Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, are proof that humor is the secret to a long-lasting marriage.
Recently, clips of the couple recounting their hilarious engagement backstory have gone viral, earning the title of “couple goals”.
In a resurfaced interview that originally aired in 2021 on the “Graham Norton Show,” the host asked the couple about Jackson’s proposal or lack thereof, that kick-started their 44-year marriage.
“Did I?” Jackson hilariously questioned when Norton proposed the question about how he asked Richardson to be his wife.
She quickly followed up with, “I want to hear this story. You never proposed?”
“I don’t remember actually,” revealed “The Piano Lesson” actor. He then quickly cleared up his foggy memories. “I do remember you having some invitations in your hand and saying this is when this is happening.”
Before he could finish, Richardson jumped in to correct him, “NO. That’s not what happened,” she declared, leaving the audience in laughter.
“I said my grandfather is very ill, and he’s going to die, and he’s very concerned that we are not married. So we have to get married now so that he can walk me down the aisle,” LaTanya continued. She added that her grandfather was concerned that he would miss the chance to walk his “last” grandchild down the aisle, so she told Jackson that marriage was inevitable.
“Now you have to ask him if you may marry me, and then you have to ask me will I marry you? And you did,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I did?” Samuel said, questioning the story before being shooed away by his wife, “It doesn’t matter,” she said jokingly.
He followed up with his own quick and possibly false version of the proposal. “It was all romantic, I got down on one knee and did the whole thing.”
LaTanya used another word to describe the proposal calling it “semantical.” When her husband corrected her on what he actually said, she gave a look as if she really wanted to say “we’ll talk about this later.”
At one point, she looked down to hide her facial expression.
“That’s going to cause a problem today, you know this,” Samuel told the host after smiling. “I needed that issue to deal with later on today,” he added with a more serious expression.
Since its debut four years ago, the clip has received love from fans who comment on how the couple’s humorous banter is a calling card for true love.
“Samuel Stuttering about the proposal is so funny….every boss has a boss in their life lol,” said one YouTube fan in the video’s original clip.
Another said, “That frozen scene with his wife was definitely based on a real argument.”
However, many on Instagram agreed with Samuel, that he’ll have some explaining to do later.
“He may be the coolest dude on the planet, but he will get still her told off by his wife,” said one follower.
Another funny individual chimed in with, “Unk going on couch. I love everything about SLJ.”
Jackson has previously told the hilarious but hazy story of the couple’s proposal.
In a 2023 interview on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” Samuel got candid about why the special moment possibly slipped his mind.
“That’s probably what happened because I was on drugs and I don’t know what the hell was going on in my life at the time,” he admitted to the host. He later added. “She’s probably right. But I like my version better because it sounds so much funnier.”
Samuel L. Jackson and bride LaTanya in 1980. They are still married over 40 years later! pic.twitter.com/nyFlZmU7n1
— History Defined (@historydefined) June 20, 2025
Samuel and LaTanya Jackson met in 1970 while attending Spelman College and Morehouse College in Atlanta. They married in 1980 and share one daughter, Zoe, who was born in 1982.
In the early years of his career, the “Juice” actor battled with drug abuse, something he has been more open about in recent years. Samuel often credits his wife for saving his life with a harsh ultimatum: get clean or she was gone for good.
Fans are glad he did, writing, “True love through and through” and “Omg they are perfect for each other.”
