Tess Sanchez

Sanchez has been married to actor Max Greenfield since August 2008. They met at a Hollywood bar while Greenfield was an unemployed actor, and he asked for her phone number. After their second date, he gave her a mix CD titled "Cool Jams."

The couple have two children, daughter Lilly and son Ozzie. Sanchez said that she and Greenfield prioritize each other and communicate well, while Greenfield described Sanchez as the person who keeps their household organized.

Sanchez and Greenfield have also adopted two rescue dogs, Joey, also known as Rox, and Darlene. They adopted Darlene from Wags and Walks after she had been in the shelter's care for 400 days.

Sanchez spent two decades in the entertainment industry as a casting director. She served as vice president of talent and casting at The WB for eight years, helping discover talent for shows including Felicity, Dawson's Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville and Supernatural.

After working as an independent casting director for two years, Sanchez joined Fox in 2009. She became executive vice president of casting in 2016 and worked on shows including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, 9-1-1 and The Mindy Project. She held the Fox position until 2020 and was then the network's longest-tenured senior programming executive and the only woman of color among its top creative executives.

Sanchez released the essay collection We've Decided to Go in a Different Direction in April 2025, three years after leaving television casting. She began writing it after losing her job, describing the process as therapeutic and as a way to consider her identity beyond a career that had defined her.

Sanchez dedicated the book to Greenfield, who wrote its foreword. The collection reflects on her life and career transition, including the uncertainty involved in beginning a new chapter.