Sterling K. Brown is opening up about what’s kept his marriage strong for nearly two decades—and it has nothing to do with perfection.
During a live taping of That Was Us, the This Is Us rewatch podcast, Brown reflected on his real-life relationship while discussing the fictional ups and downs of Kate and Toby’s marriage alongside former co-stars Mandy Moore and Chris Sullivan.
The event took place at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on January 17, just weeks before Brown and his wife, actress Ryan Michelle Bathé, celebrate 20 years of marriage.
“I celebrate 20 years of marriage [in March],” Brown shared. “My wife is the love of my life, not because it’s always easy, but because we keep choosing each other.”
He explained that longevity doesn’t come from always being in sync, but from commitment. “Even when we’re not perfect for each other, you can still choose each other and just choose to be perfect for each other.”
The couple’s history goes back to the 1990s, when they first met as students at Stanford University. They dated on and off during college before splitting after graduation in 1998.
Years later, they found their way back to each other, eloping in 2006 before holding a larger wedding the following year. They now share two sons: Andrew, born in 2011, and Amaré, born in 2015.
That same intentionality also shows up in Brown’s professional choices—particularly when it comes to who he’s paired with onscreen. In a recent interview, the Emmy winner said he’s very deliberate about having Black women play his characters’ love interests.
“I’m aware of the sort of Eurocentric standards of beauty that tend to predominate media,” Brown said, noting that darker-skinned Black women are often overlooked.
He added that representation matters, especially when Black women frequently feel unseen. “I want them to know that SKB sees them,” he explained.