Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker married in 2005 and have two 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren

When Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker met on the set of Soul Food in the early 2000s, sparks flew immediately — even though they were both in relationships at the time.

“When I met her and had gotten to know her and fell in love with her, I knew that she was gonna be my wife,” Kodjoe said. The pair got married in 2005 and have continued to work together, costarring in the 2022 film Safe Room, co-hosting a talk show and working on an athleisure brand.

Now, the Station 19 actor and the And Just Like That… star are the parents of two 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. They welcomed their daughter Sophie Tei-Naaki Lee in 2005 and their son Nicolas Neruda in 2006. The family collaborates on the Kodjoe Family Foundation and have attended charity and Hollywood events together.

They met on the set of Soul Food

Nicole Ari Parker and her husband Boris Kodjoe during the premiere screening of ‘Soul Food’.

Kodjoe and Parker fell for each other while working together on the Showtime drama Soul Food. The actor reminisced about getting to know his now-wife during his 2020 interview with Fox Soul. “At first, we were friends,” he said. “We were coworkers. She taught me a lot.”

The Love & Basketball cast member pointed out that, at the time, he was new to the industry, and Parker had far more experience. She helped him work on his scripts — particularly sections where the German actor needed translating.

In 2011, Parker spoke to Denim Magazine about her early experiences with Kodjoe. “When Boris walked into our first rehearsal, I thought of him as the really hot guy that got to play my boyfriend in the first couple of episodes,” she said of his original recurring role. “But for some reason, we connected and found it easy to talk to each other and laugh and be comfortable … and then I married him.”

They got married in Germany

Nicole Ari Parker and her husband Boris Kodjoe.

The Code Black star also recalled that his grandmother assembled a 30-foot-long dessert table. “If you know anything about German desserts, it’s just the best ever,” he said. “There were cakes, tarts and pudding. Just the most amazing desserts.”

“You just can’t give up,” he said while appearing on The Jennifer Hudson Show. “If this is your person, you can’t give up on them. You got to crawl through the mud together. You got to fight those fights together.”

They share two 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren

Boris Kodjoe, his wife Nicole Ari Parker and their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, Sophie and Nicolas attend Boris Kodjoe’s 50th 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day party in March 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Parker opened up about motherhood to Essence in 2008. “I’m just so in love with my 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren and I feel like they have stretched me places where I never knew I could go,” she said. “I feel like a better person because I have to be.”

They started a foundation in honor of their daughter

Nicole Ari Parker and her husband Boris Kodjoe attend Cocktails with a Cause benefitting Sophie’s Voice Foundation in September 2009 in New York City.

“A couple years ago, I think [Sophie] was 11, she said to Nicole and I, ‘I understand why you started the Sophie’s Voice Foundation. Did you ever think about me not necessarily wanting to be defined just by one thing?’ ” Kodjoe shared on the Tamron Hall Show in 2021. “And we were like, ‘Whoa. I’m so sorry.’ ”

They have an athleisure line

Nicole Ari Parker and her husband Boris Kodjoe attend the French Open in June 2022 in Paris, France.

They enjoy working together

Nicole Ari Parker and her husband Boris Kodjoe attend the 26th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in March 2018 in West Hollywood, California.

The pair met on set and have collaborated multiple times since Soul Food. In 2015, they briefly hosted their own Fox daytime talk show, The Boris and Nicole Show.

Kodjoe called the show a “new chapter” in their relationship and careers. “We’re talking about everything that we’re passionate about, whether it’s current affairs or parenting, love, relationships, special needs,” he added. The show received a four-week test, per The Hollywood Reporter but was not picked up.

Kodjoe and Parker also costarred in the 2022 Lifetime thriller Safe Room. The movie, which follows a widow and her teenage son, was Kodjoe’s directorial debut. “It was great that the tables were turned for once, because usually she directs me,” Kodjoe joked to PEOPLE.

They frequently “embarrass” their kids

Nicole Ari Parker, her husband Boris Kodjoe and their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren Sophie and Nicolas attend an event in May 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

They’re romantics

Nicole Ari Parker and her husband Boris Kodjoe arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins’ in January 2008 in Hollywood, California.

They share lots of family moments on social media

Boris Kodjoe and his wife Nicole Ari Parker with their kids Sophie and Nicolas in Berlin, Germany.

Family time is a priority