Entertainment

Courtney B. Vance & Angela Bassett Are #Goals

by Caitlin Flynn

It would be an understatement to say that it's been an amazing year for TV. A quick look at the list of Emmy nominees is a reminder that the TV landscape keeps getting better and better each year. (My DVR is exhausted, but no complaints here.) After giving one of the year's most lauded performances, it's no surprise that Courtney B. Vance has an Emmy nomination for The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. It's safe to assume that his Emmy date will be his wife of nearly two decades, powerhouse actor Angela Bassett. I love to see a long-lasting Hollywood marriage, so how did Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett meet?

Vance's performance as Johnnie Cochran in American Crime Story was incredible, and although Bassett doesn't happen to be nominated this year, there are plenty of awards to go around in the couple's household. Bassett received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe award for What's Love Got To Do With It, and she earned Emmy nominations for American Horror Story in 2014 and 2015. So, it's really no surprise that the mega-talented couple met at one of the top acting schools in the country. Vance and Bassett were students at Yale School of Drama when they first met, according to Essence. They were part of the same social circle and spent a long time as best friends before their relationship turned romantic. According to the outlet, they married on Oct. 12, 1997.

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Although their marriage is definitely enviable, Vance and Bassett have been open about their personal struggles — mainly the difficulties they experienced when they began trying to have children two years after tying the knot. In a 2006 interview with People, the couple said that their strong faith sustained them during that difficult time and, with the help of a surrogate, they now have twins — Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah. "I had faith, so I never really got discouraged," Bassett told the publication.

What's their secret to their relationship? In short, it seems like it comes down to both Vance and Bassett always striving to be the best people possible in an industry where it's easy to become focused on the superficial things in life. "[H]e makes mistakes, and so do I, but I always try to do the right thing and I feel like I’ve found someone who tries to as well," Bassett told BET in 2011. She added:

"I honestly believe that he sees me and is interested in me, and not just what I do. Because I’m not always acting. Sometimes I have to let my guard down and be vulnerable. He sees that and still accepts me."

Vance and Bassett officially just became my new #RelationshipGoals and I can't wait to see them at the Emmys. He's a heavy favorite to bring home a much-deserved Emmy for American Crime Story, but it seems like his clear priority is his family and home life.