He married Gabrielle Taurek in 1999 and they have two sons, E.O. and Harper. They reside near Aspen, Colorado, in a house, "built in the '50s by a climber and his 11-year-old son", that Rafelson bought in 1970. "We live here and nowhere else," he said. He has been honored at numerous international film festivals, and has contributed commentaries or interviews to the DVD or Blu-ray releases of Head, Five Easy Pieces, The King of Marvin Gardens, Stay Hungry, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Blood and Wine. Rafelson has also contributed essays to the Los Angeles Times Magazine and John Brockman's collection The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2,000 Years.