From college activists to Hollywood royalty, the Jacksons reveal how faith, family, and a radical vow to ‘stay together no matter what’ kept them strong.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
August 19, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Samuel L. Jackson, 77, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson, 76, celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary with Instagram tributes, sharing throwback wedding photos and candid moments while calling each other their foundation, rock, and forever partner.
- The couple, who met as student activists at Morehouse and Spelman in the early 1970s and married in 1980, see their marriage and family with daughter Zoe as a deliberate, revolutionary commitment to Black love and to challenging stereotypes about Black families by vowing to stay together and “figure it out.”
- Their shared commitment to Black identity runs through Jackson’s outspoken stance on racism and LaTanya’s acclaimed theater work, including directing the 2022 Broadway revival of The Piano Lesson and earning a 2025 Tony nomination for Purpose, with Samuel literally stepping aside to give her the spotlight at the Tonys.
Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson have been together through college activism, parenthood, Hollywood, Broadway, and more than four decades of marriage. Now they’re celebrating another milestone: 46 years as husband and wife.
According to People, the couple marked their anniversary on August 18 with separate Instagram tributes. Jackson, 77, went all the way back to 1980, posting a photo of the newlyweds smiling beside their wedding cake. “Happy 46th Anniversary to THE Mrs. LaTanya Richardson Jackson,” he wrote. “I Love You With All That I Am.”
LaTanya, 76, countered with a collection of candid shots showing her husband’s less serious side, including Jackson making a face while being fed cake and posing with her by the ocean.
Her message went deeper. “46 years of loving @samuelljackson,” LaTanya wrote. “We thank God every day for blessing us with each other. My foundation, My rock, My forever partner.”
She closed with an ambitious anniversary wish: “Here’s to 46 more!!”
For the Jacksons, however, staying together has long carried significance beyond a Hollywood love story. The two met as college students in Atlanta in the early 1970s, with Samuel attending Morehouse College and LaTanya at Spelman College, against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and campus activism.
They married in 1980 and welcomed their daughter, television producer Zoe Jackson, two years later.
LaTanya has been explicit about what building a Black family meant to them. “In the beginning, we always said the most revolutionary thing that Black people could do was stay together, raise their children with the nucleus of having a father and a mother,” she said.
She also said the couple wanted to push back against stereotypes about Black families and made a deliberate pact: “We are going to stay together no matter what. We’ll figure it out.”
That commitment to Black identity and dignity has remained visible in Jackson’s public life as well. Just last month, he generated headlines during the World Cup after reposting a message urging Black fans not to support Argentina.
The post called Argentina “one of, if not the most racist countries in the world,” amid broader scrutiny over racist incidents involving Argentine soccer fans.
Jackson’s stance wasn’t an isolated celebrity hot take; he has spoken bluntly about racism throughout his career, including his own experiences growing up under segregation.
The Jacksons have also continued to build their careers alongside their marriage. LaTanya is an accomplished actress and director who helmed the 2022 Broadway revival of The Piano Lesson, starring her husband, and earned a 2025 Tony nomination for her performance in Purpose.
One of the photos in her anniversary carousel captured Samuel stepping aside at that year’s Tonys and giving his wife the spotlight.
