Legendary rapper Ice-T has been married to his wife, Coco Austin, for 24 years after meeting in 2001. Since then, the couple has been very public about their marriage, including a recent appearance in which he shared the secret to their longstanding union while promoting his new show, “Nation’s Dumbest.” This comes after the “Law & Order: SVU” star recently provided an update about his status with the show.
Ice-T’s new Fox competition series, “Nation’s Dumbest,” co-stars Jon Heder and is hosted by Jack Whitehall. While promoting the show at a recent event, the rapper spoke to Fox News Digital and was asked about what it has taken to maintain his marriage to Austin.
After considering the question, the “Law & Order” star said, “I think in a relationship, I think you just have to do what got you guys started. You know, when you first started dating, you can’t get rid of date night.”
Regarding his advice for other couples, he shared, “Life comes in, drama, stress, but you got to return to that moment as much as you can. And then talk a lot. You know? Never let a problem fester. If there’s a problem, let’s get it out. Let’s talk about it quick. Don’t let it sit.”
Ice-T Says People In Marriage And Relationships Need To Expand
The interview continued with Ice-T highlighting that his costar, Heder, has been married for about the same amount of time as he has. For context, Heder and his wife, Kirsten Bates, tied the knot in 2002. He chimed in about Ice-T’s marriage to Coco, saying, “But I think the secret for you is also expanding.”
From there, the “Colors” rapper agreed, saying, “Yeah, expand. I expand. If I don’t expand right, you know, women need expansion.”
The Rapper Turned Actor Previously Opened Up About His Marriage
Ice-T met Austin in late 2001 while on the set of a music video. After that, the two wasted no time furthering their relationship and married the following January in Las Vegas. They then renewed their vows in 2009 and had their daughter, his second, in November 2015.
Regarding their marriage, Ice-T spoke to E! News in March 2023 and was asked about the secret to his love life with the model. He responded, “Getting married is like casting for a movie — you gotta pick somebody who’s ready for all the scenes.”
The “Law & Order” actor continued, “Now, the thing of it is there’s gonna be fun scenes, there’s gonna be sad scenes, there’s gonna be tough scenes, there’s gonna be fight scenes, there’s gonna be a lot of different scenes. And a lot of people don’t sign up for the whole movie, they just sign up for the good part, ya know?”
He continued discussing the dynamics of married life, stating, “There’s gonna be parts where your girl is going through it. Maybe she lost a family member, and she needs a shoulder to lean on. There’s gonna be moments you down, and you need that woman to say, ‘C’mon, baby, it’s gonna be alright.’”
From there, Ice-T shared another reason his marriage to Austin works so well: they’re similar. According to him, “When she met me … she met me in a red snakeskin suit. When I talk my Ice T s—, she’s like ‘Yeah, ooh!’ That tickles her.”
‘Nation’s Dumbest’ Premiered In July
Per Deadline, Fox officially announced its new celebrity competition series, “Nation’s Dumbest,” in July 2025. The series features a crop of household names heading to summer school to compete in various challenges. This includes tests of their knowledge, physical ability, etc, all leading to one person being crowned The Nation’s Dumbest.
In addition to Ice-T and Heder, the show features the likes of Hilaria Baldwin, Carmen Electra, Anthony Michael Hall, J, Chase Hudson, Elle King, Matt Leinart, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Steve-O, JoJo Siwa, and Andrew Yang.
The series premiered on July 15.
Ice-T Recently Opened Up About ‘Law & Order’
Ice-T has been a staple on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” since its second season in 2000. However, his role on the show was recently reduced. However, the actor spoke to TMZ in July 2026, revealing that he will be full-time for the upcoming season.
He shared, “Last year, what happened was they brought Kelli Giddish back. So they told me, basically, we’re going to bring Kelli Giddish back [and] we’re going to bring down your scenes a little bit.” Regarding the update, Ice-T explained, “This next season, I’m gonna be in every episode.”
