Sebastian Maniscalco Shares the Sneaky Way He Meet Wife Lana Gomez at the Gym (Exclusive)

Sebastian Maniscalco isn’t afraid to admit that he was down bad for future wife Lana Gomez.

In an interview with PEOPLE, the couple — who have been married since 2013 — shared how their love story began and the length Maniscalco, 50, went to get the attention of Gomez, 40.

It all started in 2009, when the multi-hyphenated performer asked his trainer if he knew of any eligible bachelorettes. 

“I asked him, ‘You got any hot chicks?’ ” Maniscalco tells PEOPLE. The answer was yes — one woman, Gomez, who trained with him at 6 a.m. Maniscalco booked the 7 a.m. slot with his trainer, “checked her out” and thought she was “very attractive,” he says.

From there, the comedian started coming to the gym dolled up in an attempt to woo his future wife — with his hair done, wearing “full cologne” and covered in baby oil. “When my trainer was training me on the mat, the mat was filled with oil from my body,” Maniscalco says.

According to Gomez, he began asking her “random questions” then eventually asked her out on a date. At the time, she wasn’t familiar with his comedy, but ahead of their first dinner, she watched “a lot of it” — so much that she recognized when he started “to dip into his material” when the conversation lagged. 

“Two and a half hours of asking questions and not getting anything back was exhausting,” Maniscalco adds in his defense.

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Even if their initial dinner suffered from usual first date awkwardness, it was the start of a long and strong relationship. The pair wed four years later and welcomed daughter Seraphina in 2017 and son Caruso in 2019.

The secret to their longterm marriage? Gomez says they’re not afraid to call each other out, even if it’s in a playful manner.

“Our relationship has always been based on ripping each other apart — I think that’s one of the keys of our relationship,” Gomez tells PEOPLE.

For instance, when Maniscalco felt more comfortable with Gomez, he started to “let a few rip” as the couple got ready for bed.

“If you were in an interview right now with Barbara Walters, you would be able to suppress that,” pokes Gomez.

“These moments of levity and laughing — laughing at our shortcomings and whatnot — is kind of what keeps the relationship so vibrant and so alive,” says Maniscalco. “I don’t think if we were to do it any other way it would work.”

Maniscalco’s “It Ain’t Right” comedy tour kicks off in Norfolk, Va., on July 11 and will run through December.

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