Sterling K. Brown is having a moment, thanks to his gripping performance as special agent Xavier Collins, in Paradise.
Sure, he’s a Hollywood star, with endless accolades under his belt, but away from the cameras, Sterling cherishes his roles as a devoted husband and father. Since 2006, the TV star has been married to Boston Legal and First Wives Club alum, Ryan Michelle Bathé, with whom he shares two sons, Andrew and Amaré. Get the lowdown on their love story…
Meeting in college
Sterling and Ryan first crossed paths at Stanford University, after they were cast in the same freshman-year show. During an appearance on The Talk, Sterling noted that they’d initially been in an on-again-off-again relationship, before splitting after their graduation in 1998.
“We broke up for three and a half years before we came back into each other’s lives,” he explained. “She was on the treadmill working out, and I had this epiphany, ‘I have to go tell this woman she’s the love of my life.’
“I go to her apartment, I tell her, and she’s like, ‘Well, I’m working out right now,’ and I was like, ‘No, I can see that—I’ll just talk to you while you’re on the treadmill,’ and she’s like, ‘Well, I feel like going outside. So I’m gonna go on a run,'” he continued. “So I’m like dressed [in a suit], and she starts running through Koreatown, and I start running along with her. Brother had to work, but it was well worthwhile.”
Saying ‘I do’
After getting back together, Sterling and Ryan eventually eloped in 2006. A year later they invited friends and family to a much larger ceremony.
© Getty“The best thing about it was the food,” Ryan told Entertainment Tonight. “Because, you know, OK look, can I just say sometimes you go to weddings, and you get the winner-winner chicken dinner and you’re like, ‘I pay. OK, it’s fine.’ But I wanted people to remember their experience—their culinary experience. So I was happy about that. The food was good.”
Growing their family
A notoriously private couple, Sterling surprised fans by revealing that he and Ryan had already welcomed their first child – a boy named Andrew whose birthdate is unknown. After an episode of This Is Us aired in which his character, Randall became a father, Sterling quipped: “An unexpected home delivery is something my wife and I went through ourselves with our firstborn, so this was round 2 for me!”
Upon the arrival of their youngest son, Amaré, Sterling was the first to break the news. After signing up to Instagram in 2015, the actor posted a photo of the newborn, captioned: “1st post. 2nd child. All good!”
In an interview with Salon, Sterling couldn’t help but rave about his family. “Fatherhood is everything to me, man,” he began.
“The best role I had is the day my first son was born, and I got to call myself a father for the first time. I only had a dad for a limited amount of time—10 years—and to step into his shoes and pass on the love I had to my son is everything. I enjoy paternalist roles because I enjoyed the dad I had and who is still with me in my heart.”
Working together
Sterling and Ryan have collaborated on several projects, appearing alongside one another in Army Wives. Ryan was also cast as Yvette in This Is Us, although she didn’t have any scenes with her husband.
© GettyMore recently, the couple have teamed up on their very own podcast, called ‘We Don’t Always Agree’.
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