Jaina Lee Ortiz and Jay Hayden’s Christmas didn’t include putting out any fires, but they did add fuel to romance rumors about them with their flirty festivities.
The Station 19 costars — who play Andy Herrera and Travis Montgomery, respectively — gave fans a glimpse at their off-screen dynamic via Ortiz’s Instagram Story on Monday, December 25.
“Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!” the actress, 37, captioned a boomerang video of her clinking cocktails with one of her pals, referencing the iconic line from Home Alone.
Midway through the clip, Hayden, 36, popped into the screen with a silly face. Ortiz tagged both Hayden and actor Eddie Rivera. Ortiz later shared a video of her empanada-making process. “Keeping traditions alive,” she captioned the post, adding a Puerto Rican flag emoji.
Hayden and Ortiz have been working together on the ABC firefighter drama since 2018. Earlier this month, the network announced that the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff will come to an end after its shortened 10-episode season 7 in 2024.
Despite being friends for years, Hayden and Ortiz sparked romance speculation in July after they shared photos from a getaway to Pantelleria, Italy.
Hayden posted two snaps with Ortiz from the Italian island on July 2, one of which showed the duo covered in mud. In the second picture, Hayden wore blue swim trunks and a Boston Red Sox baseball hat while Ortiz donned a tank top over her bikini and had her hair pulled back in a bun.
A few days later, Hayden shared a video from the European excursion, revealing that the costars swam together in the sea and took multiple scenic routes of the city. They also eat local cuisine and cocktails.
“Pantelleria I love you!” Ortiz captioned two photos of herself sipping on a drink and watching the sunset while on vacation. She tagged Hayden as the photographer for the July 8 snap.
One month later, Ortiz shared a sexy picture by the pool with her back to the camera, showing off her derriere in a spicy bikini. The actress tagged Hayden in the post and noted it was captured in June, which is seemingly when the pair jetted off together to Italy.
Ahead of his rumored romance with Ortiz, Hayden was married to Nicole Hayden for nearly 15 years. Us Weekly confirmed in April 2021 that the former couple quietly separated one year prior. Nicole filed for divorce in February 2020, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason to dissolve their union.
