31 Celebrity Couples Who Got Together Before They Became Famous

Some famous pairs have love stories dating back to their childhood, high school and college years

Before taking Hollywood by storm, a number of celebrity couples were just trying to survive algebra and make it to the weekend for a date night together.

From first meetings in childhood to being high school or college sweethearts, celebrities like Sinners director Ryan Coogler, Mean Girls writer Tina Fey and tennis legend Novak Djokovic prove that some romances can not only make it in the spotlight — they can have happy endings.

Several of their love stories have stood the test of time, overcome the pitfalls that come with fame and turned out to be true connections.

Here are 31 celebrity couples who met their match before making it big.

01 of 31

Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Coogler

Ryan met his wife, Zinzi Coogler (née Evans), when they were still teens growing up in California, and they’ve been together since.

Notably, she bought him screenwriting software Final Draft when he couldn’t afford it, which allowed him to begin his filmmaking journey.

The director revealed that his first date with Zinzi was watching the 2000 teen comedy Bring It On in theaters.

“That was our first time going out as kids and holding hands and sharing popcorn,” he told The Hollywood Reporter at the 2025 Met Gala.

Zinzi — who served as one of the lead producers on her husband’s groundbreaking 2025 horror film Sinners — has three children with Ryan, though they keep their kids away from the spotlight.

02 of 31

Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson

Married since August 1980, iconic actor Samuel L. Jackson met his Tony-nominated wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, back in 1970, when they were both in Atlanta attending college — she at Spelman and he at Morehouse.

They began dating in 1970 and performed as members of the Morehouse Spelman Players.

Not only have the acting duo collaborated on films and projects like Apple TV’s The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, but they’ve also appeared together in the movies Juice (1992), Losing Isaiah (1995), Freedomland (2006) and Mother and Child (2009).

Samuel and LaTanya share one daughter.

03 of 31

Denzel Washington and Pauletta Washington

Denzel Washington was a long way away from leading-man status when he took future wife Pauletta Washington on their first date — so much so that she paid for their cab ride home, he told E! News in June 2019.

Reflecting on that time, Denzel joked, “And I’ve been paying ever since.”

The couple, who wed in June 1983, have built a marriage spanning more than four decades. Denzel and Pauletta have since welcomed four children, all of whom are successful in their own right and have followed in their parents’ footsteps.

04 of 31

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Vanessa Nadal

Lin-Manuel Miranda may be a musical genius, but when it came to trying to impress his now-wife Vanessa Nadal, the Hamilton writer was a little slower on the uptake.

The pair first crossed paths when they both attended Hunter College High School, and though he developed a crush on her then, Miranda didn’t act on it until well after graduation.

He finally worked up the nerve to reach out to Nadal on Facebook in 2005 and invited her to a performance for his hip-hop improv troupe, Freestyle Love Supreme.

While she was impressed with his rhyming chops, Nadal was won over at the second event she attended. The couple wed in September 2010 and have welcomed two sons, who also have an ear for music.

05 of 31

Marcus Mumford and Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford‘s love story could have been ripped straight out of a romance novel. The two reportedly first met at a Christian youth camp and became pen pals in their preteens, according to Vogue.

While it’s unclear how closely they were in touch in the years in between, romance rumors didn’t start swirling until February 2011, when both had established their careers. Mulligan, as an Oscar-nominated actress, and Mumford as the frontman of the Grammy-winning band Mumford & Sons.

By August 2011, the couple was engaged, and in April 2012, they tied the knot on a farm in Somerset, England. Mulligan and Mumford share three children.

06 of 31

Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman

Elizabeth Banks first met Max Handelman when they were students at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993.

The college sweethearts wed in Beverly Hills in July 2003 and are now parents of two sons.

“It’s the thing I’m most proud of,” Banks told PORTER in November 2019 about her marriage. “I do think people grow together or they grow apart. We definitely grew together. We were constantly making decisions that kept us close.”

07 of 31

Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry

Stephen “Steph” Curry and Ayesha Curry first met in youth group at their church in Charlotte, N.C., in 2003 when they were teens.

While she made quite the impression on him, Ayesha mostly got friendship vibes from the future NBA star.

They later reconnected in 2008 in Los Angeles, where Ayesha was pursuing her acting career, and Steph was in town for the ESPYs. The rest is history. The childhood pals got married in July 2011.

Since then, they’ve built a family with their four children.

