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| Roger McMillan Now: Where Is Genelle Guzman’s Husband Today? |
Roger McMillan is still married to Genelle Guzman-McMillan, the New York Port Authority worker whose extraordinary survival story is at the centre of Lifetime’s Angel in the Rubble: The Genelle Guzman Story. Their relationship became an important part of Genelle’s recovery after she spent more than 27 hours trapped beneath the World Trade Center rubble, and the couple have since built a relatively quiet family life away from the spotlight.
In the film, Dondré Whitfield plays Roger as the boyfriend who refuses to disappear when Genelle’s life is suddenly turned upside down. In real life, Roger was working as a pressman for a direct-mail company when the attacks happened.
While Genelle recovered in hospital, he remained close to her, offering the sort of emotional support that probably mattered more than any grand romantic gesture ever could. He also asked her to marry him, and the couple followed through remarkably quickly.
Genelle and Roger had a civil wedding at New York City Hall on November 7, 2001, shortly after she left hospital. That was only the beginning, though. On July 13, 2002, they held a larger wedding celebration at Bridgewaters in Manhattan, surrounded by relatives, friends and several notable guests connected with New York's emergency services and public institutions. Their wedding weekend even included a stay at The Plaza, followed by an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Not exactly the low-key newlywed starter pack.
Over the years, Roger and Genelle expanded their family with two daughters, Kaydi and Kellie. Roger also remained close to Kimberly, Genelle’s daughter from a previous relationship, making their household a blended family rather than simply a couple who happened to survive an extraordinary chapter together. The family has generally kept its life private, choosing ordinary routines and time together over turning Genelle’s story into a permanent public spectacle.
Their relationship has also involved plenty of less glamorous moments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Roger became ill with the virus and was cared for by Genelle at home for several weeks. He had reportedly encouraged her to quarantine and protect herself, but she stayed by his side instead. That reversal is a rather fitting detail considering how Roger had stood beside her during one of the most difficult periods of her own life.
By 2021, Roger McMillan was working for the Port Authority at John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he was part of its environmental unit. His career therefore remained connected to the organisation that had also been part of Genelle’s professional life before 9/11. Rather than pursuing celebrity or making himself the centre of her story, Roger appears to have continued working and concentrating on his family.
The anniversary of September 11 has a particularly personal meaning for Genelle. She regards the date as something of a personal holiday because of the way surviving the attacks changed her outlook on life. Roger reportedly spends the day with her at home, which might sound understated compared with the annual public ceremonies, but there is something rather poignant about choosing quiet company after experiencing something so enormous.
The couple are understood to live in Valley Stream on Long Island, where they have raised their daughters. Roger’s relationship with Genelle’s wider family has also remained an important part of their life.
These days, their preferred downtime appears to be remarkably normal: staying home, spending time together and enjoying family life. After everything they have experienced, nobody could really blame them for deciding that a quiet evening at home beats another dramatic plot twist.
The most interesting thing about Roger and Genelle’s story is that their marriage did not end with the rescue, the hospital recovery or the television adaptation. Those moments make for compelling drama, but the harder part is what came afterwards. They had to build an ordinary marriage after an extraordinary event, raise children and deal with the everyday complications that every long-term relationship brings. Surviving something together does not automatically make marriage easy, and that is perhaps what makes their continued relationship more meaningful.
As for where Roger McMillan is now, the available information points towards a man who has deliberately kept things fairly private while continuing his family life with Genelle. There is no indication that he has chased the limelight surrounding her story. If anything, his role has remained much the same: husband, father and the person standing beside Genelle when the cameras are nowhere to be found.
My take is that Roger’s part in Genelle’s story is easy to underestimate because the survival itself is obviously the headline. The rescue is dramatic, the circumstances are extraordinary and the film naturally puts Genelle at the centre. But Roger represents something much less cinematic and arguably more important: what happens after everyone else goes home. He was there during her hospital recovery, married her soon afterwards and continued building a family with her for decades.
That is not particularly flashy, which is probably precisely why it feels genuine. There is also something amusingly relatable about the fact that, after one of the most extraordinary chapters imaginable, their idea of a good time became staying home with the family. Hollywood might want fireworks, but real life often ends with someone asking what is for dinner. Their story works best when viewed not as a perfect romance, but as two people continuing to choose each other through the wonderfully unglamorous business of everyday life.
Fans’ reactions to Roger and Genelle’s story understandably vary. Some are struck by how quickly their relationship moved towards marriage after her rescue, while others see his decision to remain by her side as one of the more touching elements of the story.
There are also viewers discovering the couple through Angel in the Rubble who are curious about how closely the film’s portrayal reflects their real relationship. That curiosity is natural, particularly when a true story is adapted for television and real people become characters. What do you think about Roger’s role in Genelle’s journey, and does knowing what happened to them afterwards change the way you view the film?