Denzel Washington and Pauletta Pearson met in 1977.
Over the last four decades, they've managed to build a family and maintain a marriage
in a time and place where that seems almost unheard of.
How have they done it?
Here's a look at what you don't know about Denzel Washington's marriage.
Rumor and scandal
For years, unsubstantiated rumors have claimed that Denzel has been stepping out.
In 2003, tabloids alleged that Denzel was not only having an affair with his Out of
Time co-star Sanaa Lathan, but that she was pregnant with his child.
Lathan flatly denied the claim, telling Vibe,"[The rumor] got started because the movie had a
love scene with Denzel, and people took that and translated it to real life...
It's frustrating.
People are going to talk no matter what."
More rumors surfaced in 2013, when Denzel was supposedly either romancing a mystery
blonde or else having an affair with 2 Guns costar Paula Patton.
Then in 2016, rumors swirled that Denzel and Pauletta were getting a divorce due to his
supposed cheating.
But Denzel has consistently denied those rumors, and so far, the couple is still going strong.
Love at third sight
Their marriage may be the stuff of Hollywood legend now, but it didn't get off to the best
start.
Pauletta has publicly stated for years that she ended up paying for their first date.
But Denzel has a different story, claiming that he paid for most of it right up until
an unexpectedly long cab ride strained his bank account too far.
"And the meter's going and I'm going, 'ut oh...how far away does she live?"
"Oh, right."
"She paid."
That might explain why she actually said no the first two times he proposed, only accepting
on the third proposal.
And even then, the wedding had its hiccups too, as the reception ran out of food before
the couple had a chance to eat.
They ended up having to go to a local diner for fast food on their own wedding day!
The family that prays together stays together
Denzel Washington is one of Hollywood's famously religious stars, and it's evident in some
of his movies, like Book of Eli.
It's not surprising, either, given that his father was a Pentecostal preacher.
According to Christianity Today, he not only chooses roles that are in line with his values,
but he prays and reads the Bible every morning.
And Pauletta shares that faith.
In fact, the couple worked together on an audio version of the Bible called The Bible
Experience.
When they spoke to CBS News about just what it was that drew them to the project, they
both spoke about their steadfast belief that any answer to any problem could be found in
the pages of the Good Book, and that participating in making an audio version of that was going
to make it accessible to countless people.
For Pauletta's part, she considered it not only a privilege to work on the project, but
to do so with her husband.
"It's a true story.
And it's a… um… an ou-outline I thought for..
The original design of marriage."
Charity starts at home
Many actors and actresses spend their time championing a chosen cause or two, and Denzel
and Pauletta Washington are known for doing the same.
For instance, the couple have established a scholarship fund at Cedars-Sinai: the Pauletta
and Denzel Washington Family Gifted Scholars Program in Neuroscience.
The fund provides training opportunities for medical students as well as the financial
means to partner young students with researchers in their particular field of interest.
And in 2016, they jointly hosted a fundraiser for the Smithsonian's National Museum of African
American History and Culture, raising over $17 million.
The idea came from a family trip to the Holocaust museum in Israel.
Pauletta told Variety, "I asked my kids about it after we left and I could tell it haunted
them, too.
But it also made them think about their own history and they asked me where was a place
that told our [African American] story.
That hit me because I didn't know at the time this museum was in the making."
Hard work pays off
Hollywood is famous for scandals and short-term relationships, so it's no surprise that everyone
wants to know the secret behind the Washington's long marriage.
Denzel said on Reddit that "I just think that you have to work at it.
Not give up on each other.
It's a commitment.
It's not all the honeymoon, it doesn't last forever, so you work at it.
And hopefully you're good friends first, that might help!
Sometimes people get married for the right reasons."
"I got got a good woman, that's the first thing.
And uh..
You know… just keep working at it."
And Pauletta backed him up in a 2013 Ebony interview, saying there are plenty of ups
and downs, but it's all part of making a lifelong commitment.
"I live with this man.
I see the down part.
I see the sad part.
I see every part.
He has and knows he has that stability in me as his wife.
That gives him strength, regardless of if he misuses it.
I can't dwell on that.
But I do know that gives him a great platform to go and fly."
Keep on flying, Denzel and Pauletta!
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