- 5 months ago
Love stories that stood the test of time! Join us as we explore celebrity romances that blossomed from youthful connections. From shy beginnings to lifelong commitments, these famous pairs prove sometimes your soulmate has been there all along. Whether they were high school sweethearts or childhood acquaintances who reconnected years later, these relationships show true love can start early.
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00:0018, 19. I think we met 19 years ago. I think we've been together 16.
00:06Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're looking at celebrity couples who prove that young love can be the real deal.
00:11I don't know how much in love you can be as a second grader, but I just remember being like, she is extremely attractive, you know.
00:19Number 10, Ron and Cheryl Howard.
00:21Our 46th wedding anniversary. Celebrated quietly but beautifully on the Gold Coast on my day off from directing.
00:29I'm a lucky fella.
00:31After the Andy Griffith show ended, but before playing Richie on Happy Days, Ron Howard went on his first date with Cheryl Alley in 1970.
00:39The two attended a screening of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World before grabbing some pizza.
00:43We went to see a release of Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World, and then got some pizza at the now-de-Fox Barnoni's in Toluca Lake.
00:51Although they were still in high school, it didn't take Howard long to realize that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Alley.
00:57He proposed to Alley, although she wanted to focus on school. Howard later asked a second time, but Alley still wasn't ready.
01:03She was, once Howard proposed for the third time, tying the knot after being together for five years.
01:08And they've grown up together in a way that is very in sync. Like, my parents are legitimately soulmates.
01:15They've been together for roughly five decades, having four children, including actress-director Bryce Dallas Howard.
01:21We'd get tickets to a baseball game. Cheryl loves sports, but not necessarily spectator sports.
01:26And once or twice, we went out of our way to go to baseball games on Father's Day.
01:31Number 9. Jack Black and Tanya Hayden
01:33When they first crossed paths at Crossroads School in the 80s, Jack Black was the kid from that Pitfall commercial.
01:39I was lost in the jungle with Pitfall Harry, surrounded by giant scorpions and man-eating crocodiles.
01:45Tanya Hayden was one of jazz musician Charlie Hayden's triplet daughters.
01:48Hayden followed in her father's footsteps, performing as a solo artist and with her sisters.
01:53Black made some contributions to the music scene, although he'd become better known for his comedic chops.
01:58It would be awesome if we had Knicks-Lakers finals, because we would kick your ass! Two times!
02:05Despite knowing each other in high school, the two didn't date. Black was too shy to even speak to her.
02:10It was Hayden who made the first move upon reconnecting with Black at a friend's surprise party in 2005.
02:16Within the next year, the two eloped in Big Surf. That same year, they welcomed their first son with a second following.
02:22We eloped nine and a half years ago, and then we just threw a big party and invited all our friends and family to that.
02:30Number 8. Ryan and Zinzi Kugler
02:31Between the first Creed and Black Panther, director Ryan Kugler tied the knot with his college sweetheart, Zinzi Evans.
02:38The two had known each other since their early teen years, but didn't start dating until they were undergraduates at St. Mary's College.
02:45Movies have always been a major part of their relationship, going to see Bring It On on their first date.
02:50Evan supported her future husband's filmmaking aspirations, buying him the final draft screenwriting software when he was struggling financially.
02:57She also worked closely with Kugler, helping to make his student short film, Locks.
03:02Along with Sevohanian, the couple have since co-founded Proximity Media, the production company behind Judas and the Black Messiah and Sinners, both of which Evan's executive produced.
03:13Just for a few hours, it was free.
03:18Number 7. Ja Rule and Ayesha Atkins
03:21I fell in love, I would say, probably when we got in our high school years, and we really never looked back.
03:30According to rapper Ja Rule, he went to the same kindergarten as his future wife, although they didn't realize it until later.
03:36Romance wouldn't blossom until a 14-year-old Ayesha Murray arrived at her new school.
03:41Ja Rule, then Jeffrey Atkins, noticed her getting off the bus.
03:45Reflecting on their courtship, Ja Rule said,
03:47After being on and off, the two settled down in 2001, throwing a 40s-themed gangster wedding with around 800 guests.
04:10Their relationship hasn't been without hurdles, including Ja Rule's two-year prison stint.
04:15The two have remained committed to each other, and their three children, however.
04:19Oh.
