Samuel L. Jackson And LaTanya Richardson Jackson’s Timeline Of Their Five-Decade Romance
Legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson and his wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson's relationship showcases how love can conquer all despite life's adversities.
The couple's union began over 50 years ago when Jackson and Richardson Jackson met in college. Over the years, their love has become an inspiration to many for various reasons. The list includes Jackson and Richardson Jackson's willingness to provide insight into the struggles they have encountered in their partnership and how they resolved it.
Another factor is the personal and professional impact Jackson and Richardson Jackson have had within the entertainment industry with their respective careers in film and Broadway and their contribution to their community.
To date, Jackson has played in over 200 projects consisting of films and television shows. The 74-year-old has reportedly become the "highest-grossing leading actor," according to Statista, with his movies making over $5 billion at the box office.
As for Richardson Jackson, the 73-year-old has been involved in over 60 projects ranging from television shows to films and plays. Richardson Jackson recently directed The Piano Lesson, which Jackson starred in. The Broadway play was nominated for two Tony Awards.
In light of the pair's recent successes, xoNecole takes a look back into Jackson and Richardson Jackson's relationship and how they became one of Hollywood's beloved couples.
1970
Jackson and Richardson Jackson's love story began in 1970 after the pair became an item. At the time, the couple were both college students, with Jackson attending Morehouse College while Richardson studied at Spelman College.
During a cover story with the New York Times, Jackson and Richardson Jackson shared that the duo was seeing other people in the early stages of their relationship. Richardson Jackson explained to the publication that this was due to their various differences.
"Sam was not part of my circle... I was a theater snob, he loved movies," she said.
As the years went by, the couple's bond grew deeper as they participated in numerous projects together as members of the Morehouse Spelman Players.
1980
After ten years of dating, on August 18, 1980, Jackson and Richardson Jackson would officially tie the knot.
Although limited details about the nuptials were released to the public, Jackson revealed during an interview with The Jennifer Hudson Show that Richardson Jackson had 23 bridesmaids, and he was forced to balance the number out by telling his friends to ask people they knew to be his groomsmen. Jackson wrapped up his statement by saying it was the "best-reviewed" production.
In addition to the wedding details, the Shaft star provided insight into how he proposed to Richardson Jackson. Jackson disclosed that Richardson Jackson handed him a stack of wedding invitations and instructed him to attend.
"My story was, I came home one day, and she (LaTanya) already had these invitations printed up, and she gave me a stack and said, 'Be here,'" he stated.
While on the other hand, Richardson Jackson's version of the events of their proposal recalled a completely different story. Jackson added that Richardson Jackson informed him that he had to ask the actress' grandfather for permission to marry her, and following that conversation, he proposed in a formal way.
"She said 'No, that's not what happened... I actually had to go and talk to her grandfather because he'd told her he wanted to walk her down the aisle before he died," he said. "So I went and asked him for her hand or whatever."
Near the end of the segment, Jackson explained that he couldn't recollect the exact details of the proposal because he was on drugs at that time and that his wife could be right about how it all went down.
"That's probably what happened because I was on drugs, and I don't know what the hell was going on at the time," he stated. "So, she's probably right!"
1982
Two years into their marriage, Jackson and Richardson Jackson welcomed their only child, Zoe Jackson, on March 28, 1982.
Over the years, the couple has made it their mission to prioritize their daughter's well-being despite their hectic schedule. In a 2011 interview with The Irish Examiner, Jackson shared that being an active parent was important to him because he saw the negative impact of having an "absentee" father.
"My dad was an absentee dad, so it was always important to me that I was part of my daughter's life, and she deserved two parents, which is part of the rationale behind us staying married for 30 years," he said.
To date, Zoe has made a name for herself within the entertainment industry as a television producer for numerous reality shows, including The Bachelorette, Top Chef, and RuPaul's Drag Race, to name a few.
1990
In 1990, Jackson and Richardson Jackson's marriage began to take a toll as the actor battled drug and alcohol addiction.
