Real-Life Love
Get to Know Viola Davis’ Husband & Their Love Story That Started On Set
There are not many actors as iconic as Viola Davis, so it’s no wonder that the How to Get Away With Murder alum is receiving the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award on Sunday, January 5.
But who is the man who has been by her side through it all? His name is Julius Tennon.
The couple has a long-lasting personal and business relationship. From starring as Michael Jordan’s parents in Air to working together at JuVee Productions, the two have an unbreakable bond. So, where did it all begin? Swooon is looking back at their love story.
How did Viola and her husband meet?
The fellow actors met on set, like many of their peers do. They first crossed paths standing in line for the catering service while filming the short-lived CBS series City of Angels in 1999.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel‘s late-night show together in 2023, Davis started off by saying, “I was dogging a bagel with tuna fish on it, a cinnamon raisin bagel with tuna fish, and believe it or not, it’s really, really good, but go ahead, Julius.”
Tennon then took over as he told Kimmel that he gave her his card after a day of filming, “Well, I gave you my card only because my mom told me, my mom said: ‘If you want to meet a girl don’t ask for her phone number, give her your card. If she’s interested, she’ll call you.'”
The EGOT winner was charmed by her future husband but admitted to not calling him immediately because of her “bad credit” and not having a car. She expressed, “No one wants to meet a 34-year-old woman on a bus with bad credit.” The 59-year-old then finally realized that building her credit would take too long. A month later, she phoned Tennon. Hitting it off straight away, they moved in together not too long after.
In a 2022 interview special with Oprah Winfrey, the Oscar winner revealed she prayed she’d find a man like her now-husband just three weeks before meeting him. “I said I want a big Black man from the South who’s probably been married before. Has kids, because I don’t want any pressure in that department,” she said. “Someone whose maybe been an actor who understands the artistic community. Someone who goes to church and loves God. I said, ‘If you give me that, I’ll start going to church, God. I really will. I’m committed to it.’ And then I signed off, just like writing a letter.”
When did Viola and her husband get married?
The couple tied the knot in June 2003. Their first ceremony was celebrated in their condo with just 15 guests. Three months later, they had a bigger display of their love with a second ceremony in Rhode Island.
Still happily married, the item celebrated their 20-year wedding anniversary in 2023.
Do Viola and Julius have any kids?
Yes, they adopted their daughter, Genesis, in 2011. She is now 14. The Doubt star is also the stepmother to Tennon’s two kids from a previous relationship.
