence
- Is 82 years old in 2026 and, per all available information, alive
- Linda Hunt is 81 years old in 2026
Unverified or undisclosed:
- Origin of the surname Kline — no confirmed prior marriage or other explanation
- Her psychotherapy education, training, and practice details
- How she and Linda met — “mutual friend or psychology connection” is speculation
- Whether the 1978 relationship start date appears anywhere credible (one source only; contradicted by all others)
- Her net worth — the $3 million figure appears in some sources without clear methodology
- Her siblings, extended family, or any early life detail
- Whether she has any current professional or charitable affiliations
- How she has responded to the ongoing media attention on her private life
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FAQ — 12 Real Questions
1. Who is Karen Kline?
She is a retired psychotherapist from Davis County, Utah, and the wife of Academy Award-winning actress Linda Hunt. They began their relationship in 1987 and married in 2008 when California briefly legalized same-sex marriage. She is known for maintaining near-total privacy despite being married to one of Hollywood’s most decorated actresses.
2. How old is she?
She was born on April 26, 1944. She is 82 years old in 2026. Many articles cite incorrect ages based on outdated sources that have circulated uncorrected.
3. Where is she from?
Davis County, Utah — a suburban county north of Salt Lake City. She was born and raised there. The details of when and why she moved to Los Angeles are not documented.
4. What does Karen Kline do for a living?
She is a retired psychotherapist. She worked in the field before and during her relationship with Linda Hunt. No details about her specific practice, training, or specialization have been made public. She is now retired.
5. How did Karen and Linda meet?
The exact circumstances are not confirmed. Most sources state they began their relationship in 1987. Some speculation suggests they may have met through mutual friends or a shared interest in psychology, but this is inference, not confirmed. What Karen has confirmed is that the first thing that caught her attention was Linda’s corduroy pants.
6. When did they get married?
In 2008, when California briefly legalized same-sex marriage. They had already been together for twenty-one years. The ceremony was private and no public photographs or coverage of the event exists.
7. Do they have children?
No. Neither Linda Hunt nor Karen Kline has children. They share three adopted dogs and Linda Hunt is an ambassador for the Best Friends Animal Society.
8. Was Karen involved in Linda Hunt’s 2018 car accident?
No. On July 2, 2018, Linda Hunt was driving alone when she was involved in a three-car collision in Hollywood. She was hospitalized with minor injuries. Karen was not in the vehicle and was not harmed. A false death hoax about Karen circulated online following the accident and was later debunked.
9. Is there another Karen Kline?
Yes. A veterinary neurologist named Karen Kline practices in the United States specializing in exotic animal medicine and neurological conditions. She is a completely different person who shares the name. Search results for Karen Kline sometimes conflate the two, but Linda Hunt’s wife is a psychotherapist, not a veterinarian.
10. What is Karen Kline’s net worth?
Not publicly confirmed. Some sources estimate $3 million, derived from her career as a psychotherapist. This figure is unverified. Her wife Linda Hunt has an estimated net worth of around $10 to $12 million built from her acting career.
11. Where do they live? Hollywood, California. They share a 1919 American Craftsman bungalow in a historic neighborhood. The Los Angeles Times featured the home in 2014. It is described as a two-bedroom residence with a blend of modern and country design elements.
12. Why is so little known about her?
Because she has chosen it that way. Karen Kline has never sought media attention, never maintained social media accounts, and has given what appears to be one interview — the CBS Sunday Morning appearance where she talked about Linda’s corduroys. In a culture that extracts information from everyone connected to celebrity, she has simply refused to be extracted. She is one of the most private people adjacent to Hollywood fame in the modern era, and she has managed it without drama, lawyers, or public statements. She just does not engage. And it has worked.
