All About Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale's 2 Kids, Rocco and Rafael
All About Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale's 2 Kids, Rocco and Rafael
Audrey Schmidt, Caroline BlairSun, March 15, 2026 at 9:20 PM UTC
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Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale attend the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards on February 22, 2026 in London, England ; Bobby Cannavale and his 2 kids in May 2020.Credit: Mike Marsland/WireImage ; Bobby Cannavale/Instagram -
Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale are proud parents to two sons: Rocco and Rafa
Cannavale is also a father to son Jake, whom he welcomed during his previous marriage to Jenny Lumet
The acting couple have been dating since 2012
Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale are the proud parents of two sons.
The couple, who met through a mutual friend, welcomed their first child together, son Rocco, in February 2016. They expanded their family the following year when they welcomed son Rafael "Rafa" in November 2017. In addition to their two sons, Cannavale also has an adult son, Jake, from his previous marriage to Jenny Lumet.
Despite their busy schedules, Byrne — who was nominated for her first Oscar for her role in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You — and Cannavale make it a priority to spend time with their children. When Byrne won a Golden Globe during the January 2026 ceremony, she thanked Cannavale while explaining that he was away getting their son a pet.
"I want to thank my husband, Bobby Cannavale," she said. "He couldn't make it here because we're getting a bearded dragon, and he went to a reptile expo in New Jersey. So, thank you, baby."
Here is everything to know about Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale's sons Rocco and Rafa.
Rocco was born in 2016
Bobby Cannavale and Rose Byrne's son Rocco.Credit: Bobby Cannavale/Instagram
Byrne and Cannavale welcomed their first child together, Rocco, on Feb. 1, 2016. While Byrne recalled the newborn phase as “challenging,” she credited her support system with helping her make the transition to motherhood.
“I had a wonderful woman named Esther Santana at the beginning who taught me so much,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle in August 2018. “My mother taught me so much, she came over and helped me. You really lean on people who’ve done it before. I did.”
Rafa was born in 2017
Rose Byrne and Rafa.Credit: Bobby Cannavale/Instagra
The Hollywood couple welcomed their second son together, Rafa, in November 2017.
“[Rocco] is a terrific big brother,” Cannavale told Entertainment Tonight in December 2017. “He’s wonderful with him, and really gentle with him, and my oldest is great with both of them. We couldn’t ask for anything more.”
At the time, Byrne called the experience of raising two boys under 2 years old “completely bonkers."
“You’re always like, ‘Don’t hit him! Put down that thing! It’s on fire! What’s happening?’ It’s completely chaotic and I’m not by any means a completely in-control parent,” she told MiNDFOOD in November 2018. “I definitely am trying to put out fires all the time.”
Rocco and Rafa's names are inspired by family
Rocco and Rafa.Credit: Bobby Cannavale/Instagram
When choosing their sons’ names, Byrne and Cannavale selected monikers with family ties.
Rocco’s middle name is Robin, in honor of Byrne’s father.
"His middle name is [Byrne's] dad's name, Robin, and we liked the way it rang together," Cannavale said during a February 2017 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
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Meanwhile, Rafa pays homage to Cannavale’s family — and Rafael Nadal.
“I hadn’t given one of my children a Latin name yet,” Cannavale told Entertainment Tonight in December 2017. “I wanted to honor my mom’s side of the family and Rafael Nadal had such a great year and we were constantly keeping up with him and watching all of his matches, so we were like, ‘How about Rafa? That goes well with Rocco.’ And that was it.”
Rocco and Rafa have different personalities
Bobby Cannavale and his sons.Credit: Bobby Cannavale/Instagram
Rocco and Rafa couldn't be more different. While appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in January 2020, Cannavale said that Rocco is "very sensitive," while his younger brother is "crazy."
"We call [Rafa] 'Seal Team 6' because he's crazy and he's a killer," he said. "[Rocco] is always singing and dancing. The little one is just tough."
Byrne wants Rocco and Rafa to choose their own career paths
Bobby Cannavale and his son.Credit: Bobby Cannavale/Instagram
Although both of their parents are actors, Byrne wants Rocco and Rafa to pursue their own dreams.
“I remember doing the film The Rage in Placid Lake years ago with Ben Lee, about the kid who rebelled against his bohemian parents and became an accountant,” she previously told Jones Magazine. “Maybe my kids will want to do something really different, like run a granola company or become accountants themselves.”
Byrne and Cannavale like to keep their kids close
Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Rocco and Rafa.Credit: Bobby Cannavale/Instagram
Byrne and Cannavale — who have starred in several films together including Spy, Adult Beginners, Annie, Inappropriate Behavior and Ezra — try to work on the same projects when possible to keep their kids nearby.
While discussing Ezra during a May 2024 appearance on Today, Cannavale said, "The nice thing about this is like we shot it here in New York and New Jersey, and the kids know where we are at all times when we're working together, so that's nice."
“Our life is really just ... aside from raising the kids, it's just scheduling, everything is scheduling,” he continued. “And so we try our best to really stay together, we always say, ‘We've got to keep the band together,’ so we take the kids with us wherever we go and we try to work here as much as we can.”
Cannavale added that "whenever there is an opportunity to work together, we know that we're gonna have the kids close by and it sort of all revolves around that."
Rocco and Rafa are Jack Black fans
Bobby Cannavale and Rocco.Credit: Bobby Cannavale/Instagram
While appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show in June 2024, Cannavale — who starred in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle with Jack Black — revealed that his sons are huge fans of the School of Rock actor.
“That’s why they think I know him,” he told Barrymore of sharing the screen with Black. “Rocco can’t believe it. He’s like, ‘Dad, why can’t we just go and hang out with him?’ And I’m like, ‘Because I don’t know him like that.’ ”
He continued, “[Rocco] goes, ‘You told me you had dinner with him.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but that was just like a little cast get-together.’ And I was trying to explain how it works and I’m like, ‘We don’t know each other, Buddy,' and he's like, ‘I think if we go and he meets me, he’ll want to hang out.’ ”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
