Inside the Relationship of Ice Cube and Kimberly Woodruff: The Love Story that has Lasted over three Decades Now

Hollywood while at its core has more of a lifestyle of random hookups and break-ups, sometimes it also showcases what it really means to be in true love. If anyone ever wants to know what true love and support system looks like, look no further than the marriage of Rapper and actor Ice Cube and his beautiful wife, Kimberly Woodruff.

Regarded as the lifeline, best friend and the best mother by Ice Cube, the couple are certainly epitome of relationship goals. While things like “Brangelina” come and go, this couple has certainly shown to the world that the vow, forever and ever do exist.

Although Kimberly is seen only on handful of events accompanying her husband, we can tell Cube is still deeply in love with her when he talks so passionately about her in the press and interviews. But how did it all start for this match made in heaven? The story goes way back in 1988 when he was still creating his mark in the illusive rap industry.

Before Dating Ice Cube, Kimberly was already in a Relationship

Kimberly Woodruff met Ice Cube for the first time in 1988. While Ice Cube went head over heels for Kimberly at just one glance, the story was quite the opposite for Kim. Already in a relationship with someone else, Kim was not so impressed by the rapper. 

Recollecting his first meeting with Kimberly, Ice Cube said:

“The first thing that I thought was, ‘Wow, she could be your woman’”.

He added:

“The first time we met, she wasn’t feeling me, she was not having it. She did not dig me. I think she was in a relationship, so she wasn’t having it. But I ended up seeing her about six months later, and the next time, we had more time to get to know each other. She could feel the vibe and fell in love with your boy.”

Kimberly Woodruff and Ice Cube got Married After Dating for Three Years

After meeting Cube again after six months, Kimberly started to grow feelings for him. And, it was just a matter of time they started dating. After dating for almost 3 years, they got engaged. In an interview with Daily Mail UK, Ice recalled the moment how he proposed to his dream girl and told:

‘I don’t know if it was considered romantic. I had brought her a new car (a BMW 5-series and when she went to sit in the car, there was a ring sitting on the set.”

During their dating period, the couple also welcomed their first child, baby boy O’Shea Jackson Jr. on February 24, 1991. After a year of giving birth, Kimberly walked down the aisle and got married to Ice Cube on April 26, 1992, in a private ceremony. 

Kimberly is the Glue that Holds her Family Together

With a career full of controversies and criticisms, it was Ice Cube’s wife Kimberly who was holding the Jackson family together. She stayed at home taking care of their children and constantly supported her husband throughout his life. Even now, she is said to cook for the family frequently. “She’s the best cook, so I don’t even bother to even try cooking – it’d be like if she went to go make a record, we just do what we’re best at”, he said whilst talking about her cooking.

Unlike a lot of celebrity spouses, Kimberly has always limited the number of appearances in front of the media. However, when it comes to supporting her husband and children, she has always been present. Ice Cube himself has never been shy to talk about the positive influence his wife has on his and his children’s life. Throughout the 28 year-long marriage, the couple has been there cheering for each other as friends and partners.

Secret to their three-decade Marriage

While some couple struggle to make it work for a few months, this beautiful couple has been in love for over three decades now.

Talking about his marriage with Kimberly, Ice Cube once said, “It’s a true partnership. I respect my wife and she respects me. I still get butterflies when I see her.” 

“Romance and sex doesn’t have to fade. I still want her to look at me and say ‘This is the man I still want to be with’ so have to keep yourself up, your P’s and Q’s, and go for what you know.” he added.

When asked what’s the secret behind his successful marriage, he quickly mentioned it was the combination of communication and being your partner’s friend. “I think you’ve got to be friends first. A lot of people get together and they want to go and do their thing and jump right into a relationship, but I think that’s the wrong approach. You’ve got to have somebody you’re cool with, that you’re friends with and start the relationship”, he said.

Ice Cube has also talked about his daily life and said, “I like to hang out with my wife, talk about things, get some coffee, you know. Sometimes just understanding where the other person is coming from is helpful to getting along and being happy.”

He also advised not to be shy to shower your significant other with material gifts. “See, I think the way to a woman’s heart is a funky purse. You’ve gotta get her a funky purse, something that she really digs. Man (I’ve bought her about) 200.”

Honoring their 25 year anniversary, Ice Cube decided to re-propose his wife Kimberly. He also recounted his first proposal. “I don’t know if it was considered romantic. I had bought her a new car, a BMW 5-series and when she went to sit in the car, there was a ring sitting on the seat.”

Out of five Kids, only two have taken the road to their Father’s Career

There has been a certain confusion regarding how many children Kimberly has with Ice Cube. Some sources show four children while others say they have five children. Regardless, their children too have started to come into the limelight.

The eldest O’Shea Jackson Jr. rose started his career with rap just like his career. He then moved to acting with his debut appeared in an uncredited cameo role in the movie Janky Promoters. His first breakthrough came in the 2015 biopic ‘Straight Outta Compton’ where he played the role of his father. After gaining critical acclaim for the movie, he went on to work on different Hollywood projects like ‘Ingrid goes west’, ‘Just Mercy’, and ‘Long Shots’.

Keeping in line with his acting career, the eldest of the bunch has been appearing in many TV shows. In 2021 alone, he starred in two different TV productions; a mini-series titled ‘The Now’ alongside Dave Franco and Jimmy Tatro and an Apple TV + original series ‘Swagger’ which is inspired by the basketball playing experience of the young NBA superstar Kevin Durant. Apart from these, O’Shea was also a part of the highly anticipated Star Wars prequel series ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’.

Following the footstep of his father, Kim’s second son Darrell has dived into the music space as an upcoming rapper. He goes by the moniker Doughboy inspired by his father’s character in the movie ‘Boyz n the Hood’. According to his Instagram bio, Darrell is said to be working at Cubevision, a film and television production company and Lench Mob Records, a sub label of Universal Music Group, both of which are founded by his father.

Their daughter Karima is academically accomplished with two master’s degrees in hand and currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University.

Kim’s daughter, Deja Jackson however has chosen a different path for herself. Unlike her siblings, she is more into NBA. She was head captain in her junior and senior years in high school at Mt. Eden High School. Then she moved to University of California where she honed her talent in basketball. Apart from basketball, she is also majoring in Psychology and minoring in global arts in hopes of becoming Forensic Psychologist.

For the children of a celebrity to have such a grounded approach towards their life and career, a lot of its credit goes to Kimberly. She is definitely the pillar that is holding the family together.