Nicole Ari Parker | Source: Getty Images
Nicole Ari Parker Says She and Boris Kodjoe ‘Chose Each Other Very Deliberately’
Aug 07, 2025 - 06:31 A.M.
The "And Just Like That…" actress reflected on 20 years of marriage with her husband during an appearance on a podcast. The couple celebrated the milestone with a special getaway.
Nicole Ari Parker appeared on the "Baby, This Is Keke Palmer" podcast in an episode released on Tuesday, August 5. The actress sat down with the titular host, Keke Palmer, and reflected on what has maintained the spark between her and her husband, Boris Kodjoe, for 20 years.
Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe at Michael Kors Cocktail Party at Bemelmans Bar on February 3, 2025, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
"We chose each other very deliberately," Parker told Palmer. "But I think there was an instinct there where you're like, you know, people sometimes don't do this. Like, 'Could I leave my children with this man? Yes.'"
"People marry men and have children with them and like, 'No. Daddy's not watching you.' You know what I mean?" she continued. "Like, I have a very good father, so I had a very sharp sense of, 'Okay, when it comes down to it, if the s--- hits the fan, are you gonna ride?... or rise to the occasion?' And I thought he would. And he has."
Parker and Kodjoe share two kids: daughter Sophie, 20, and son Nicolas, 18. The pair met on the set of "Soul Food" in the early 2000s and began dating shortly after. They tied the knot in Kodjoe's hometown of Gundelfingen, Germany, in 2005.
To celebrate their wedding anniversary, Kodjoe whisked Parker away on a trip to Turks and Caicos. Parker had initially suggested something small and intimate — a picnic in their backyard — but Kodjoe wanted to go big. The couple stayed at the luxurious Amanyara Resort.
