It was 1993 when David Duchovny first starred in the Fox Network’s sci-fi series The X-Files. The show about unsolved and often paranormal FBI cases became a fast phenomenon, making Agent Fox Mulder, Duchovny’s character, a household name. The series lasted nine seasons, scoring 62 Emmy nominations and 16 wins before ending in 2002. But The X-Files franchise went beyond just television.
The X-Files feature film was released in 1998. Ten years later, a second movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, followed. In 2016, the tv series was revived for six episodes, and an eleventh and final season aired in 2018. The show has developed a worldwide “X-Philes” fan base that has inspired comic books, video games, card games, action figures, fan fiction, and even conventions, and it remains strong to this day. What has Duchovny been up to since leaving The X-Files? Read on to discover how he’s become quite the Renaissance man.
10 David Duchovny Starred In Showtime’s ‘Californication’
From 2007 to 2014, Duchovny played Hank Moody, a struggling writer from New York who moves to California and winds up living a life of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, in the provocative Showtime series Californication. In 2007, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical for his portrayal of Hank. The show also starred Natascha McElhone, Madeleine Martin, Evan Handler, Pamela Adlon, and Madeline Zima.
9 David And Téa Leoni Divorced In 2014
In 1997, Duchovny married actress Téa Leoni. The couple had two children together—a daughter named Madelaine born in 1999 and a son named Kyd born in 2002. They separated in 2008 amidst rumors of infidelity, then reunited in 2009. After giving the marriage another try, they called it quits for good in 2011. Duchovny filed for divorce in 2014.
8 Duchovny Went To Rehab For Sex Addiction
In 2008, Duchovny checked himself into rehab for sex addiction at The Meadows in Arizona. Since he was starring in Californication at the time, playing a sex-obsessed writer, many claimed he was the ultimate method actor. Showtime supported the move, releasing a statement that said, “All of us at Showtime wish David and his family the best during this very private time.” The addiction obviously played a role in the demise of his marriage to Leoni.
7 He Played A 1960’s Police Officer In ‘Aquarius’
Duchovny starred in NBC’s short-lived tv series Aquarius in 2015, which can now be watched on Netflix. Inspired by real-life events, the show followed a Los Angeles police detective investigating the case of a missing girl around the same time that Charles Manson was establishing his cult. While the show’s creators expected the series to last six seasons, it was only given two before being cancelled. Aquarius won Most Exciting New Series at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards the year it premiered.
6 Duchovny Has Written Four Novels
Many people don’t know that Duchovny earned English literature degrees from both Princeton and Yale. He was on the road to earning his Ph.D. but got sidelined when he started to seriously pursue acting. He has published four novels: Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale (2015), which became a New York Times Bestseller; Bucky F*cking Dent (2016); Miss Subways (2018); and Truly Like Lightning (2021).
5 He’s A Serious Singer/Songwriter
In May 2015, Duchovny released his first album, Hell or Highwater. Influenced by Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and many others, the record featured twelve folk and alternative rock songs. David started making music as a way to make use of his down time as an actor. He had so much fun doing it that in 2017, he put his acting career on hold to pursue music full-time. In February 2018, he released his second album, Every Third Thought, and in August 2021, he released Gestureland, his third and latest endeavor. “I don’t have a great melodic voice or perfect pitch,” Duchovny told USA Today, “but I keep trying to get it right.”
4 He Said No To Scientology
In a recent interview with The Daily Beast, Duchovny talked about losing a friend to Scientology and noted they tried to recruit him too. “They made a play for me,” he said. Duchovny went so far as to take an electro-psychometer test, a tool similar to a polygraph that is used by the so-called church for auditing purposes. “I realized immediately, because they were asking very personal questions, that they were gathering information that I didn’t want to give out to a stranger. So, the session didn't go well. I didn't play by the rule, and I never went back.” His friend eventually defected too, labeling the organization “dangerous.”
3 He’s Dating Monique Pendleberry
David is currently dating Monique Pendleberry, a former University of California soccer star. Only in her twenties, she’s more than thirty years younger than David. The pair supposedly met in 2017 at a juice bar. He’s kept the relationship private, though the couple has been seen traveling together, including to Vancouver, Canada where David was participating in a convention.
2 He Returned To Acting In 2020
His first film in several years was The Craft: Legacy, a 2020 follow up to the cult hit The Craft. Although it didn’t garner very good reviews, it hasn’t stopped Duchovny from plowing ahead with his career. Later this year, he’ll appear alongside Leslie Mann in Judd Apatow’s film The Bubble, which follows a group of actors stuck inside a pandemic bubble at a hotel. He’s also slated to play Hollywood stuntman Bronson Powers in Truly Like Lightning, a new tv mini-series based on his novel by the same name.
1 David Is Always Available For 'X-Files'
When asked recently by Access Hollywood whether there’s an X-Files reboot in the works, Duchovny made it clear that his co-star, Gillian Anderson, isn’t interested, and he won’t do it without her. While that’s a no for now, he did recently channel Fox Mulder in a red-speedo cameo on Netflix’s The Chair. And there are other projects that David would drop everything for. He told The Guardian, “If Scorsese calls and says, ‘you know, screw Leonardo DiCaprio, I want to work with you,’ of course, I’m there.”