04:20I think I'm going to try to use that way to do it.
04:21Oh, man, I think that's the method you've been trying to get to right now.
04:24Oh, yeah, definitely.
04:25Let's get all this stuff right here.
04:29I'm so excited, I don't know where to start from.
04:31Number 6. LeBron and Savannah James
04:33I've picked the right woman, and the kids have come along, and they've, you know, accepted the fact of what I wanted to accomplish.
04:41LeBron James and Savannah Brinson were high school sweethearts, despite attending different schools.
04:47James played basketball at St. Vincent, St. Mary High.
04:50Brinson was a cheerleader and softball player at Butchdill High School.
04:54That didn't stop James from asking her to a game, followed by a date at Outback Steakhouse.
04:58Brinson forgot her leftovers, but James remembered to grab them for her.
05:02That's when she knew this guy might be a slam dunk.
05:04This has always been his dream, so, I mean, I couldn't be more proud, I couldn't be more grateful.
05:10Exceeding even her expectations, James was selected in the 2003 NBA draft.
05:15Brinson became pregnant during her senior year as James started his professional career.
05:20The couple had their second son in 2007, although they wouldn't get engaged until 2011.
05:26The wedding came two years later, followed by the birth of their daughter.
05:29Nobody works harder, nobody cares more, and nobody has done more for the game of basketball
05:35than LeBron James.
05:36Number 5.
05:37Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins
05:39Country music star Thomas Rhett and best-selling author Lauren Akins have known each other for
05:43most of their lives, although it'd be a long road to the altar.
05:47The two met in 1990 when they were just in grade school.
05:50Rhett didn't know Akins until sixth grade when they attended the same church camp.
05:54The two started dating in high school, although their teen fling was short-lived.
05:57They dated a little bit when they were freshmen, and then she broke his heart, and he was dramatic,
06:04let me just tell you.
06:05Despite breaking up after six months, they stayed good friends.
06:08A couple of years later at her sister's graduation party, Akins ran into Rhett again.
06:12Been in love with you since I was 16 years old.
06:14I just signed a record deal.
06:15I'm not sure if you're going to enjoy this life, but I feel like we should at least give
06:20dating one more shot.
06:21He told her,
06:21I just want to kiss you one time.
06:23If you don't feel anything, we can go back to being friends.
06:26That kiss led to marriage and four kids.
06:29It's a little bit crazy when it comes to Christmas, Tom, and I feel like this year
06:32everyone's needed things to celebrate and look forward to.
06:36Number four, Jeff Daniels and Kathleen Trido.
06:38Jeff Daniels met Kathleen Trido in high school, although they wouldn't start dating until college.
06:44The couple got hitched in 1979, while Daniels was still working as a stage actor.
06:48You gotta take a head count.
06:49You forgot your wife?
06:50I forgot my wife.
06:51At the truck stop?
06:52Well, at the truck stop.
06:53Oh my god!
06:54It wasn't long until Daniels started finding prominent roles in film and television.
06:59Even as his career was taking off, Daniel and Trido's new family would always be a priority.
07:04The two thus decided to leave the big city in favor of Daniels' hometown of Chelsea,
07:07Michigan, where they raised their three children.
07:10Kathleen, my wife, we done did it.
07:13We'll have to move the golden barca lounger that the AARP gave me around the shelf.
07:20Despite being away from the entertainment industry, Daniels' resume continued to grow.
07:24From box office hits like Dumb and Dumber, to Emmy winners like The Newsroom, Daniels has never lost sight of what's most important in his life.
07:31After 42 years of marriage to your beloved wife, she still packs your lunch for you every day.
07:40She packed my lunch today in my little Detroit Tiger lunch box.
07:46Number 3, Bono and Ali Hewson.
07:48Not everyone can say their high school band went on to become superstars, and their high school sweetheart is now their wife of more than 40 years.
07:56Bono is a rare exception.
07:58I overheard that it's 40 years or something.
08:00Please teach me your ways.
08:01I can't get anyone for 40 minutes to stick around.
08:03Don't get the bus home.
08:04I'm so missing.
08:05Don't get the bus home.
08:06It was 40 minutes.
08:06Ali Hewson had known the artist, who would later be known as Bono, since she was 12.
