According to The New York Times, Jed Hastings — who is now married to Joe Solmonese, the former president of the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates gay rights — contacted Capehart in spring 2010 on a matchmaking mission.
Hastings told the journalist that his sister-in-law had a cousin, Schmit, who had recently moved to Washington and was single. But since Capehart was dating someone at the time, he quickly shut down the idea.
However, Hastings didn’t lose hope and again reached out to Capehart after six months on Facebook. This time, the 54-year-old asked for a “picture,” just like a typical journalist.
After he saw Schmit in the photograph and approved of what he saw, the matchmaker introduced the two men in a joint message.
Over instant messages, the Carleton College alum was quickly impressed with Schmit’s command of language — he noticed that his now-husband actually knew the difference between “your” and “you’re” and “its” and “it’s.”
Schmit, on the other hand, was also impressed to discover that the person he had seen on television was turning out to be self-effacing and approachable.
