Viola Davis is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her marriage to Julius Tennon. The “Woman King” actor who recently reached EGOT status, shared a heartwarming post on Instagram celebrating the anniversary. She shared a carousel of throwback and recent pictures of herself and Tennon. One of the photos was a picture of Davis in a fur coat cuddling up to Tennon for a W Mag photoshoot. Another was an old picture of them at their wedding. The carousel closed out with the couple posing together in a garden.

In the caption the “How To Get Away With Murder” actress wrote, “20 years of connection. We’ve seen the loss of family members and held each other up. We’ve had accolades, triumphs, joy, grief, exhaustion and still I feel your grip.” She continued, “Through the fire and brimstone of life we have held on…..together….to each other….understanding no matter what, the promise is to not let go. To the end my love…..Happy 20th Anniversary!!!”

A Collaborative Love

Viola Davis met Tennon in 1999 on the set of City of Angels. As she told People, the only thing she thought when they first met was, “He’s good-looking. He’s really good looking.”

Davis and Tennon got married in 2003 before founding their production company, JuVee productions in 2011. JuVee Productions prides itself on telling stories that bring a diverse range and voice to the industry. The company has produced The First Lady and 2022’s hit The Woman King, both of which feature Davis.

Their company inked a first-look television and media deal with Entertainment One earlier this year. In the press release announcing the deal, the duo shared that, “This is our legacy – to create deeply and authentically while opening the door wider for the next generation. Our collaboration is one of a shared, bold vision. From the moment we met Michael Lombardo, we felt that kinetic energy of being seen.” 

The couple also recently starred in the Michael Jordan inspired film “Air,” which was released in April. The movie tells the story of how Nike convinced Jordan to sign with the brand early in his career and the role his mother played in securing the deal. In the film Davis plays Jordan’s mother and Tennon plays his father. Ben Affleck also starred in and directed the film. He told The Hollywood Reporter that after giving him the green light to tell his story, Jordan made one other request; Viola Davis had to play his mother.

“I said, ‘Michael Jordan wants you to play his mom.’ It certainly wasn’t ‘Ben Affleck wants you to be in his movie.’ She’s not comfortable with sycophancy or obsequiousness. You can tell it chafes her. I just treated her with respect, which is to say, ‘When you’re ready, let me know,'” Affleck told the publication.

Davis and Tennon who have previously spoken openly about adoption, share a daughter named Genesis Tennon.