<p id=”par-1_52″>Nearly 20 years after their 2006 wedding, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/actors/”>actor</a> Omar Epps and Keisha Spivey are still as in love as they were when they said “I do.” The <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/celebrity-relationships/?swcfpc=1″>couple</a> have three children and sing each other’s praises on social media. Here are the swoon-worthy things Epps has said about Spivey over the years. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-omar-epps-and-his-wife-keisha-spivey-married-almost-20-years-ago”>Omar Epps and his wife Keisha Spivey married almost 20 years ago</h2>
<p id=”par-2_20″>When Epps first saw Spivey, a member of <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/bad-boy-records-iconic-group-total-was-initially-a-duo.html/”>the R&B group Total</a>, at a party, he said the world stopped.</p>
<p id=”par-3_37″>“When I first laid eyes on her I was like, what is that? Not who. She just looked like this beautiful painting,” he said on <em>Live With Kelly and Ryan</em>. “The room disappeared and here we are.”</p>
<p id=”par-4_24″>They welcomed their first child in 2004 before tying the knot in 2006. Epps has said their connection is unlike anything he experienced before.</p>
<p id=”par-5_49″>“She’s amazing. There’s no question that <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/kirstie-alley-called-john-travolta-her-soul-mate-i-love-him-i-should-have-married-him.html/”>that’s my soulmate</a>,” he told <a href=”https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/omar-epps-growing-up-a-father-making-it-as-an-actor-1122097/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The Hollywood Reporter</a> in 2018. “She anchors me in a way that I can only relate emotionally is like how I feel anchored by my mom. That’s the weight of what I feel; this connection to another person.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Omar-Epps-Keisha-Spivey-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Omar Epps wears a vest and tie and stands with his wife, Keisha Spivey. She wears a black lace shirt.” class=”wp-image-3807420″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Omar Epps and Keisha Spivey | Johnny Nunez/WireImage</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-6_7″>He admitted he’s constantly learning from her.</p>
<p id=”par-7_26″>“I’m constantly in my head and she’s helped me be more present,” he said. “She loves hard … and she’s taught me a lot, about everything.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_28″>Epps said their secret to a long-lasting marriage was simply making the decision to never break up. This allowed them to approach conflict in a more level-headed manner.</p>
<p id=”par-9_64″>“Our little secret sauce is we took breaking up off the table,” he told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://nypost.com/2022/11/10/omar-epps-tells-jalen-rose-how-juice-changed-his-life/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The New York Post</a> in 2022. “And what that did for me personally, I can’t speak for her, but what that did for me was it changed the way that we had conflict … We still bump heads from time to time. We do it in such a respectful way.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_12″>Even after years of marriage, the couple still makes time for romance.</p>
<p id=”par-11_34″>“My wife and I were at an event, and she was looking great, so I had to take her hand and cut a rug,” he told <a href=”https://people.com/omar-epps-reveals-the-last-time-he-cried-8358127″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>People</a>. “I’m more of a two-step vibe guy.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-omar-epps-and-his-wife-keisha-spivey-share-three-children”>Omar Epps and his wife Keisha Spivey share three children</h2>
<p id=”par-12_36″>Epps has one child, daughter Aiyanna, from a previous relationship. He and Spivey welcomed their first child together, K’mari, in 2004, followed by their first son, Amir, in 2007. He spoke about raising his three children.</p>
<p id=”par-13_36″>“I got three different kids, so that’s three different personalities,” he said. “There is something with girls — at least in my experience — where there’s this innate connection of the father to have with them.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Omar-Epps-Keisha-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Omar Epps and Keisha Spivey stand in front of a table with cake and presents at a baby shower.” class=”wp-image-3807413″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Omar Epps and Keisha Spivey | John Shearer/WireImage</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-14_20″>He admitted the teenage years have been a bit more of a challenge, but he still loves being a father.</p>
<p id=”par-15_67″>“They’re calmer when they’re babies, and then now that they’re teenagers and you got a whole different slate of emotions. For years, some of my friends who are older told me just to wait for their teenage years, and I was like, ‘No, my babies, they’re cool.’ And woo! What they said was right. With my son, with boys in general, they just have so much energy.”</p>
<p id=”par-16_10″>Epps wrote the book <em>From Fatherless to Fatherhood</em> in 2018.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-who-did-he-date-before-meeting-his-wife”>Who did he date before meeting his wife?</h2>
<p id=”par-17_31″>Before he met Spivey, Epps dated <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/did-sanaa-lathan-date-her-love-basketball-co-star.html/”>his <em>Love and Basketball</em> co-star</a> Sanaa Lathan. They began dating while filming <em>The Woods</em> and decided not to disclose their relationship to director Gina Prince-Bythewood.</p>
<p id=”par-18_39″>“When Sanaa did a chemistry read with Omar [before casting], she was great and their chemistry was off the hook. Didn’t know they were dating, though,” Prince-Bythewood told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/29069339/an-oral-history-love-basketball-20-years-later” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>ESPN</a>. “I’m glad I didn’t because it would’ve affected the casting.”</p>
<p id=”par-19_13″>Lanthan said she had no intention of letting her <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/love-basketball-20-years-later-the-cast-is-still-scoring-points-in-hollywood.html/”>relationship impact the film</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-20_62″>“Everybody has a different philosophy about chemistry, and I also knew that’s bulls***,” she said. “People are like, ‘If they’re together, that means they won’t have a chemistry.’ You either have chemistry with somebody or you don’t. It has nothing to do with if you’re dating or not. I instinctively knew, ‘This is not something that needs to get in the way.’”</p>
<p id=”par-21_11″>Epps believed their real-life relationship made their onscreen chemistry more electric.</p>