08 of 31

Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond

People who saw Fey perform in her early days at Second City in Chicago were struck by her genius — and that includes her composer husband, Jeff Richmond, whom met her there in 1994.

“I don’t want to say she was funny ‘for a woman,’ but there were so many talented men there at the time, and then suddenly there was Tina, who was so funny — and she was at home with all those boys on the stage,” Richmond told The New Yorker in October 2003.

The two married in a Greek Orthodox ceremony in June 2001 and have two daughters.

09 of 31

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone had already been married for six years before her breakout role in Bridesmaids came in 2011.

The long-term pair first crossed paths as kids growing up in Illinois, though they didn’t really make a connection until the late ‘90s, when they took a writing class at The Groundlings in L.A.

The hilarious on-screen duo and collaborators hit it off, began dating and got hitched in a private ceremony in October 2005.

McCarthy and Falcone have welcomed two daughters.

10 of 31

LeBron James and Savannah James

LeBron James and Savannah James first met as teenagers when they were students at rival high schools — LeBron was a junior and Savannah was a year younger.

They had their first solo date at an Outback Steakhouse and their connection has continued from then on.

“A person like myself always needs a great sidekick and a person you can rely on no matter the circumstances,” LeBron told Harper’s Bazaar in August 2010. “And she’s that. She’s got my back, and I love her for that.”

The pair, who married in September 2013, share three children. His oldest son, Bronny James, has followed in his father’s footsteps as a professional athlete, playing in the NBA.

11 of 31

Bono and Ali Hewson

For U2 frontman Bono and his activist wife, Ali Hewson, their love story dates back to before they were even teenagers, when they met at Mount Temple Comprehensive School.

“He was my first real boyfriend,” Hewson told The Telegraph in 2008 (via The Mirror). “It was 1976 that we got together — the same year that the band formed. I saw their first gig in our school gym.”

They began dating in high school and got married in August 1982. Now, they share two daughters and two sons.

12 of 31

Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Mahomes

Before becoming one of the NFL’s hottest couples, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, former soccer player Brittany Mahomes, were students at Whitehouse High School in Texas, where their romance began — the two even went to prom together in 2013.

The couple got married in March 2022 and are parents to their three children.

13 of 31

Ralph Macchio and Phyllis Fierro

When Ralph Macchio first met his now-wife, Phyllis Fierro, it was at a cousin’s birthday party in his grandmother’s basement. Both were teens.

“This is 1970 or whatever, so this is Cheez Doodles, 7Up, Tootsie Rolls, probably the Ruffles with onion dip,” The Karate Kid star told PEOPLE in January 2021. “She was a friend of my cousin, and we just smiled and talked and danced a little. Probably the Hustle!”

Macchio and Fierro, a nurse practitioner, tied the knot in August 1987 and have two children. (Their daughter, Julia, is an actor and has appeared alongside her father on Netflix’s Cobra Kai.)

“I would have to say my wife is my best friend,” Macchio said on One on One with John Tesh in 1992. “There’s no doubt.”

He continued, “There’s just no one else I would even think about wanting to be with. From a very early time, I just knew this was the woman I wanted to marry and spend my life with. It’s corny, but it’s true.”

14 of 31

Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins

Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins have known each other since elementary school.

Though the pair didn’t start seriously dating until later on, Rhett told British GQ in June 2019 that when they went to camp together in sixth grade, he “already knew I was in love with her.”

They briefly dated in high school before going their separate ways for several years and remained good friends. The pair reunited again in May 2011, and by the end of the year, they were engaged.

“I’d loved that girl since high school, and I told her father how I felt. He said, ‘If you don’t tell her, I’m going to,’ ” Rhett told Holly Gleason for HITS Daily Double. “It was a total Ryan Gosling moment. I said to her, ‘I just want to kiss you one time. If you don’t feel anything, we can go back to being friends.’ ”

Rhett and Akins got married in May 2012 and share five children.

15 of 31

Snoop Dogg and Shante Broadus

Snoop Dogg (born Calvin Broadus) and his wife, Shante Broadus, have known each other since high school.

“I feel like that was true love at first sight,” the rapper told Today in August 2023.

Reflecting on why he and his wife’s relationship has stood the test of time over the decades, he said, “I think because we were both young and we were both willing to sacrifice for each other. She knew what my dreams and goals was [sic], and at the same time, I knew what hers were.”

The couple, who tied the knot in June 1997, have three kids together. Snoop is also dad to a son, Julian, from a previous relationship.

