Colman Domingo’s Serendipitous Love Story With Husband Raúl Reignites After Oscars Appearance

Although it was expected for Colman Domingo to make headlines over the weekend for his 2025 Oscars appearance, the actor had people talking for another reason, too: the charming love story about how he met his husband Raúl.

Photos of the couple took social media by storm as fans praised their polished style choices for the evening. The Rustin actor stepped out for the luxurious night in a custom Valentino suit and Boucheron gold jewelry, finished off with a vintage brooch. The focus gradually shifted towards the couple’s origin story, as fans began reminiscing about how the two men knew they were destined to find each other thanks to a Craigslist ad.

The story begins in Berkeley, Calif., in 2005. “You’re minding your business going into a Walgreens… I’m walking in and I see someone walking out. I see this guy and we look at each other,” Domingo shared during his appearance on The Graham Norton Show. “I was just scanning Craigslist… I thought maybe I’ll place one of those ‘Missed Connections’ ads, I wonder if they work.”

“I got to page two and I see: ‘Saw you outside of Walgreens Berkley.’ He placed an ad for me two hours before,” he revealed as Sterling K. Brown let out an enthusiastic, “C’mon bro!”

“We met up three days later. We had our first date… we cuddled. I thought he was asleep. Four o’clock in the morning I couldn’t sleep and I said, ‘I think I love you and you’re about to change my life.’ And we’ve been together for almost 19 years now,” Domingo concluded as the crowd erupted in cheers.

Fans reshared the serendipitous story like wildfire last night, and it inspired countless hopeless romantics. “If Colman Domingo can marry the guy who cruised him outside of a Walgreens, girl so can you!!! Get out there and go eyef**k some hotties you pass on the street!!!!!!!” one user encouraged. Another person wrote, “I always think about colman domingo telling the story of how he met his husband and then i believe in love and magic again.”

Another person quoted Domingo and vowed to apply his confidence to their own love story, writing, “‘I think I love you and you are about to change my life!’ That’s it, I’m gonna use this sentence if I ever met the right one.”

Watch Colman Domingo retell the story below.

In related news, the 55-year-old celebrated another successful year in Hollywood last night. He earned a nomination in the Best Actor category for Sing Sing and was the only actor nominated this year who was also in the running last year. The trophy went to Adrien Brody, for The Brutalist. Check out VIBE’s recap of the Oscars red carpet here.