08:12Bono, who was about a year older, was smitten with Hewson, who didn't instantly reciprocate.
08:17Deep down, though, Hewson was developing feelings for the bloke.
08:20Our relationship began with, of course, the obvious romance and flirtation, but it quickly moved into friendship.
08:30The two grew closer after Bono's mother died, and Hewson started looking after him.
08:35They officially started dating in 1976, the same year Bono formed a band called Feedback, which eventually became The Hype, and finally, You Too.
08:44Although Bono and Hewson briefly separated, they'd be married by 1982, starting a family.
08:50You allowed me to do a sort of free dive into the depths of our relationship.
08:59Number two, Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone.
09:02As a high school student, Ben Falcone encountered a goth chick who was just starting college.
09:07Falcone was intimidated by her, having no clue she would one day be his spouse.
09:12As you might have guessed, the goth was Melissa McCarthy, who wouldn't properly meet Falcone until both took a class at the Groundlings years later.
09:19Once I mentioned that she struck terror in certain people, she was like, yep, that was me, because she was very, very goth.
09:25Falcone initially didn't recognize McCarthy, who had retired the cape and blue hair.
09:30He eventually put two and two together, however.
09:32Two weeks into our friendship, he was like, oh my god, I know who you were.
09:36And I was like, you would never recognize me, ever.
09:38And he goes, I know who you were.
09:39I'm like, I'm telling you, I'm not recognizable.
09:42And he goes, no, I was afraid of you.
09:43And I'm like, oh, that was me.
09:44McCarthy was drawn to Falcone after seeing him perform a sketch, leading to a friendship that matured into a romance.
09:50They dated for several years before saying, I do.
09:53They used to show them on, not like just personally.
09:56Yeah.
09:56They used to always show them on TV.
09:58Yeah, of course.
09:58And I was watching an autopsy and playing that Tetris game.
10:01Uh-huh.
10:02And I thought, what a great time to propose.
10:04Their married and professional lives have frequently intersected, working together on several projects.
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10:25Number 1. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Vanessa Nadal
10:28The mastermind behind Hamilton might not strike you as the shy type,
10:33but Lin-Manuel Miranda almost missed his shot with Vanessa Nadal.
10:36The two both went to Hunter College High School.
10:39Nadal zeroed in on her studies, while Miranda was too timid to even talk to her.
10:44Still, Miranda didn't forget about the girl who used to dance through the hallways.
10:47Feeling it for my wife, and I wrote the song, and I played it for her, and she was like,
10:52my wife is a lawyer and she's very even-keeled.
10:55So I play it just like, and that would be enough, and I serenade her.
10:58She goes, it's good.
11:00Years later, when his hip-hop improv troupe was putting on a show,
11:04Miranda worked up the nerve to invite Nadal via Facebook.
11:07Even then, Miranda had to get Nadal's number through a friend.
11:10Our first date, we danced to Marc Anthony, we watched the Jay-Z documentary Fade to Black,
11:17and played Grand Theft Auto all night.
11:20Those are like three very different things that we all loved equally.
11:23After attending another one of Miranda's performances, though, Nadal found herself helpless.
11:27Miranda proposed in 2009, and surprised Nadal with a rendition of My Life
11:32at their wedding a year later.
11:34My wife turned to me going, our friends are getting along so well.
11:37It's like they've always known each other, and I couldn't tell her.
11:40They've been rehearsing dance moves for a week in secret.
11:44Can you think of any other couples who met during their youth?
11:46Let us know in the comments.
11:48She's a mystery wrapped in a paradox.
11:49She's a mystery.
11:50She's a mystery.
11:51She's a mystery.
11:52She's a mystery.
11:53She's a mystery.
11:54She's a mystery.
11:55She's a mystery.
11:56She's a mystery.
11:57She's a mystery.
11:58She's a mystery.
11:59She's a mystery.
12:00She's a mystery.
12:01She's a mystery.
12:02She's a mystery.
12:03She's a mystery.
12:04She's a mystery.
12:05She's a mystery.
12:06She's a mystery.
12:07She's a mystery.
12:08She's a mystery.
12:09She's a mystery.
12:10She's a mystery.
12:11She's a mystery.
12:12She's a mystery.
12:13She's a mystery.
12:14She's a mystery.
12:15She's a mystery.
12:16She's a mystery.
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