Nearly two decades into marriage, Sterling K. Brown says the real secret is not perfection. It is intention.
The actor opened up about his long-running love with Ryan Michelle Bathé during a live taping of That Was Us, the rewatch podcast tied to the hit series “This Is Us.” The conversation took place Saturday, January 17, at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, with Mandy Moore and Chris Sullivan joining him onstage.
As the group reflected on the emotional highs and lows of Kate and Toby’s relationship on the show, Brown brought the discussion home. He revealed that he and Bathé are approaching a major milestone together.
“I celebrate 20 years of marriage [in March],” Brown shared, drawing applause from the crowd.
Their story stretches back to the 1990s, when they first crossed paths as students at Stanford University. They dated on and off during college, then went their separate ways after graduating in 1998. Life had other plans. The pair eventually reconnected, eloped in 2006, and later held a larger wedding celebration.
Brown made it clear that longevity did not come from ease. “
My wife is the love of my life, not because it’s always easy, but because we keep choosing each other. You know what I’m saying? So even when we’re not perfect for each other, you can still choose each other and just choose to be perfect for each other.”
That choice helped them build a family. They welcomed their first son, Andrew, in 2011, followed by their second son, Amaré, in 2015.
