Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis gave fans a candid glimpse into her love story during a heartfelt appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
She revealed that her 23-year relationship and 19-year marriage to husband Julius Tennon began with one simple but powerful act: prayer.
Davis, 58, celebrated her 19th wedding anniversary on June 23, and when Hudson asked the secret to her lasting love, Davis wasted no time crediting divine intervention.
“Choose the right person first of all,” Davis told Hudson. “Because I had a few people before that, but it was not a good choice.”
She then recounted how a friend challenged her to pray for the man she truly wanted while she was doing a play at the Williamstown Theatre Festival over two decades ago:
“I said, ‘God, you haven’t heard from me in a while. My name is Viola Davis. This is a direct call from Williamstown Theater Festival.’”
And she didn’t hold back with specifics.
“I said, ‘I want a big Black man… I want him to be from the South, I want him to be country, I want him to love You. I want him to have already been married and raised kids, so he won’t put pressure on me. And I love football players, but that’s on the frivolous list,’” she said with a smile.
Amazingly, within three and a half weeks, she met Tennon — an ex-football player from Texas, a father of two, and an actor who, fittingly, invited her to church on their first meeting.
“The icing on the cake?” Davis added. “I got baptized at that church… in a Speedo.”
The emotional and humorous revelation drew cheers and laughter from the studio audience, with Hudson summing it up perfectly:
“She spoke it, she prayed about it — and it happened.”
Now, nearly two decades later, Davis and Tennon are still going strong — a testament to faith, clarity, and knowing your worth.
