We learned that Chance the Rapper decided to postpone his tour until next year because his second daughter, Marli, was born last week. In his Instagram post announcing the change of plans, Chance wrote, “This year has been one of the greatest of my life; Marriage, new baby, first album etc.” In his appearance on Ellen’s show, he spoke about his relationship with Kristen. They’ve known each other for almost their entire lives! This is really sweet:
Chance the Rapper and his wife have a love story for the ages.
The Grammy winner (né Chancelor Johnathan Bennett) and his love, Kirsten Corley Bennett — who married last December, but had their wedding ceremony back in March — have known one another for nearly 16 years, a story he happily recounted while on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday.
According to Chance, he first saw Kirsten when he was just 9 years old at his mom’s office Christmas party.
“My mom worked at a real estate agency with her mom,” Chance, 26, recalled. “Her daughters love to dance so they did a choreographed dance at this real estate party that I was at when I was 9. I saw her dancing and I was like, ‘Let’s get married!’”
When asked how Kirsten has impacted his life, Chance said that she has been with him “since before I was successful, she was my girlfriend. If I’m successful now then yes, pre-success.”
People shared the tweets Chance posted right before his and Kirsten’s wedding, detailing how they met:
In his tweets, the rapper explained that he locked eyes with “the prettiest girl [he’d] ever seen” while Kirsten and her friends were doing a routine to “Independent Women Part 1” by Destiny’s Child.
“I really shouldn’t even say locked eyes cause really, I was just staring at her; as she and her girls were conquering this choreography and mastering the art of lip-syncing in a way even the most professional performers have yet to accomplish,” Chance wrote.
His father encouraged Chance to join them, but the rapper declined:
This wasn’t the time or the place. Not just because it wasn’t my party, not because it was their moment to dance, not even ’cause I was nervous about dancing in front of folks. It’s ’cause I knew I was gonna marry that girl and I ain’t wanna jump the gun,” Chance said. “So I shook my head with anxiety, moved to the back of the crowd, and never even introduced myself.”
Ths story is lovely. I know a few couples who met as children, but that’s a rarity. I don’t know that I was ever sure of anything when I was nine. I certainly didn’t see anyone for the first time and believe that I’d end up marrying them! I hope that Chance and Kristen have a long, happy marriage and that they are now enjoying their time as a family of four with their daughters.
Storytime. A thread on how I met my wife. pic.twitter.com/Qi0DWRZF0r
— The Big Day out now (@chancetherapper) March 6, 2019
Photos credit: WENN
When I was younger I was sure I was going to marry Tom Cruise. I’m kind of glad that didn’t work out 😂
Mine was Keanu. We would’ve been so happy if we had met, lol.
I met my husband when i was 9. I also knew i would marry him. Those are awesome memories, we had all our firsts together. Pretty hot!!
That is very sweet and very cool. I didn’t meet my husband until I was 30 (we’ve been together for 20 years). My aunt & uncle met in elementary school – they sat next to each other in first grade. They were together their entire lives.
I had a very funny conversation with my uncle when I introduced him to my about-to-be in-laws at some pre-wedding party. I introduced my in-laws as “Alice & John” – that was how they had introduced themselves to me when I met them for the first time and I have only ever called them by their first names. My uncle was a little surprised. He told me that he always called my grandparents “Mr & Mrs Ryan,” even long after he married my aunt, but I was an adult when I met my in-laws – it was first names from the start. He was 6 when he met his and would have found it too disrespectful to shift to calling them “Jim & Mary”.
Such a lovely story.
How sweet. My neighbors met in middle school. They have only ever dated each other. THEy’re in their 50s with a 27 year old daughter who’s in grad school and a 23 year old son who joined his dad’s company. Good kids. My kids’ 3rd grade teacher met her husband when she was in kindergarten and he was in first grade. She tells her students the story so that they realize how tangible history is. He was one of the first black kids in the newly integrated white school. They’ve been married for 35 years. I’m amazed by their love story. 😍
Ughhhh that’s so sweet.
I’ve spent more than half of my life with my husband, and we’re 29. We ‘dated’ at 13 for a bit, then got back together the following school year after a summer breakup ahhah. We haven’t dated anyone else. And I KNOW that that’s not the norm at all… and it’s definitely not something I’d tell my kids to just automatically follow. But hot damn, I adore my guy. Even when he drives me absolutely mad. I love hearing stories about other couples that started out in similar circumstances.
I always wonder how these women who are not famous and are married to super famous people manage to keep their identity and deal with being known as the wife of. I don’t know if my ego is just too big but i think I would struggle so much.
May they live happily ever after.
He also recorded his first album in a teen technology space in the public library while he was on suspension from school. I think that’s an amazing story about him AND about the importance of quality library programming for our kids!
This is a well-known story here in Chi-Town. There’s even video of it from when they were kids!
Love Chance and Kirsten!
As a side note, that last picture is not Chance, it’s his younger brother Taylor.
Oh I’m sorry I took it out!
No worries, CB! They look so much alike
I met my husband in preschool!! We went to separate elementary schools, but were back at the same place in high school, and that was that. We’ve been together 23 years, married 13. I am 38.
I remember the name of the kid I had a crush on when I was nine!! He was so cute. I often wonder what happened to him
This is such a sweet story and I love the details! Independent Woman (Women?) by DC is on my workout playlist. Love that song
I love them, and reading the stories about how you Celebitchies met your loves very young is wonderful to read. It gives me hope for the world. Only love can solve the damage we’ve done, and things only change one person at a time. When two good people meet and grow together, that’s a good thing. Not everybody’s story, but so beautiful.
I adore the idea of meeting someone when you’re a kid and loving them the rest of your life ! It’s rare but how lucky are the ones who get to have this?
Love Chance so much, and it’s so clear how much he adores his family. “Work Out” made me tear up the first time I heard it.
That’s a lovely story, Chance seems like such a quality dude. Sidenote. . .Kirsten is beautiful and one of those people who looks just like their kiddo picture.
Like many on this thread, I met my husband young. We’re 31. Met at 16 and started dating at 18. I was the first person to talk to him when he transferred to our high school.