When you think of “Hollywood legend,” one name immediately comes to mind: Halle Berry. The Academy Award-winning actress has been appearing on screen since 1991’s Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever and continues to be absolutely phenomenal in every role she plays. The actress and mother of two also knows how to have fun on social media and occasionally shares sweet moments from her personal life.
Berry has even shared photos of her intimate relationship with boyfriend Van Hunt. On May 15, 2021, she shared a photo of the two kissing with the caption, “We do whatever we want! 💋.”
He was her date at the 2021 Oscars. Here’s what it looked like there:
She first started sharing hints about their budding relationship in August 2020, posting a cryptic photo of herself playing footsie with a mystery man. Afterwards, fans weren’t sure who she woke up with in Las Vegas.
“Wake up Vegas! ☀️,” she wrote. “Thank you for all the wonderful birthday wishes from my friends and my incredibly supportive and loyal fans! You all made my birthday even more special ♥️”
She announced her identity in September 2020 by wearing a shirt with the name “Van Hunt” on the front.
“Now I know…♥️🦶🏽,” she wrote.
A source told Us Weekly at the time that things have been going really well since the two started dating last year.
“She had some negative experiences[with men]but Van taught her to love again and to love herself,” the source added. “He’s a wonderful, caring guy. They have great chemistry.”
In October 2024, Berry raved that Hunt was his first partner for over three years. “When we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, we celebrated it like it was 20 years, and that meant a lot to me personally,” she told Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast.
So who exactly is this man that Berry professed love to on social media and has been dating for years? Let’s get to know him.
He is from Ohio.
Hunt was born in March 1970 (now 55 years old) and was raised by a single mother in Dayton, Ohio, according to Last.fm. His father was a factory worker and a friend of Ohio Players drummer Jimmy “Diamond” Williams. Hunt started playing the drums at the age of seven and the saxophone at the age of eight. He then picked up bass and keyboards and played guitar in a rock band called Royalty.
He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta before dropping out to begin a music career.
He is a Grammy Award-winning artist.
Hunt, technically known as Van Hunt Jr. (he was named after his grandfather), was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Artist at the 2006 Grammy Awards and won a Grammy the following year for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Vocal Group with John Legend, Joss Stone, and Nikki Costa. It was a cover of the song “Family Affair” by Sly and the Family Stone.
He reunited with the band this year for the first time in 10 years.
he is a father
Like Berry, Hunt is very private about his personal life, but he also has a teenage son named Drake and is apparently quite musically talented himself. Earlier this year, he said of the two performing together:
“That’s when I got to sing with my kid. We played ‘Bring It on Home to Me’ by Sam Cooke (with Lou Rawls on background vocals). After asking if he could sing Sam Cooke’s part and being mean, he started singing Lou Rawls’ part as if it were the lead part. He stole the show from the old man and never gave it back ;-).”
And of course he really loves her.
They have walked red carpets together.
In recent years, as the two have become more serious, they have been appearing on red carpets more often, always wearing impressive outfits.
The Academy Museum of Motion Picture Opening Gala, to be held in Los Angeles on September 25, 2021, will include:
A month later, he was her date to the 27th Annual Elle Women in Hollywood Celebration.
And the 2021 AFI Fest featured the official screening of her film “Bruized” at the TCL Chinese 6 Theater.
They were attending the 4th Annual Black Film and Television Celebration.
Fast forward to 2022, and they were still turning heads at the 27th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards.
The 95th Academy Awards will be held in 2023.
At the end of the year, the two spent the closing night of the Red Sea International Film Festival together.
The couple was still going strong in early 2024.
Berry and Hunt were spotted sharing a gray umbrella in the rain on Saturday, January 20, 2024, in Brentwood. Berry looked warm in a black jacket, jeans and high heeled leather boots. Mr Hunt was wearing a yellow hooded raincoat, black pants and a black crossbody bag.
In February 2024, Berry spoke out loud about how well Hunt treats him.
Berry shared a post with relationship advice and captioned it, “I was single for 4 years until I found @vanhunt and this is exactly what I thought! It took me 30 years to get this but it’s better late than never!”
She wished him a happy birthday in March 2024 with a sweet tribute on Instagram.
Berry shared photos with her boyfriend and photos taken solo on the merry-go-round, and posted on Instagram, “Don’t count the candles, enjoy the beautiful glow! Happy birthday to your lovely butt.”
Berry said her relationship with Hunt ended in October 2024, the longest she has ever been in a relationship with him.
Berry spoke on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast about how transformative his relationship with Hunt was. “It’s the longest relationship I’ve ever been in,” she said, according to Us Weekly. “You can’t go past three years. When we hit four years, we celebrated it like it was 20 years of marriage. It meant a lot to me personally.”
As the third year approached, “we both got scared,” she recalls. “He was waiting for the shoe to drop, and I was waiting for the fucking shoe to drop, because I just can’t get over it. I was like, ‘Okay, yeah, it’s okay to do this relationship,’ and it was such a relief.” She said Hunt is her person, adding, “(He’s) calm and he’s everything I dreamed of and looked for and needed.”
Unlike her previous relationships, she wasn’t chasing love. “I thought, ‘I can’t do this, I don’t want this,'” she recalls. “I was going to live alone and be single forever and just raise my kids and do my job. And he came along when I wasn’t trying to manipulate it or try to make it happen. He just showed up. … He was chosen for me.”
Hunt revealed that he had already proposed to Berry in June 2025.
During a joint appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends in June 2025, Hunt revealed that he had already asked Berry to marry him. “So I put forward a proposal, and as you can see, it’s still pending,” Hunt said at the time. “It’s just floating. Hey, maybe you can cheer her up.”
Berry explained that the decision was based on future prospects rather than uncertainty about the relationship. “We don’t feel like we have to get married to somehow prove our love. That’s not the case,” she said, noting that both she and Hunt have been married before.
Still, she revealed that marriage is not impossible. “Of all the people I’ve ever married, I think this is the person I’m marrying because I should have,” she added. “I think we should get married, and I think we should get married, but it’s not because we feel like we have to. I think we just want to get married because we want that expression.”
The two were photographed together in New York City in February 2026.
In early February, Berry and Hunt were photographed braving the cold weather with Hunt’s arm around Berry during an evening walk in New York City.
The outing comes amid reports that Berry is happy with her current relationship and is in no rush to get married. A source told People magazine: “They’ve been talking about marriage, but Halle seems really happy the way she is. She just wants it to stay that way.”
The source added: “Halle’s relationship with Van Hunt has been great. He really understands her and treats her very well. She is very grateful.”
