13 Celebrities Who Married Their High School Sweethearts

To those who left their first loves long in the past, the idea of marrying their high school sweetheart may be way too distant to even contemplate. (We change a lot in our formative years!) But some relationships that started in adolescence have gone on to last a lifetime. Take these 13 celebrities who married their high school sweethearts. They're still with them to this day, even though fame altered their lives almost completely.

Some of these couples still in the early years of their marriages, while others have decades of partnership under their belts. And while some got together as teens and have stayed together the entire time, in other cases, things were a little more on-and-off. So read on to find out more about these 13 long-time couples who first met way back when. And for more famous pairs who have been together for years, check out 12 Beloved, Long-Term Celebrity Couples, Then and Now.

Jon Bon Jovi and his high school sweetheart had a fun wedding: They got married in Las Vegas! The musician and Dorothea Hurley tied the knot in Nevada in 1989 when they snuck off to the city while he was on tour. When People asked them about the secret to their long relationship, the Bon Jovi frontman said, "Mutual respect. Having grown up together and grown together. And we really like each other. We want to hang out." Hurley added, "I always said I was good at spotting potential too. I have a gift." Together, they have four children.

Some celebs marry their high school sweethearts, and some go a very different route. Check out these 22 Celebrities Who Married Their Biggest Fans.

NBA superstar LeBron James and Savannah Brinson have been together since before James became one of the greatest basketball players of all time. "[Savannah] was down when I was at my high school, no cameras, no lights," James told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. "And she was there with me. You wouldn't be talking to me right now if it weren't for her." The couple has been married since 2013 and have three children.

James and Brinson have moved in and out of their home state of Ohio during his career. For celebs who have followed a similar path, check out 24 Celebrities Who Still Live in Their Hometown.

U2 singer Bono and his wife Ali Hewson met during high school in Ireland and started dating when they teens. In 2016, the two were interviewed on the red carpet for Glamour's Women of the Year event, and it was 40 years to the day since they got together. "We were teenagers, went to the same high school, and just so happens it was this afternoon I walked her to her bus," Bono said. "Isn't that mad?" They pair have four children.

Want to remember the couple was all the rage when you were in high school yourself? This Was the Biggest Celebrity Couple the Year You Graduated.

Actor-turned-director Ron Howard has been married to Cheryl Howard since 1975. "I met her, and there was never anybody else," he told People in 2019. "People say, 'How'd you do it?' There's no technique. There's no tactic other than communication is really important. You have to learn to communicate and have difficult conversations in constructive ways." He added, "Beyond that, there's an element of luck because people either grow together or they don't and I don't think you can force that." The Howards have four children, including actor/director Bryce Dallas Howard, and a few grandchildren, too.

Country singer Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins met when they were children and ended up dating briefly in high school. "She was just like the All-American, friendliest, nicest. She was tall, blond, beautiful, pretty much the total package for any dude from sixth grade all the way through high school," Rhett told the Tennessean in 2016. He and Akins got back together for good in their early 20s, got engaged six months later, and have been married since 2012. They now have three children.

For more celebrity news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Snoop Dogg (aka Calvin Broadus Jr.) and his wife Shante Broadus have been married since 1997, and met when they were both high school students in Long Beach, California. They've had some publicized ups and downs over the years—including a divorce filing—but they're still together to this day. They have three children together and five grandchildren.

In addition to his wife, Snoop Dogg went to high school with a future famous actor. Find out who in 35 Celebrities You Didn't Realize Grew Up Together.

LL Cool J (real name: James Smith) and Simone Smith got married in 1995, after first getting together when they were teens. And they've been through a lot. In 2004, Smith was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called chondrosarcoma. In 2019, Entertainment Tonight reported that she had been cancer-free for 14 years, and the couple spoke about how the rapper and actor supported her during her battle. On Valentine's Day this year, Smith wrote on Instagram, "We gotta throwback kind of L💜VE‼️Happy Love Day y'all!!!" alongside an old photo of them together. They share four children.

Jeff Daniels and his wife Kathleen Treado have been married for over 40 years. They both grew up in Chelsea, Michigan, and they married in 1979. While they've kept their married life pretty private, the Dumb and Dumber actor did once tell a story about accidentally leaving his wife at a truck stop while on an RV trip. The couple, who are still together after that incident, share three children.

For romances that came out of strong friendships, here are 16 Celebrity Couples Who Were Friends First.

Ja Rule (or, Jeffrey Atkins) and Aisha Atkins have been through a lot in their marriage, including some salacious rumors and his time in prison for tax evasion and gun possession. But, they're still together after 20 years of marriage and have three children. They even had a reality show about their family called Follow the Rules. For their anniversary last year, Atkins wrote on Instagram, "It's been said the first year of marriage is the hardest well here we are at 19 years! We've been through every emotional roller coaster together and weathered every storm!"ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

U.S. Women's National Soccer Team player Carli Lloyd has been married to golfer Brian Hollins since 2016, but this athletic couple has been together since their teen years. In an Instagram post about their fourth wedding anniversary in 2020, Lloyd shared that it was also their 20th anniversary as a couple. "Nothing can ever tear us apart," the Olympic gold medalist wrote. "Here's to continuing to build a life together packed with endless memories, smiles, and good times.

Stephen and Ayesha Curry's story is a little different from the other ones on this list. The NBA player and cookbook author met at a church youth group in North Carolina when they were teenagers, but didn't start dating until a few years later. "He was the cute boy at church that all of the girls were obsessed with, so I made a generalization that maybe he wasn't for me," Ayesha told People. But, after meeting up in Los Angeles later, they went on a date and hit it off. Now, they've been married for 10 years and have three kids.

Glee star Heather Morris married Taylor Hubbell in 2015. Like the Currys, they knew each other as teens, but started dating after high school. They went to the same school in Arizona and "knew of each other," the actor and dancer told AZ Central. Not long after their wedding, they told Us Weekly that being married didn't really change anything for them. "The only difference is the ring. I don't wear jewelry, so that's an adjustment for me," Hubbell said. Morris added that being married "is exactly the same!" The couple have two sons.

Lastly, we have rapper Kendrick Lamar and his fiancée Whitney Alford. That's right, Lamar and Alford aren't married yet—at least as far as the public knows—but they did get together when they were both in high school in California. Lamar and Alford keep their life very private, but he did confirm their engagement in 2015, and in 2019, it was reported that they had welcomed their first child. "I wouldn't even call her my girl," Lamar told Billboard of Alford in 2015. "That's my best friend. I don't even like the term that society has put in the world as far as being a companion—she's somebody I can tell my fears to."

Learn even more about famous couples with 16 Celebrity Couples You Didn't Realize Aren't Married.