Denzel Washington summed up his marriage in a joke. In 2007, when he had been married to Pauletta for about 24 years, he was asked what the secret to making it last was and replied: “Do what your wife says and keep your mouth shut”. The line was humorous, but their story includes a more measured response.
They met in 1977, married in 1983, and built a family with four children. In 2024, Pauletta spoke about the work it takes to sustain a relationship and pointed to love, prayer, and forgiveness as part of theirs: “We work at it”, she summed up.
In June 2026, they celebrated 43 years of marriage and are still together. Denzel’s joke became a memorable line; Pauletta’s words describe, from another perspective, what they have built.