In a past interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Jackson disclosed that, at the time, he thought his substance abuse was under control because he could function normally at work and balance his daily responsibilities.
But during the summer of that same year, Richardson Jackson found Jackson lying unconscious on the floor after partying all night with drugs in his hands.
The Pulp Fiction star recalled the incident in a 2019 interview with 60 Minutes. Jackson explained that he brought home cocaine and attempted to cook when he passed out. As Jackson woke up with Richardson Jackson standing over him, they mutually decided he had to get help.
"I bought the cocaine. I went home, cooked it, and woke up, and when I woke up, LaTanya was standing over me. I was passed out on the floor. I never got to smoke it. Next day I was in rehab," he said.
Jackson would attend a rehab facility in New York and complete the program nearly a month later. Following his rehab stint, Jackson landed the role that would catapult his acting career to new heights in Spike Lee's 1991 classic Jungle Fever.
The beloved actor credits his wife for seeing him through it all.
"I credit her because she could've taken Zoe and walked out and been done with me. But she didn't," he stated. "That's a greater love than I would ever know. Cause I don't know if I would've done that."
1999
As Jackson and Richardson Jackson's careers took off with their respective onscreen and Broadway projects, the couple used their celebrity status to create the Samuel L. and LaTanya R. Jackson Foundation in 1999.
According to People magazine, the Samuel L. and LaTanya R. Jackson Foundation "has donated money to educational, arts and health organizations." The publication also reports that Jackson and Richardson Jackson’s other contributions include a $5 million donation to Spelman College.
In addition to their foundation, Richardson Jackson and Jackson use their platforms to bring awareness to social issues.
2020
Over the years, as Jackson and Richardson Jackson continued to succeed in their respective careers, the couple would hit a milestone in 2020, their 40th wedding anniversary.
In August of that same year, Jackson uploaded a present-day photo of the pair and a heartfelt message regarding their love story. In the post, the Glass star explained the reason why the couple's relationship has stood the test of time is that they have constantly supported each other through life and its adversities.
"50 years ago we started dancing, it was all fun & games. 40 years ago today, shit got real! The slow drag of our lives pressed together, I led sometimes, sometimes she did. We finally found that rhythm where there was no leader, we moved as one," he wrote.
"We're still glued together, hip to hip, a holding each other up, not covering as much of the floor, but owning & loving the space that's ours. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY @ltjackson_ Love You for keeping me on my toes & on the beat for 18,250 days. You make my soul sing!! Don't change the tune, we're not done dancing."
2022
A few years later, Richardson Jackson opened up in a joint interview with People magazine and claimed that love wasn't the only factor that helped maintain the couple's relationship.
The Fight Temptations star explained that when she and Jackson first started dating, they made a pact to "stay together" and figure things out regardless of the situation, hoping to change the negative narrative behind the African American household.
"In the beginning, we always said the most revolutionary thing that Black people could do was stay together, raise their children with the nucleus of having a father and a mother, since everybody likes to pretend that that's not the dynamic of the African American family," she said.
"That it's just children out here being raised by women, which we know is false. In order to change that narrative, we made a decision to say, 'We are going to stay together no matter what. We'll figure it out.'"
As Jackson and Richardson Jackson's 43rd wedding anniversary quickly approaches, they have fulfilled their pact of switching the narrative of Black love and have inspired countless others to strive for excellence.
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Feature image by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
We waved farewell to summer last week, along with all its highlights. Now we warmly embrace music that encourages us to feel, calm down, and think back on the last enjoyable months and their aftermath. Some of the aftereffects of our summertime delights, like "Lil Boo Thang" and "Guarantee," will make us feel content and that our time was well spent. Other repercussions, like "I Just Wanna Feel Your Love Again" and "No SZNs," are more severe and will leave us contemplating some ill-placed steps while we spiral into deep despair.
