"I just felt something" — When Colman Domingo opened up about his first meeting with his husband and how things turned out so perfectly
Actor Colman Domingo, in an interview with GQ published on February 23, 2021, revealed how he met his husband, Raúl, in a fleeting encounter at a Walgreens in Berkeley, California, in 2005. The encounter was only a few seconds long, but the experience left an indelible mark on Domingo, who was on the phone when he saw Raúl being escorted out of the store by a friend.
During the interview for GQ's Modern Lovers issue, Domingo revealed that the two subsequently reconnected through a Craigslist Missed Connections listing, which Raúl had penned in an attempt to find him. Domingo, searching the site days later in a hunt for an iPod, read the description and reached out.
Colman Domingo recalled the moment and said:
"I just felt something."
The message turned into a first date, followed by a relationship that has blossomed into a marriage. The couple has been together for almost two decades.
What did Colman Domingo say about meeting his husband? Details explored
In an interview for GQ's Modern Lovers issue, Colman Domingo revealed what it was like when he first met Raúl and how events went from there. He talked about Raúl's long locks, his pierced lip, and his piercing eyes, trivia that were still remembered even years later.
He had been on the phone at the moment, with a Motorola Razr, but couldn't help but abruptly drop the call and concentrate solely on the stranger before him, as per GQ. Even when Raúl was being escorted out of the shop by an acquaintance, Colman attempted in vain to signal him to return. Something had turned in him, and he just felt something, he explained.
After the lost encounter, Raúl couldn't shake the experience either. In hopes of reuniting, he put up an ad on Craigslist. After searching the site days later for an iPod, Colman came across the ad.
"I literally jumped out of my chair when I saw the post," he recalled in the interview.
They reconnected by email, and soon afterwards went on their first date at a San Francisco pub. There, they spent hours questioning one another with intimate questions before finally spending the night together. Colman recalled whispering:
"I think I love you," as Raúl slept next to him.
Their connection only grew stronger from there. Raúl started going to all of Colman's performances in a play about the Jonestown Massacre, always carrying a bouquet of white roses. That summer, they traveled to Alaska for an acting job Colman had secured, then later moved to New York.
It was on one of those trips that Raúl popped the question. Looking back at the relationship, Colman has said that if he had encountered Raúl today, say, on Tinder, he might have swiped left.
"It's supposed to be like this. You never know what you're supposed to get," he said to GQ.
He and Raúl wed in 2014 at a quiet party masquerading as a house party, with only 25 friends in attendance and dancing late into the night, as per the outlet.
Who is Colman Domingo?
Colman Domingo, born November 28, 1969, is a renowned American actor, playwright, and director whose career has spanned both stage and screen.
He has gained a reputation for his emotionally resonant performances and has been honored with multiple high-level awards and nominations, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two back-to-back Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in 2024 and 2025. His performances as Bayard Rustin in Rustin and an imprisoned man wrongly convicted in Sing Sing were both highly acclaimed.
His early career work features roles in Broadway productions such as Passing Strange and The Scottsboro Boys, with the latter having earned him a Tony Award nomination. On TV, Colman Domingo is most known for his roles as Victor Strand in Fear the Walking Dead and as Emmy-winning Ali in Euphoria.
Some of his film credits include The Color Purple, If Beale Street Could Talk, Selma, and Zola. He is set to play Joe Jackson in the Michael Jackson biopic Michael (2025) and has been cast in Steven Spielberg's next film, expected to be released in 2026.
Apart from acting, Colman Domingo also explores directing. He will be directing an untitled Nat King Cole biopic, which he co-wrote and will feature in. The movie will begin shooting in 2026. He will also star in True-ish, together with Sandra Hüller, with filming set to commence next year.
Colman Domingo is also the co-chair of the coveted Met Gala 2025 along with A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton, and Pharrell Williams.