16 of 31

Kendrick Lamar and Whitney Alford

Kendrick Lamar and his fiancée, Whitney Alford, met when they were both students at Centennial High School.

They were friends first before they became a couple, and have been together ever since.

“She’s been here since day 1,” Lamar told The New York Times Magazine in June 2014.

The private pair have been engaged since 2015 and share a daughter and son.

17 of 31

Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Bongiovi

Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Bongiovi are a New Jersey couple through and through — having met at Sayreville War Memorial High School in the Garden State.

“She let me cheat off her in history,” the rocker told PEOPLE in September 2020. “I was immediately drawn to her from the minute I saw her and that never changed.”

The couple broke up briefly in 1985, but eventually got back together and eloped in Las Vegas in April 1989.

“We [Bon Jovi] had the No. 1 album, the No. 1 single, and we were playing three nights at the Forum in L.A.,” he told Men’s Health in October 2010.

The singer continued, “I turned to Dorothea and said, ‘I got an idea. Why don’t we go right now?’ She said, ‘You’re out of your mind.’ I said, ‘Come on. What’s better than this, right now, this moment?’ And so we ran off to Las Vegas. Didn’t tell a soul.”

They have four adult children.

18 of 31

Ron Howard and Cheryl Howard

Ron Howard was just 5 years old when he first stepped into the spotlight after landing the role of Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. However, his life really changed when he met his wife, Cheryl Howard, while they were still in high school.

The pair had their first date in 1970 and wed in June 1975 at age 21.

“I met her, and there was never anybody else,” Ron told PEOPLE in 2019, days after celebrating their 44th anniversary. “She’s unbelievably supportive and always has been. Our compatibility has endured through all kinds of experiences.”

The two are the proud parents of four kids, including Golden Globe-nominated actress Bryce Dallas Howard.

19 of 31

Jeff Daniels and Kathleen Treado

Jeff Daniels and wife Kathleen Treado married in July 1979 after they began dating in high school.

The couple, who share three children, decided to move back to their home state of Michigan in 1986 from N.Y.C., where they had relocated in the late ‘70s as Daniels pursued his acting career.

“It was a very dramatic move in 1986 to move to Michigan, but that was to keep the family No. 1. And that worked,” he told PEOPLE in May 2019, adding, “Kathleen’s permanent. The family’s permanent. Careers are job to job; you’re hot, you’re not.”

20 of 31

Lindsay Arnold and Samuel Lightner Cusick

Dancing with the Stars pro and former So You Think You Can Dance contestant Lindsay Arnold met her now-husband, Samuel Lightner Cusick, at just 16 years old.

“I could never have imagined that when I was 16 years old I would have met the man I would marry and who would be my partner — yesterday, today and tomorrow!” Arnold told PEOPLE of her husband, whom she married in a private ceremony in June 2015.

The pair had previously welcomed two daughters, with Arnold announcing on Instagram that she had given birth to their newborn son in June 2026.

21 of 31

Trevor Lawrence and Melissa Lawrence

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and his wife, Marissa Lawrence, have been together since 2016, when they were in high school.

In July 2020, the couple got engaged in a fitting setting: the middle of Clemson Memorial Stadium, where he played as the star quarterback for the Clemson Tigers. He and Marissa later wed in South Carolina in April 2021.

Trevor told PEOPLE in February 2026 that he and Marissa first met in fifth grade, saying, “We haven’t necessarily been dating since fifth grade.”

Regardless, they’ve “known each other for a long time” and dated “a little bit” in grade school before ultimately getting serious later.

“You know, from there on we’ve been going strong,” he continued, adding that it was “close to” love at first sight for himself and Marissa, who welcomed their first child in January 2025.

In June 2026, the couple announced they were expecting their second, a baby boy.

22 of 31

LL Cool J and Simone I. Smith

LL Cool J (born James Todd Smith) and Simone I. Smith were just teenagers when they “fell deep in love.”

The pair first met in 1987 through a mutual friend and dated for eight years before tying the knot in August 1995. In addition to being parents of their four children, the NCIS: Los Angeles star and his wife are also grandparents.

In January 2023, Smith posted a throwback photo on Instagram of the young couple with the caption, “When I was 17 and he was 19 we fell deep in love growing up in Queens!”

23 of 31

Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra

Viewers first got to know Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant in 2009, which chronicled the young couple’s pregnancy journey and the adoption of their first child.