Whichever side you find yourself on during this change of seasons, or if you're between, consider adding some of these new singles to your playlist to help mourn what's left of this summertime weather. While also welcoming the possibilities that only autumn's beautiful breeze can create.
1.Doechii - "Pacer"
Oh, Doechii, how we have waited for you at every door and corner for what seems like an eternity; yet we are so grateful that you have finally arrived. Doechii has released another single to further demonstrate her versatility after releasing one of the summer's most popular songs. With "Pacer," Doechii, who stunned us with her vocal range on "What It Is," goes back to her rapping roots. The TDE phenomenon starts the song out completely unhinged. With a blood-curdling scream, similar to fellow TDE artist Jay Rock, Doechii gathers her clique to prepare for battle, as though she had just returned from a fierce altercation.
However, instead of amassing casualties upon those who doubted her, Doechii plans to render them inept under the weight of her accomplishments and accolades. She acknowledges that she has arrived at her success later than she had hoped, but says she is on "God's time," and that while reaching her level of achievement later than others, she has done it regardless and with enough assurance to intend to remain for a while.
2."No Statements" - ScarLip
No matter what rap music you play these days, there is always a critic waiting to proclaim that rap and hip-hop are dying. Although part of what they say is true, they haven't yet detected the faint pulse that keeps the business alive. If the naysayers would quiet down long enough to hear that fading pulse, it would be the sound of female rappers smashing through locked doors in an attempt to reclaim its strong and steady beat. One of those rappers, besides Doechii, is ScarLip.
ScarLip, who is 22 years old, fresh off the success of her 2022 "Glizzy Gobbler," has dropped her newest single "No Statements." The rapper says in "No Statements" that she is not in the business of snitching, making statements, or leaving a paper trail of her wrongdoings, but rather needs to be fully aware of the circumstances so she may proceed with her decisions. It would be difficult to not hear people humming this song for weeks to come, because of the catchy chorus and straightforward lyricism. Maybe after this, critics can follow her lead and refrain from making detrimental statements.
3."How Were We To Know" - Emeli Sandé
How were we to know? We ponder this question after a relationship has ended and everything has been put out on the floor to be either picked up and rebuilt or swept away and abandoned. How were we to tell if the connection would burn to the ground or vanish into thin air? How could we have known that the person we intended to spend forever with would be gone the next day? How were we to recognize all the signs when they were arranged randomly and incomprehensibly? In this query, we pardon ourselves for not being omniscient. We accept responsibility for failing to recognize the apparent facts that were put in front of us.
Emelie Sandé asks the same questions in her most recent song, "How Were We To Know." She ponders how she might have known that the relationship was doomed. But as the song goes on, it becomes obvious that she, just like the rest of us, could have easily figured it out if we had communicated better, assigned blame less frequently, and set aside our egos.
4."Angel" - Halle (Acoustic Performance)
At the beginning of August, Halle Bailey released "Angel," her debut single as a solo performer. In less than a few hours, the piano-driven ballad that explored what it is like to be a Black woman growing up in this tiresome, neglectful environment captured millions of listeners and became an anthem for all sun-kissed girls. With beautiful lyricism that acknowledges the weight unfairly burdened upon Black women, Halle reminds audiences that they are in fact angelic, despite the demons that appear out of the woodwork to tell us otherwise.
When one falls, they fall "onto clouds" and find a way to make their way through the limitless struggles bestowed by simply existing. After all, as I said before, black women are the only things to ever grow without nourishment. As if the song couldn't be lovelier than the original rendition, Halle debuted an acoustic version of the smash a couple of weeks ago to demonstrate just how genuinely heavenly she is.
5."No SZNS" - Jean Dawson and SZA
Every day is like the day before. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and everything beautiful and dismal that can happen occurs in between. The seasons bring a certain ambiance that allows for differentiation between the past and the present, but only if you're in a place where it matters, and the changing of seasons can be felt. If not, then every day is every day. In "NO SZNS," by Jean Dawson and SZA, this simple fact is mentioned repeatedly in the chorus; but the reality of every day being the same creates an unshakeable melancholy that can only be felt through their lilting vocals and sometimes abrupt instrumentals.
