Scott Grimes: Biography, Career, and Personal Life

If you’ve watched American Dad! anytime in the last 18 years, you’ve heard Scott Grimes’s voice without necessarily knowing his name. He’s the actor behind Steve Smith, the dim-witted but lovable son, and also plays helmsman Gordon Malloy on The Orville. But there’s more to Grimes than voice work—he’s also a singer, a veteran of stage and screen, and someone whose personal life has made headlines. Here’s a closer look at the man behind the microphone, from his early start on Broadway to his recent role in Oppenheimer.

Born: July 9, 1971, Lowell, Massachusetts ·
Known for: Steve Smith on American Dad!, Gordon Malloy on The Orville ·
Net worth (estimated): $3 million ·
Marriages: Adrianne Palicki (2019–2022, divorced twice)

Six facts, one pattern: Scott Grimes has built a career balancing animation voice work with live-action roles, while his personal life remains a separate story.

What is Scott Grimes famous for?

Acting career highlights

Scott Grimes first stepped onto a Broadway stage at age nine in NINE opposite Raul Julia (Shore Leave (fan convention bio)). His on-screen breakthrough came with roles in Party of Five and ER, but he found his longest home in animation. Since 2005, Grimes has voiced Steve Smith, the absurdly dim teenage son on American Dad! (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). He also voices Kevin Swanson on Family Guy (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

In live action, Grimes played helmsman Gordon Malloy on Seth MacFarlane’s sci-fi series The Orville from 2017 to 2022 (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). He also appeared in Ted (2012) and the 2023 historical epic Oppenheimer (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Music career highlights

Grimes is also a singer-songwriter. He released his debut single “Sunset Blvd” in 2004 and an album titled Livin’ on the Run in 2005 (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). He has performed live occasionally, though his music career has remained a secondary pursuit to acting. IMDb (the film industry database) lists his occupations as actor and singer-songwriter.

The implication: Grimes has built a parallel creative outlet in music, but without the same commercial traction as his voice work.

Are Seth MacFarlane and Scott Grimes friends in real life?

The Orville collaboration

Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy and American Dad!, cast Grimes as a main character in his live-action space drama The Orville. The series ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2022 (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). MacFarlane has frequently praised Grimes’s comedic timing and musical talent in interviews.

Longstanding friendship

Grimes and MacFarlane have known each other for decades. Grimes has mentioned in interviews that MacFarlane is one of his closest friends in the industry (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). They often attend events together, such as San Diego Comic-Con panels.

The trade-off: While their friendship is well-documented, the exact bounds of their personal relationship remain private, so readers should treat claims of “best friends” as professional admiration unless confirmed by both parties.

Are Adrianne Palicki and Scott Grimes still married?

Marriage timeline

Scott Grimes and Adrianne Palicki, his co-star on The Orville, began dating in 2018 (announced at San Diego Comic-Con that year) (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). They became engaged in January 2019 and married on May 19, 2019, in Austin, Texas (IMDb, the film industry database).

Divorce filings

Palicki filed for divorce in 2020, and the divorce was finalized that year (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). The couple reconciled briefly but Palicki filed for divorce again in April 2022, with the divorce finalized in 2023 (IMDb, the film industry database). No children were born from the marriage.

Palicki filed for divorce from Grimes in 2020 and again in 2022, citing irreconcilable differences, according to court documents.

Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia)

The pattern: The Grimes-Palicki marriage was a public, short-lived relationship that unraveled twice, making it one of the most searched aspects of Grimes’s biography.

What is actor Scott Grimes doing now?

Recent projects

As of 2024, Grimes continues to record new episodes of American Dad!, which was renewed for multiple additional seasons (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). His film credit for 2023 includes Oppenheimer (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). He also made guest appearances on television shows.

Current activities

Grimes has hinted at working on new music, though no album release date has been announced (Shore Leave, fan convention bio). He maintains a low-profile social media presence, primarily Instagram.

Who is the highest paid voice actor on Family Guy?

Top earners on Family Guy

Seth MacFarlane is the highest paid voice actor on Family Guy, with estimated earnings of $30 million per year (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). MacFarlane voices multiple main characters: Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, and others.

Scott Grimes’s role on Family Guy

Grimes voices Kevin Swanson, a minor recurring character on Family Guy (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). He is not among the show’s top earners; his income comes primarily from his lead role on American Dad! and occasional acting gigs.

What this means: While Grimes works on two major animated series, the pay disparity between him and MacFarlane is enormous—reflecting creator ownership versus talent hire.

Scott Grimes has carved out a unique niche as both a voice actor and a live-action performer, but his life off-screen—marked by a twice-divorced marriage to Adrianne Palicki—draws as much public interest as his career. For fans of American Dad! and The Orville, the takeaway is clear: Grimes remains a reliable comedic presence in animation, while his live-action work continues to offer surprises. For those following his personal story, the lesson is that even Hollywood relationships sometimes need a second chance—and a second divorce.

Frequently asked questions

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