The Teen Mom stars first met in seventh grade and began dating in 2005, ultimately tying the knot in August 2015. Lowell and Baltierra have since welcomed three more daughters.

24 of 31

Heather Morris and Taylor Hubbell

Glee alum Heather Morris wed her high school sweetheart, Taylor Hubbell, in May 2015.

To celebrate their eighth anniversary in 2023, Morris paid tribute to her husband with a sweet post shared on Instagram.

“Happy 8 years to my partner and soul mate @hubbell_woodshop,” she wrote. “I don’t think I have to write something long and sappy cuz we both know how deeply our love runs, but in case you didn’t know…I would gladly ride on the edge of a steep mountaintop for you in which case causes me a panic attack and I have to out my head between my legs and meditate till it’s over..but once it is I’d lift my head and squeeze your hand because you guided me through the whole time and will always remain my constant ❤️❤️❤️.”

The couple shares two sons: Elijah and Owen.

25 of 31

Tristan Mack Wilds and Christina Hammond

High school sweethearts Tristan “Mack” Wilds and Christina Hammond have been together since they were 15.

They secretly married in an intimate ceremony in December 2020.

“At different times in our lives, we’re shown fairy tales don’t come true. This one came true for me,” the Swagger actor told E! News in January 2021 of their special day. “Our love story is my favorite love story. I am living out my dream of being married to the love of my life.”

The pair are parents of two children.

26 of 31

Novak Djokovic and Jelena Djokovic

Novak first met wife Jelena Djokovic in high school in their home country of Serbia

After dating for eight years, the two got engaged in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in September 2013 and wed in Montenegro in July 2014, four days after he won his second Wimbledon championship.

They share two kids.

27 of 31

Alex Gaskarth and Lisa Gaskarth

All Time Low frontman Alex Gaskarth and his high school sweetheart, Lisa Gaskarth, married in April 2016 after 12 years together.

“We’ve felt like a family for so many years. This just makes it official,” the couple said in a statement to PEOPLE at the time of their wedding. “We are so lucky to not only be marrying our best friend, but to have family and friends from all over the world joining us to share in this day and celebrate with us.”

28 of 31

Aaron Judge and Samantha Bracksieck

Baseball player Aaron Judge hit a home run when he met his now-wife Samantha Bracksieck while the two attended Linden High School, per Sports Illustrated.

The Yankees right fielder and Bracksieck dated on and off as teens and attended Fresno State University in California.

They married in Maui, Hawaii, in December 2021.

“My wife has been with me through it all, and she’s calm as a cucumber, that’s for sure,” MVP winner Judge told the New York Post in September 2022.

The longtime couple welcomed their daughter in January 2025.

29 of 31

Witney Carson and Carson McAllister

After dating throughout high school, DWTS alum and winner Witney Carson married Carson McAllister in Salt Lake City on New Year’s Day 2016.

To celebrate their 10th anniversary, the couple honored each other with sweet messages on Instagram, praising their long-standing relationship.

“10 years and my love for you keeps growing @witneycarson,” McAllister wrote. Marrying you started the journey of a life time. So much has happened and you’ve been by my side through it all making me smile, laugh, and be a better person.”

Carson returned the favor just one day before their wedding anniversary, writing on Instagram, “Celebrating a decade with you @carson.mcallister and ringing in the new year with our two beautiful boys 🥹🤍 I truly don’t know how life could get better than this, but I’m excited to see what’s next for our little family. Here’s to 2026! ✨.”

The pair have two sons.

30 of 31

Kathryn Hahn and Ethan Sandler

Agatha All Along star Kathryn Hahn and husband Ethan Sandler were college sweethearts at Northwestern University and broke into Hollywood together — even playing love interests on Crossing Jordan in the early 2000s.

They married in January 2002 after 10 years of dating and have kept their romance relatively out of the spotlight ever since, welcoming a son and daughter along the way.

31 of 31

Drake Maye and Ann Michael Maye

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and wife Ann Michael Maye‘s love story began when they met in middle school. They went on to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill together.

The couple got engaged in January 2025 after more than nine years of dating and tied the knot that June — with the NFL star revealing that locking it down was “one of the best decisions“ he’d made in his life and calling his wife “a blessing.”

“Good things happen when you get married, and I think that’s the case so far in my life,” he told reporters during Super Bowl LX Opening Night in San Jose, Calif., in February 2026. “Every day, I come home to somebody who’s herself and cares about me outside of who I am on the field.”

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