7 minute readSterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Batte met while they were both students at Stanford University studying technology. They both achieved huge success in Hollywood and have always been by each other’s side. After getting married in 2006, they had two sons named Andrew and Amare.
Here’s the complete relationship timeline of this loving and devoted couple:
1990s
Brown and Barte met late last century while performing at Stanford University’s freshman show. Batte spoke with Parade about her “first memories” with Brown.
“I saw his audition for Joe Turner’s ‘Come and Gone,’ and I was transfixed,” she said. “I had never seen anyone so young do this. I was appalled.”
The two began dating, but their relationship was on-and-off during college, and they broke up after graduating in 1998. However, Brown said he had to chase her and they got back together.
In an interview with The Talk, Brown said, “We came back into each other’s lives after being separated for three and a half years. She was working out on the treadmill and I had an epiphany: ‘I have to go tell this woman that she’s the love of my life.'”
“I went to her apartment and told her about it, and she was like, ‘I’m working out right now,’ and I was like, ‘No, you know, I’ll talk to you while I’m on the treadmill,’ and she was like, ‘Yeah, I feel like going outside, so I’m going for a run,'” he continued. “So I put on (the suit) and she started running through Koreatown, and I started running with her. My brother had to work, but it was well worth it during that time.”
2006
The couple eloped!
2007
A year after officially getting married, they gathered their family and friends in a grand wedding ceremony. In 2023, the First Wives Club star opened up more about her big day with Brown.
“The best part was the food,” she said. “Because, you know, sometimes I can tell you, you go to a wedding and you have a winner-take-all chicken dinner and you’re like, ‘I’ll pay. Okay, fine.’ But I wanted people to remember their experience, their culinary experience. So it was gratifying. The food was delicious.”
November 2009
The pair have been together for more than a decade, but their first red carpet appearance was in 2009, when they attended a benefit event at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Brown earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Tisch.
2011
In 2011, the couple welcomed their first child, named Andrew. Although the couple did not reveal their child’s date of birth, Brown said in 2017 that he and Batte went through the same thing after an episode of This Is Us in which his characters Randall and Beth’s first child was born at home.
“Unexpected home delivery is what my wife and I experienced with our first birth, so this was round two for me,” he wrote on Twitter at the time.
2012
In 2012, Batté had a recurring role on Army Wives, where she was able to play opposite her husband.
2015
Their second child, Amare, was born in 2015. Brown quickly took to Instagram to share a shot of her baby cradled to her chest. He wrote in the caption, “1st post. 2nd child. All is well! #imoninstagram.”
2016
Batté joined another of Brown’s shows, having a recurring role on This Is Us as Yvette, the mother of Randall’s friend.
September 2016
The couple attended the 2016 Emmy Awards, where Brown won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role as Christopher Darden in The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
October 2016
The whole family, including the boys, attended the GOOD+ Foundation’s 1st Annual Halloween Bash.
January 2017
While walking the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the couple stopped to share a kiss.
August 2017
Brown celebrated their 11th anniversary with a sweet post on Instagram that read, “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Bird. Love you so much!”
September 2017
In 2017, Brown won another Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in This Is Us. They shared a sweet moment in the audience before he took to the stage to give his acceptance speech.
January 2018
Continuing his award sweep, Brown won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for “This Is Us.” They kissed again when his name was called.
January 2018
The couple took their son Andrew to the premiere of Brown’s film Black Panther.
August 2019
Andrew also accompanied the release of “The Angry Birds Movie 2.”
November 2019
Both kids were old enough to enjoy the premiere of Frozen 2. Brown shared a cute photo from the red carpet, writing, “I’m missing these three so much right now. But honestly, this is one of my favorite family photos ever. I love the look on Amare’s face!”
September 2020
During lockdown, Brown and Batté participated in a live table reading, Zoom Where It Happens, presented by Black women artists organizing around voting rights. They read a portion of the Friends episode “Nobody’s Ready.” Batté played Rachel, and Brown, naturally, played Ross.
