Sterling K. Brown has a lot of titles under his belt – podcast host, executive producer, Emmy Award winner, Oscar nominee – but if you ask him, the most important ones are father and husband. His Instagram bio alone says as much: “Child of God, Husband, Father, Friend, Actor and all around Beast.” As the This is Us alum gears up to present at the 97th Academy Awards, there’s no doubt that the one person who’s been there through it all will be right there cheering him on: his wife Ryan Michelle Bathé.
The beginning
First meeting as freshmen in 1998 at Stanford University, both Sterling and Ryan immediately discovered that they had so much in common. "We were in the same dorm freshman year...that's kind of how we met," Ryan told ET. They both auditioned for Joe Turner's Come and Gone at the time. "I was mesmerized," she said.
It turned out that Sterling was pretty smitten too. After they were both cast in the play, "we would ride bikes to rehearsal, and we would just talk. We found out that we were both from St. Louis,” he said. “Like, we were friends." Later, he would finally work up the courage to steal a kiss as they exchanged lines.
What ensued was a relationship filled with ups and downs. The two dated off and on throughout college – even following each other to NYU’s Tisch Grad Acting Program (both graduating class of ‘01), and making it through a three and a half year break up.
Ryan — in a story she calls "crazy" — revealed that the reason she ended things with Sterling at the time was because her mother and grandmother, who believe they are psychic and have "the sight," had a "vision" that Sterling was up to no good.
"The vision was he is this horrible person, you need to be deathly afraid of him, he's evil, they basically gave me the full-court press," Ryan disclosed on camera. She went on to explain that she went to therapy, and it helped her learn that it was "okay to let things go, but not to let go of people."
They eventually found their way back to each other, though Sterling notes he had to pick up the pace if he wanted to be with her. So he did ... literally.
On The Talk, Sterling said:
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.’ ... 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-worth while.
Marriage, kids and careers
In 2006, the couple eloped, and a year later had a wedding ceremony. "The best thing about it was the food," the First Wives Club star told ET. "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."
Years after tying, the knot, Sterling and Ryan welcomed their first son, Andrew, in an "unexpected home birth" in 2011. Amaré, their second son, came in 2015. Sterling dedicated his first post on Instagram to his youngest son with the sweet message "1st post. 2nd child. All good!"
While the pair is killing it at being partners in life, they’ve also been able to serve as acting partners on more than one occasion. Ryan has appeared on a few TV series with Sterling, including This Is Us (she played Yvette, the mother at the pool who recommends barbers to Rebecca for young Randall) and Army Wives. Her other credits include Dr. Ken, Empire, Franklin & Bash, and The First Wives Club.
The couple also launched their podcast We Don’t Always Agree in September 2024. “A lot of folks have come up to Ryan and I like, ‘You guys need a show,’” Sterling told the Associated Press. “Our dynamic is pretty special and fun and playful and crazy. It was like, ‘OK, if our friends are thoroughly entertained by us, then maybe a larger public will be entertained by us as well.’" The podcast has also seen success, snagging a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Podcast in the Lifestyle/Self-Help Category in February of this year. "Hopefully we’ll get a chance to do more,” he said.
The secret to their marriage
As for how they keep their marriage strong after nearly 19 years, Sterling got candid in an interview last year, saying on Good Morning America: "It takes work. It takes a commitment of constantly saying 'yes,' and choosing each other over and over again, every day" he said.
Sterling also revealed "the secret" to their marriage. "We laugh a lot," he said. "And, I think, during those serious times, to be able to laugh at each other, with each other, is such a beautiful, healing balm to the soul. It's healing."
Cameron (she/her) is a staff writer for Good Housekeeping, where she covers everything from holidays to food. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she received a B.A. in magazine journalism. In her spare-time she can be found scrolling TikTok for the latest cleaning hacks and restaurant openings, binge-watching seasons of Project Runway or online shopping.