They appear to be pleading for some other truth, because they find it difficult to accept that each day will be the same as the last, and that, despite the passing of time and the changing of the seasons, we are doomed to repeat the at times idyllic, terrifying cycle.
6."Black Dress" - 070 Shake
It's unfortunate that not as many people tune in to 070 Shake as frequently as they ought to. Despite becoming popular with her song "SCAR" on Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift, many people are still unaware of how good she is as an artist. The unclassifiable New Jersey musician, whose music is tough to define, has released "Black Dress," in preparation for her second album, You Can't Kill Me. The brand-new 070 Shake track "Black Dress" is a sensation with a haunting feel.
The song has strong, churning guitars, hazy synthesizers, and trap 808s that help to create an eerie and encapsulating, daunting melody. Shake plays the sole survivor of an aircraft accident in the popular song's music video, which was shot by Noah Lee. She is originally stranded in a tree with her parachute before descending to the burning wreckage below. When she finally touches the ground, she performs a song deserving of the fame she will one day enjoy.
7."You" - Lola Brooke ft. Bryson Tiller
What's that I hear around the way? Oh, another female rapper here to save the day? With the help of Bryson Tiller, Lola Brooke's newest song, "You," aims to kick off this cuffing season in the 90s. The rapper, who is relatively new to the hip-hop scene and who recently released the single "Don't Play With It," samples Foxxy Brown's popular song "Get Me Home" on this nearly three-minute tune.
In time for the fall, Brooke and Tiller's powerful voices and sensuous vocals have created the ideal song to dance to while searching for love. In her lyrics, the 29-year-old displays both her Brooklyn heritage and the characteristics ideal in a potential suitor. By the end of the song, it is clear that Brooke plans to move through this cuffing season with intention and refuses to settle for anything less than what she deserves.
8."Guarantee" - Black Eyed Peas
No matter how far into the future we are, you can always depend on the Black Eyed Peas to come from a more vibrant, lively, and distant time period than our own. The trio speaks about having what other people need in their newest song, "Guarantee," off of their 2022 album ELEVATION. In this single, they assert that they can elevate all that is freely provided to them, leading to greater love, knowledge, and total pleasure.
Promising endless satisfaction, they show what is guaranteed if only given the opportunity. With a fun summer mix and poppy, futuristic beat, "Guarantee" is one of the dance songs the endless heat has to give.
9."Lil Boo Thang" - Paul Russell
It is almost ridiculous how often this song has been played throughout the summer, to not have made it in time to be a summer hit. But with only the first 30 seconds available to audiences via TikTok, it had no other choice but to be a glimmer of what it could have been. Nevertheless, now that Paul Russell's "Lil Boo Thang" has been made available, it includes a much lengthier version of the endearing summer song about liking someone enough to be open and honest about one's intentions.
In this short song, he sings of all the potential and affection he can bring to the relationship if only given the chance. Concluding with a nice homage to The Emotions' "Best of My Love," "Lil Boo Thang" might be able to reclaim the love it was unable to receive in the summer this fall.
10."I Just Wanna Feel Your Love Again." - Montell Fish
If Kevin Abstract, Leon Bridges, and Moses Sumney had a baby, I'd imagine it'd be this Montell Fish single. In "I Just Wanna Feel Your Love Again." Fish laments the end of his relationship and the unrestricted love that came with its demise in this song. Without her affection, the need and want to be with her consumes his weekends and moments, but he is always left pleading and alone.
To make matters worse, he is compelled to navigate the world knowing how wonderful it is to experience everlasting love and realizing that he is unlikely to come close to doing so again. As he sings over a guitar and echoing backing vocals, the song has a loneliness that cannot be placed into words. Ultimately, his longing to once again experience his love's devotion feels almost unearthly and forever out of reach.
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