October 2021
Brown took his sons to baseball games, calling them “the team.”
February 2022
The couple gave a presentation on stage at the 51st NAACP Image Awards.
August 2022
In an interview with Jemele Hill on the Unbothered podcast, Brown talked about how the couple manages to film intimate scenes in a way that both of them are comfortable with.
“I’ll introduce you to my wife right away,” he said. “As long as Ryan knows them and understands that they respect the union, she can say, ‘Okay, brother, do your job. I know there’s nothing crazy going on other than work.'”
He also joked about being “friendzoned” by his wife.
April 2023
Barté celebrated Brown’s 47th birthday with a sweet message on Instagram, writing, “You are my dearest love, my dearest friend, and my dearest companion on this beautiful, wild journey called life. Happy birthday. Thank you for having my back and for being there for me and Andrew and Amare! We love you to the moon, to the windows, to the walls.”
June 2023
On Father’s Day, she paid tribute to Brown once again by sharing a video on Instagram of him playing with her kids on the beach.
“Happy Father’s Day @sterlingkbrown,” she wrote in the caption. “You will be in our corner forever. Our children have your guidance and protection, even if they don’t realize it. That’s wonderful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, thank you!”
That same month, she opened up more about her life with Brown in an interview, discussing how they approach being together in Hollywood.
“This is what he wants to do, but he doesn’t like it. He’ll be the first person to say, ‘Get me a slider. Let’s go home,'” she said. “But there’s a picture somewhere where he’s huddled in a corner eating sliders on the way home. But you know, he loves that, he loves being with people. But he also doesn’t think he needs to do that. He doesn’t have FOMO. He’s the opposite of FOMO.”
March 2024
The pair attended the 2024 Oscars ceremony, with Batté wearing a gorgeous white dress by Dior and Brown wearing a classic tuxedo.
She dressed in red for the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.
That same month, they performed together again at the 55th NAACP Image Awards.
November 2024
In a joint interview with E! News, Brown and Batte talked about their new podcast, “We Don’t Always Agree,” and the marriage lessons they’ve learned over the years that they want to share with listeners.
“I know this because I’ve learned it over and over again, but I still have to come to terms with it: Why doesn’t she see things the same way I do?” Brown said. “And I know that she’s someone who has her own background and experiences that have led her to a very specific perspective on life. So do I.”
He continued, “I think learning to understand your partner’s perspective instead of being embarrassed or confused by it is something I’m constantly growing in. I think it’s over the course of our relationship.”
Baté agreed: “Sometimes you’re right, and sometimes you’re in a relationship. I think that applies to any relationship.”
She added that people seem to think of being a couple as “everyone always agreeing and being very in sync”, but it’s important to have “different approaches” to “healthy disagreements”.
“If you think that every argument means doom and that you shouldn’t have it or deeply agree with it, you’ll never get to the other side of the argument. It’s a dual approach, or a deeper understanding of another way of looking at things, that will only enrich your life, and subsequently your life as a couple.”
Brown added that anyone can make their relationship look “perfect” from the outside.
“I think Ryan and I were interested in, ‘Listen, there’s an ongoing effort every day to keep choosing each other. Sometimes it looks messy, and sometimes it’s a little more fluid. There are ebbs and flows, peaks and troughs to the whole thing,'” he said.
The couple hopes the podcast provides a “behind the veil” that shows the work behind the perfection.
August 2025
Ms. Bate served as a presenter at the 7th AAFCA TV Honors for her husband. Brown accepted the Best Actor award and gave a speech alongside his wife.
On Instagram, she wrote, “I was so happy to present the Best Actor award to @sterlingkbrown!”
January 2026
The couple enjoyed the start of awards season in early 2026. First, she attended the 31st Critics’ Choice Awards held in Santa Monica.
Barté then walked the 2026 Golden Globes red carpet with Brown in a stunning sleeveless white dress with a tulle train. The actor wore a satin blazer and black pants.
