Terry Crews, the former American Football player famously known for his role as Terry Jeffords in the NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine is married to Rebecca King. They both went to Western Michigan University. Rebecca majored in music and Theatre while Terry focused on his football career.
It was not loved at first. Terry almost got friend zoned by Rebecca. “ He is a little too nice,” she said in an interview with the E-News. Despite not having an initial fling, the couple fell for each other. They tied the knot on June 29, 1989. The same year she gave birth to their first child, a baby girl. Now they have five kids, four girls, and a boy. They are also proud grandparents to a grandchild.
They have been married for almost 33 years with five kids and a grandkid. Though they are happily married, the journey to build a marriage of three decades was not easy for them. Both have been through a lot of struggles and came out of it only with each other’s help and support.
Terry Crews and Rebecca Crews Credit: Getty Image
Every marriage that has survived such a long time period might endure some hardship along the way to make it work, and so do they. The couple released an audible memoir titled Stronger Together in 2022. This book discusses their married life and what it takes to build a successful marriage.
Terry Crews Addiction And The Impact It Had On His Married Life
The couple decided to publish a book together narrating the difficulties they had to go through to survive their marriage. They ended up giving it the title Stronger Together, an apt name as the main theme of the book is how they overcame different challenges thrown at them during the course of their married life.
In this book, Terry Crew came clean about his Pornography addiction and how it affected his married life. The addiction started when he stopped playing football. He decided to take a break from his football career and switch to acting. The transition from a football player to a normal civilian was hard for him. He went into a deep depressive state. He could not get out of it. He used pornography and alcohol as a means of escape from his pain.
The addiction went on for years. This porn addiction also prompted him to cheat on his wife. In an interview with People magazine, he recounts the moment when he kissed a woman while he was training with the Green Bay Packers. When Terry realized that this addiction could cost him his marriage and the family he built together with his wife, he decided to come clean with his wife.
Terry Crews and Rebecca Crews with family, Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock
In the book, the couple called it a D-Day when Terry told his wife about his porn addiction and infidelity. It was in 2010, and they had been married for 21 years. Rebecca recalls that she was so shocked when she heard the news. She thought she had lost the person she had married. She also decided to leave him for good when she found out about her husband’s secret.
It was the day that really challenged the strength of their marriage. Both of them were emotional. “Terry Could not stop crying,” she said in an interview with People magazine. He promised to be a good husband, and he promised that he would go to rehab and therapy. Terry recalled being so scared of losing his wife and family that he swore to her he would do everything it took to be a better man and a better husband.
Though Rebecca considered leaving him for good, she decided to stay. But the trust did not come miraculously to her. Her heart was broken, and her husband of 33 years had been hiding things from her. She recalls it took her almost three years to get over that incident and to be normal again. But the couple eventually worked through their issue and not only became stronger but also taught some valuable lessons with their book.
Stronger Together: Struggling Together To Become Stronger
Terry Crews and Rebecca Crews Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, this former Football star opened up about his mistakes. He jokingly said that the title of the book should be “Mistakes Were Made, Mostly By Me.” He is not ashamed to admit his shortcomings; instead, he is ready to work through his issue. In Jimmy Kimmel Live, he also said that “I realized the only way to really grow is to try and make your mistakes on the fly.”
Despite all the things they went through, their relationship seems to grow. In 2022, Rebecca was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. Terry was there to help her get through this difficult stage of her life by being there for her. No matter what life throws at them, this longtime couple seems to handle it together.
The book details not only their relationship but also their childhood. Both Terry and Rebecca had a difficult childhood. Terry’s father was an alcoholic, and he had to deal with him. At the same time, Rebecca was abused by her stepfather. The book also talks about how they have overcome that, along with the racism they had to face while growing up.
Terry Crews and Rebecca Crews Credit: Audibles
Forgiveness is the key, Rebecca hints in her book. There is a section where she lays out certain “rules for real relationships”: knowing what one wants from a relationship, respecting each other, and forgiving each other’s mistakes are important when it comes to maintaining a marriage.
When Terry called her from New York, revealing all of his secrets, she could have walked out of that relationship. Watching him cry for his sin made her realize that her husband was “deeply wounded” and was begging for her forgiveness. She could not turn her back, so she decided to give him another chance. It is that seemingly simple yet difficult decision that changed their marriage or, in other words, saved their marriage.
