Way back in the 80’s, ladies were definitely checking for LL Cool J aka Todd James Smith, but the only woman he’s been checking for is his wife. “I was just 19, something like that,” LL Cool J told host Jimmy Kimmel. “It was Easter and I was driving down the block in my mother’s car.” The rapper said it all started when he stopped the car to say hello to a friend. “He said, ‘Hey, you wanna meet my cousin?” At first, LL Cool J told his friend that he had somewhere else to go, but seeing Smith for the first time changed his mind. “I looked over and said ‘Oh yeah, I’ll meet your cousin.’”
“Definitely putting God first,” said Simone in a sit-down interview with Oprah on why she and LL’s marriage works. We both definitely come from a spiritual background and there’s a lot of compromise. Picking your battles [and] respecting each other.”
In 2004, Simone found a lump on her leg and was diaagnosed with bone cancer. During her battle, LL was her biggest supporter and the experience Simone said, brought them closer.
“You don’t abandon someone in that foxhole, you know,” the actor and rapper said. “You got to be there in that foxhole with them. So I made some decisions professionally and decided to be by Simone’s side during that period.”
Early in their relationship, Simone had her reservations about being with the sex symbol but she quickly knew his heart and let all doubt fade.
“I wasn’t worried about that because Todd is Ladies love Cool J and he’s ladies love and the ladies love him and he’s this big sex symbol but he’s definitely a big family man and he loves his wife and he loves his children.”
Simone often occupanies LL everywhere he goes in the Hollywood spotlight but LL is equally supportive of the woman who has his heart.
“Being supportive of my wife is the easiest way to show true love,” he told Good Housekeeping in 2013.
When they first started dating, LL gifted his love a pair of earrings just because and it’s a gift she still appreciates. “I was 17-years-old when we met and I’ll never forget the day he bought me those earrings,” she said.