Inside Ice-T and Coco Austin’s Bizarre Yet Sweet 18 Year Marriage
Long-lasting marriages in Hollywood aren’t too common. However, rapper turned actor Tracy “Ice-T” Marrow and his model wife, Nicole “Coco” Austin Marrow, seemed to have beat those odds. They’re not the first two people you’d think would go the distance — but somehow, Ice and Coco have a strong partnership based on mutual respect and yes, sexual chemistry.
These two have survived 18 years of marriage and show no signs of splitting up anytime soon (despite those pesky rumors). What’s their secret? Embracing the unconventional nature of their union and letting it make them stronger.
Ice-T captured Coco’s heart with a cheesy pickup line
There was a 20 year age gap between the pair when they met — she was 22, he was 42 — but that didn’t stop them from starting up a romantic relationship almost immediately after meeting. Strangely enough, Coco had no idea who Ice-T was at first.
“I was working as a model in California, on a movie set that Ice was doing a video for,” Coco explained in a blog post. “Ice was having a grumpy day so his friend/producer for the video wanted to cheer Ice up and grabbed me. I wasn’t told who I was going to meet; I was just pulled in the direction where Ice was sitting…”
She continued: “Then he goes on to say ‘Have you ever thought about dating a gangster rapper?’ Now me being a white girl from the valley I had never heard of a ‘gangster rapper’ … So I responded to him, ‘Well, if he’s nice…’ and Ice responds with, ‘Well baby if you take the N off nice you get ICE.’ That line made me laugh.”
An unlikely body part caught Ice-T’s attention first
Ice-T and Coco have made no secret about their mutual physical attraction and their active sex life. Though the rapper said the first thing he noticed about his wife wasn’t her ample bosom — it was her teeth.
“…and then I saw her boobs,” he confirmed to Daily Mail. “And then she turned around, that big butt.” Still, Ice-T wasn’t just looking for a good time, he was at a place where he wanted to settle down.
“There was an instant physical attraction, but I was at a point in my life where I was ready to slow down,” he continued. “I wanted a partner. I wasn’t in a position to be dating a beautiful psychopath.”
The couple got married just two months after meeting for the first time.
Coco believes in total submission in the bedroom
Though her comments are controversial, Coco has gone on record saying she believes in being completely submissive in bed and suggests the same for others. “I think all women should do it,” she told Andy Cohen. “I’m a slave to him… 15 years, it’s worked out.”
Yet Ice-T has a deep respect for his wife. “I applied the stereotype that everyone does to Coco – that she just wanted to party and have a good time,” Ice-T said. “But she was just an honest and giving woman. She’s the nicest person, man or woman, I’ve ever met.”
They had to quit their reality show, ‘Ice Loves Coco’
Like many reality show stars who came before them, Ice-T and Coco eventually got sick of letting cameras into their lives and watching the drama play out on screen. The show based on their lives had great ratings, but they decided to walk away after two seasons.
“[Producers] create chaos because they’re trying to entertain people,” Ice-T told HuffPost, “Trying to entertain people with your life is dangerous. It’s hard to do for a long period of time. So we got in and got out.”
The duo tried to launch a talk show called Ice & Coco but it never got picked up.
The couple has some controversial parenting methods, too
Ice-T and Coco have one daughter, Chanel Nicole, who was born in 2015. Fans question several aspects of her parenting including extended breastfeeding into her toddler years and allowing Chanel to swim with sharks in the Bahamas. Regardless of the criticism, Ice-T and Coco defend their choices and insist their daughter is well cared for.
Coco said of motherhood: “I mean, [Chanel’s] like my real-life doll. I get to dress her up and we get to match all day. It’s funny. I didn’t even think I was going to be that parent, but I turned into one.”
And parenthood has brought Ice-T and Coco closer, too. This couple might be a surprising pair, but somehow, it all just works.
