Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown dropped a bombshell when she opened up about his past crush on his “Atlas” co-star Jennifer Lopez.
The story dates back to their early years in New York, long before Brown and Lopez co-starred in the sci-fi thriller. At the time, Brown was smitten — not by a real-life interaction, but by J-Lo’s magnetic presence on MTV. But it nearly caused a rift in his relationship with his now-wife when the couple were dating.
Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe recently appeared on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” where host Hudson wasted no time diving into the juicy details.
“Is it true y’all broke up over Jennifer Lopez?” she asked, before his wife said, “Who told you that?” as the couple laughed and confirmed it was true.
The “This is Us” star explained the story, recalling, “I was watching the first video.”
He then turned to his wife for clarification, asking, “What was her first video that came on MTV?” Bathe quickly responded, “Love Don’t Cost A Thing!”
“na na naa,” she continued.
The song was the lead single from her second studio album, released in 2000.
Brown continued, setting the scene. “We had just gone out. We were living in New York City. We were in grad school. We had just gone to see a Broadway play and we came back to my place and my roommate was playing the video on MTV. Now I’m a fan of Jennifer Lopez’s dancing, etc.”
As the video played, the now-48-year-old admitted he was trying hard to hide his reaction.
“Now, I’m a fan of Jennifer Lopez’s dancing and et cetera,” he said, before adding, “And I was watching the video and I knew my young 21-, 22-year-old girlfriend was looking at me watch the video, and I know I’m not supposed to have a reaction, and in trying not to have a reaction, what had happened was my eyes began to water.”
Bathe jumped in again adding, “Otherwise known as tears.”
Her husband, the “American Fiction” actor laughed along, admitting, he probably “should’ve changed the channel” and turned the video off.
Bathe, however, chimed in to correct his account. She told Hudson that Brown wasn’t just getting misty-eyed — he was full-out “weeping” over Jenny, who at the time was still on the block.
“I turn around and my boyfriend is weeping, tears like big fat [tears],” she explained. “And I’m looking and she’s just a shaking and a shimming and he’s just crying. I said ‘Oh no, I got to go.’”
According to Brown, she “left” and “walked out” of the room, as he was pleading for her to “stay” with him. But her response was classic: “No, I just … I can’t!”
Bathe, 48, elaborated, telling Hudson, “I said, ‘You crying over somebody else’s booty … in front of me?’”
Hudson, always quick with a joke, playfully scolded Brown, saying, “Sterling, you oughta to be ’shamed!”
The “Spotlight” singer shared a clip of the playful exchange on her Instagram, and fans were buzzing, mostly noting how cute the couple was.
Viewers chimed in with their own takes, with one writing, “I relate my brother been there she has that effect on 21-year-old men like us then but we grow up right.”
Another guy quipped, “Bruh, you were never gonna win this one,” while a third added, “Tears … but that video is [fire emoji].”
Hudson asked if Lopez was aware of his reaction to her music video, which they both said yes. In an Access interview with Lopez and another “Atlas” co-star, Simu Liu, Brown revealed that he and BaThe had actually broken up for “three and a half years” over his “weeping” tears.
“No, I didn’t know that was your wife!” said the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer at the time.
Send this to the accounts saying Sterling K. Brown doesn't like jlo…
— Ben's plaid shirt💚 (@BensShirt) May 29, 2024
His wife has been side-eyeing him for 20+ years over his love for Ms lopez lol pic.twitter.com/MnsN5IhplR
Ryan Michelle Bathe is an accomplished actress and producer in her own right, with roles in “Boston Legal,” “Eureka!” and “One for the Money.” She had a turn in the hot seat when Hudson asked about her celebrity crush. Bathe revealed that her crush was German-born model-turned-actor Boris Kodjoe.
Interestingly, just three months after she shared that tidbit with Brown, Bathe was cast opposite Kodjoe as his wife in the movie “All About Us.”
To make things even more awkward, the two had a love scene where Bathe had to take her clothes off. She promised her husband that she’d wear pasties for the scene, but later admitted that the heat caused them to fall off.
“Not to be unprofessional or anything, but they wouldn’t stay on,” Bathe recounted.
Brown, teasing his wife, replied, “That must have been so hard for you to have naked meat on Boris’ chest.” He laughed, adding, “If it were Boris Yeltsin, would you have had them bandaids?”
Bathe, laughing along, replied that if it were the late Russian president she would not have done the movie.
Despite these moments of celebrity crushes, Brown and Bathe have become one of Hollywood’s most-liked couples. Both natives of St. Louis, Missouri, they met at Stanford University and later attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where they earned their MFAs. After eloping in 2006, they’ve been happily married for over 15 years, according to NBC.com.
The couple also share two sons: Andrew and Amaré.
