Standing the test of time! Ice-T and Coco Austin have been a celebrity power couple since they met in 2001.
The twosome connected on a video set that year and have been going strong ever since. The “I’m Your Pusher” rapper recalled the meeting during a 2017 Mario Lopez: One on One interview.
“[I asked], ‘Would you ever consider dating a gangster rapper?’” Ice-T remembered. “The reason I said that, Mario, is I was wearing a red snakeskin suit.”
Austin revealed she “didn’t know what a gangster rapper was” based on being a “white valley girl,” so she responded, “Oh, well, if he’s nice.”
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star had a quick retort, firing back, “Well, baby, if you take the ‘n’ off ‘nice’, you get ‘Ice.’”
The pickup line worked as the duo began dating long distance — Ice-T was in New York for Law & Order, while Austin worked in California as a model. The pair’s romance progressed quickly, and they tied the knot on New Year’s Eve in 2001. Us Weekly later confirmed that the pair didn’t legally wed until January 2006 in Nevada, according to court documents.
“We got married pretty fast,” Austin later wrote in her blog about the Las Vegas nuptials. “He became my best friend and this instantly was someone I didn’t want to live without. We just knew we wanted to be together, we were like yin and yang, like peanut butter and jelly. LOL.”
She confessed that they didn’t tell anybody about the wedding at first because no one was invited to attend. “We just kept it between us, we didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings so we just kept it to ourselves,” Austin wrote. “I will never forget looking at him face to face just me and him no one else in the room but a priest and a pianist. He got choked up while he spoke which made me get choked up.”
The pair went on to welcome their daughter, Chanel, in 2015, and have remained committed to their relationship for more than two decades.
“Happy 22nd Anniversary! To my incredible Wife and Love of my life @Coco,” Ice-T wrote via Instagram in December 2022. “Getting married is like casting for a Movie. Ya gotta find someone who is ready for ALL the scenes … The Good, bad, ups and downs.’ 22yrs and still going Strong as F. I Love You .”
Austin also gushed about her spouse on their 2022 anniversary, writing, “Time flies when you’re having fun .. literally!! My love for you has gotten stronger year after year … Thank you for all the wonderful decades we’ve had together! I’m so blessed for our beautiful family.”
Sign up for Us Weekly’s free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
Scroll down to relive Ice-T and Austin’s sweetest relationship moments: