10 of the longest-lasting LGBT celebrity couples: from Michael Kors’ intern love affair and Elton John’s four-decade relationship, to RuPaul’s long-distance marriage and George Takei’s 18-year secret
- RuPaul met his future husband Georges LeBar in a dance club in 1994, while Star Trek’s George Takei and Brad Altman have been an item since the 80s
- Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka met 18 years ago, while Sex and the City ’s Cynthia Nixon had never dated a woman before she met Christine Marinoni in 2004
In celebration of Pride Month, we take a look a some celebrity LGBTQ+ couples that have been together for decades.
Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner met five decades ago
In the early 70s, actress Tomlin reached out to writer Wagner to get help with a character she was playing. Their meeting was love at first sight, Tomlin said.
“A friend brought her to my hotel room, and I tell you, in two minutes, I fell in love with her,” Tomlin told Variety in 2020. “She had on hot pants, stretchy boots that went up to her knee, and a little backpack. I don’t know what it was, but I was in love.”
After their meeting, Tomlin flew to Chicago but then immediately flew back to New York to go on a date with Wagner. Over the next few decades, the two created a romantic and professional partnership that resulted in some of the best comedies of the 80s and 90s. It wasn’t until 2013 that the pair tied the knot.
George Takei and Brad Altman have been an item since the 80s
Star Trek actor Takei joined a running group in the 80s and met a fellow member, Brad Altman. Together, they trained for 5ks and 10ks before eventually becoming romantically involved. They kept their relationship a secret for 18 years before Takei came out publicly in 2005. In 2008, the coupled got married, according to HuffPost.
“We truly are a team – me as the actor, writer, activist and Brad as the manager, scheduler and all-around essential guy,” Takei told Variety in 2020. “And we love being able to share our lives and our livelihood.”