﻿“I didn't think I ever wanted to get married," said Joshua Jackson,
and then he met Jodie Turner-Smith. After starting off as a three-night stand that never ended,
the actors went straight to a double-engagement, a secret wedding, and having a baby during the
pandemic. Although they have a romance straight out of a movie, this couple has had to fight for
their love and deal with obstacles like racism and misogyny that no one should have to go through.
Joshua and Jodie's love story began in 2018 at Usher's 40th birthday party. Jodie was attracted
to her future husband right from the start. But despite her longing for him, she decided that she
was going to play hard to get. Turner pretended not to see him,
and he had to yell across the room to get her attention. She was wearing a T-shirt from a
movie called Sorry To Bother You which features a character called Detroit.
"I shouted, 'Detroit!' across the room. Not the smoothest thing I've done,
but it worked," Jackson recalled. He then went over to her and did this "cute
and charming thing that he does" and from there he followed her around the party all night. They
were all over each other, gazing into each other's eyes and dancing away. The night was sealed with a
kiss and a trip to the bedroom, and that marked what they thought would be a one-night stand.
Both Jodie and Joshua have said they didn't expect it to turn into a serious relationship
because neither was looking for that. "I was not looking to fall in love again or
meet the mother of my child, but life has other plans for you," he said.
The Dawson's Creek actor has admitted that it was definitely love-at-first-sight for him. "When we
tell our baby the story, I'm probably going to lead with, 'I saw your mother from across
the room and just knew I had to be with her.' I'll probably leave out that it was a one-night
stand. My wife is not telling a lie when she says we'd started off mostly with sex."
Their relationship's peculiarity didn't end there. They dated in secret for an entire
year and when they finally made their debut, they were already married. WHEN DID THEY GET ENGAGED?
No one knew the couple was engaged because it was a private moment for just the two of them…
but they actually did it twice! That's right, this couple had a double proposal,
one from her and one from him! Turner-Smith was adamant that she wanted to propose to Jackson,
and he was grateful for it. On New Year's Eve 2018 while the pair were walking down the beach
in Nicaragua, she asked him to marry her. In a Jimmy Fallon interview, he was asked how
he knew Jodie was the one. "I knew the moment she asked me. This is the best choice I ever made," he
jokingly said as he pointed to his wedding ring. The actor said that, although he was proposed to,
he asked Jodie to give him the chance to have a traditional proposal as well.
"We were in Nicaragua on a beautiful moonlit night, it could not possibly have been more
romantic. I'm still old school enough that I said, 'This is a yes, but you have to give
me the opportunity to do it too,'" he said. Despite the modern and sweet engagement story,
Turner-Smith and Jackson received a lot of backlash. This led to the actor clapping
back at the negativity they received and saying, "For anybody who is freaked out by
a woman claiming her own space, shut the fuck up. You cannot believe the things people were
leaving my wife on Instagram. The internet is racist and misogynist. She did it. I said
'yes.' We're happy." Good for you, Joshua! Jackson was appalled by the ignorance and
ugliness his wife received. He believes it was a necessary but unpleasant education with the
way people react to black women, and he said we still have a long way to go.
"I would wish for my wife that she would not have to rise above the
ugliness with such amazing strength and grace. I am impressed with her, but I would wish that that
would not be the armor that she must put on every morning to just navigate being alive," he added.
But it was long before this negativity that the couple were married as they only started opening
up about their engagement later on. In August 2019, the couple was spotted leaving a courthouse
with what appeared to be a marriage license. Three months later, the pair made their first red-carpet
debut, and the actress was sporting a diamond ring on her wedding finger and so was her hubby.
Turns out the couple tied the knot in secret. Not only that, they were also expecting their
first child! The couple didn't publicly confirm either until a year later, though.
Once again, they were faced with racism as a wave of people were upset with the
fact that she was married to a white man. Come on, people, it's the 21st century!
The pair continued to take it in their stride and welcomed their daughter, Janie , in April 2020.
Although they are a relatively private couple, they opened up about pregnancy and what it was
like to have a child amid the pandemic. The Little Fires Everywhere actor was grateful for
support from his co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington who are both mothers of three.
"Having a collection of supermoms around me helped with everything from finding
doctors to 'what to expect' advice." It's fair to say these two power moms
know a thing or two about raising little ones. The couple also opted to have an at-home birth for
a devastating reason. The American medical system has a horrendous track record with black women
who are prone to more birthing complications. It also worked in the couple's favor as due
to the pandemic, most hospitals wouldn't allow partners to accompany the woman giving birth.
Even though she was in labor for several days without any medication, Jodie still
found birth to be the most magical experience. "Their love for each other is deep and having a
child together brought them closer in ways they didn't even know existed," an inside
source said. So much so that the couple already started wanting baby number two!
The couple also makes sure to tell the world what a great parent the other is. Get ready for
some tears! For Mother's Day, Joshua posted this, "Dear Jodie, on this most special of mothers days
I want to thank you for being the light that you are. I have never witnessed a more powerful being
than you through those moments. I love you." And oh yes, she makes posts that are just as
tear-worthy as anything he says! "Just checking in to say that us girls are so lucky to have you.
I thank God every day that you hold both of us in your strong, capable hands. You are the
best father and husband. Thank you for waiting for us." Are you crying yet? Because we are!
Jodie also seems to have the gift of manifesting because her first teen crush was none other than
Pacey Witter from Dawson's Creek. She fangirls over her husband like nothing else. The show's
theme song once came on when they were in a Home Depot, and she danced around her husband
and lip-synced the song. She also wears shirts with his face on them to promote his endeavors.
"He loves that I am obsessed with him. I love to see him do stuff where he can continue to lean
into the idea of him as the sex symbol that he is because he's a sex symbol," she said.
This couple is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. In an interview, they were asked what their
favorite thing about getting ready together for events was. Her response will have you gushing!
"I'm really in love with my husband. I'm doing a pretty good job of not shouting
that from the rooftops as much as I'd like to. It's beautiful to see someone that you adore
being adored. I want the whole world to see him the way that I see him. We high-five each other
all the time about how great we chose." Come on, you two, give the rest of us a chance!
Just because they are deeply in love doesn't mean the lovebirds haven't had to deal with
relationship difficulties. In late 2022, breakup rumours began circling the stars.
A source told RadarOnline that things were "definitely rocky." Apparently,
the couple's disagreements over little things sometimes escalated into "full-blown rows".
"The dynamic between them has changed," the insider added.
Fans were worried this beautiful love story was about to come to an end. Luckily,
it seems like the actors were able to work things out. During the 2023 Oscars party,
the pair posed on the red carpet together and weren't shy when it came to PDA. Their
romance was still solid, and the split rumours were short-lived. We got scared for a second!
Joshua also proved his love was as strong as ever when he made a shocking revelation: before meeting
Jodie, he was convinced he would NEVER marry! "If we had met five years earlier we probably
would have had a torrid affair. I didn't think I ever wanted to get married," said the actor,
explaining that he and his wife were the right age and met at the right moment in their lives.
This couple's relationship only gets better with time. They love each other deeply,
encourage one another in the face of negativity and remind each other to be kind to themselves.
It's clear that there is nowhere they would rather be than with the family they have created
together. They fell head over heels, are still swooning, and their love keeps getting stronger.