Jessica Pegula may be the United States’ top-ranked woman tennis player, but she keeps her life off the court very private.
Over the past few years, the pro athlete, who is the daughter of Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula, has risen through the WTA rankings. Through it all, her husband, Taylor Gahagen, has been by her side, traveling the world to watch her play.
Although not much is known about the early days of Pegula’s relationship with Gahagen, he did work for her parent’s sports and entertainment management company for almost a decade. During that time, the couple connected — and by early 2019, they were engaged. The duo planned to tie the knot the following year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their plans were pushed back.
“We were supposed to get married in October last year,” Pegula said on the Tennis.com Podcast in 2021. “We postponed it a year … It’s fine, it worked out!”
Now, as a married couple, Gahagen is not only Pegula’s partner for life, but he’s also a partner in all of her endeavors. Gahagen serves as the vice president of Pegula’s skincare company, Ready 24, and helps her run her charitable foundation, A Lending Paw. While the couple may not be public about their romance, it seems like Pegula has Gahagen’s support every step of the way.
So, who is Jessica Pegula’s husband? Here’s everything to know about Taylor Gahagen.
He grew up in upstate New York
Taylor Gahagen.
Jessica Pegula Instagram
Gahagen was born and raised in Williamsville, New York, where he attended Williamsville North High School. There, he played on the baseball team and even befriended his classmate Rob Gronkowski.
He attended college in New York and later got his MBA
After graduating from high school, Gahagen enrolled at SUNY Fredonia, not far from his hometown. While in college, Gahagen played on the school’s baseball team and was involved with the Accounting Society, the Business Club and the Financial Management Association. In 2011, he graduated with a degree in business administration.
Following his college graduation, Gahagen went on to receive his MBA from Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. While there, he served as a graduate assistant for the university’s hockey program.
He worked at Pegula Sports and Entertainment
In 2013, Gahagen began working at Pegula Sports and Entertainment, the sports and entertainment management company owned by Pegula’s parents. The corporation holds ownership in numerous sports teams, including the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Pegula Sports and Entertainment also owns Black River Entertainment, the record label that represents artists like Kelsea Ballerini.
At the company, Gahagen held numerous roles. He worked as a marketing manager and was closely involved in the launch and branding of the LECOM Harborcenter, a retail and entertainment facility in Buffalo that opened in 2014 (it’s also where the Buffalo Sabres practice). After working as a digital and promotions coordinator, Gahagen was promoted to director of corporate development and later became an executive, per his LinkedIn.
“I don’t think there’s anywhere else I would want to work,” Gahagen told WKBW TV in a 2016 interview. “It’s so exciting. I think everybody’s talked about the opportunity in the area and the opportunity for Buffalo and the pride of Buffalo is bar none. Raising the profile of Buffalo on a national, international, global scale is what’s most exciting.”
Gahagen left the company in 2023 and now serves as a vice president at Legends Global Merchandise.
Pegula and Gahagen were first linked in 2015
Jessica Pegula and Taylor Gahagen in 2016.
Jessica Pegula Instagram
Not much is known about the early days of Pegula and Gahagen’s romance, as the couple have kept their relationship very private. They were first linked in 2015 when Pegula shared a photo from a costume party she attended with Gahagen. While the Instagram photo has now been deleted, the earliest photo Pegula still has up with Gahagen is from a date in New York City in September 2016.
Pegula and Gahagen got married in October 2021
Jessica Pegula at the John Lennon Wall in 2019.
Jessica Pegula Instagram
While it’s not known exactly when Gahagen popped the question, Pegula was spotted wearing a diamond on her ring finger in early 2019. In an Instagram post from a trip to Prague in May of that year, Pegula could be seen wearing the ring while posing for a photo.
Following their engagement, Pegula and Gahagen were supposed to get married in October 2020, but had to postpone the ceremony due to the pandemic. During an appearance on the Tennis.com Podcast, Pegula revealed that the couple ultimately decided to postpone the wedding for a year.
In October 2021, Pegula and Gahagen finally said “I do” at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The intimate ceremony was attended by the couple’s family and close friends, including fellow tennis players Jennifer Brady, Asia Muhammad, Taylor Townsend and Samantha Crawford.
Pegula and Gahagen went to Costa Rica on their honeymoon
Due to Pegula’s busy tennis schedule, the couple didn’t get the chance to enjoy a honeymoon until the summer of 2022. In July, Pegula and Gahagen jetted off to Costa Rica — although they had slightly different ideas of how to spend their downtime. Pegula explained to WTA that she’s much more “adventurous” than her husband and while she took the chance to go waterfall rappelling and ziplining, Gahagen opted to watch from afar. Overall, she says the trip was still an incredible experience.
“It was amazing, it was so much fun. We want to go back so bad. It was just the best experience. The people, the food, the lifestyle was so much fun,” she shared.
Gahagen is vice president of Pegula’s skincare company, Ready 24
In 2018, Pegula founded her skincare company, Ready 24, alongside Gahagen. The product line, which was recently relaunched, is aimed at those with an active lifestyle and includes a cleanser, a moisturizer and a mist.
“I like to say it’s adaptable skin care,” Pegula told Vogue. “It’s for people on the go, not just athletes, and people that might want to mix their regimen with other products. It’s very basic: Growing up, I had horrible skin, and usually when I did less, my skin got better.”
Pegula and Gahagen run their foundation together
Jessica Pegula’s dogs.
Jessica Pegula Instagram
Pegula and Gahagen both have a love for animals, so they founded A Lending Paw together. The charity helps support the training of rescue dogs to become service animals — which they then connect with people in need.
“We wanted to help people afford service dogs. Not only is that about dogs helping people, it’s about people helping dogs, because we only work with rescues. It goes both ways,” Pegula said to Vogue.
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Source: HIS Education