Colin Kaepernick Secretly Married Nessa Diab 'Years Ago'

'I’m not Colin’s girlfriend or roommate or whatever — I’m his wife,' she previously said.

August 7, 2025

Colin Kaepernick Married Wife Nessa Diab 'Years Ago,' She Reveals

Photo by Stephanie Augello/WWD via Getty Images

Colin Kaepernick’s relationship status is no longer up for debate.

On Wednesday, August 6, the activist and former NFL quarterback’s longtime partner, Nessa Diab, told TMZ Sports that the pair tied the knot “years ago,” keeping their marriage private until now. The 44-year-old radio host and TV personality dropped the news while correcting outlets that still label her as Kaepernick’s girlfriend.

Diab first hinted at the upgrade in a July Instagram video, where she emphasized, “I’m not Colin’s girlfriend…I’m his wife,” noting how Kaepernick’s 2016 decision to kneel during the national anthem reshaped his career and their lives.

In that same post, she also reminded followers that the couple welcomed their first child—a daughter—in 2022.

In an Instagram post announcing their daughter's birth, Diab wrote, “Colin and I welcomed our amazing baby to the world a few weeks ago and we are over the moon with our growing family.”

Kaepernick, now 37, began dating Diab in 2015, a year before his peaceful protest against racial injustice gained international attention. Throughout the ups and downs that followed his final NFL snap in 2016, Diab stood alongside him at high-profile events, including the 2017 Time 100 Gala and this year’s Met Gala celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

Beyond red carpets, the duo has built a wide-ranging portfolio of social-impact projects. In 2016, they launched the Know Your Rights Camp, a nonprofit that provides education, resources, and legal support to Black and Brown communities. They later co-founded Ra Vision Media to amplify stories created by and for people of color.

Last year, Kaepernick and Diab added “co-authors” to their résumés with the children’s book We Are Free, You & Me.

Illustrated by Gladys Jose, the story follows a fictional family as they enjoy a day in their supportive neighborhood. All proceeds benefit the Know Your Rights Camp, furthering the couple’s mission to “advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass mobilization, and the creation of new systems that elevate future change leaders.”