Sterling K. Brown Jokes About Longstanding Feud With Mother-in-Law: 'It's Gotten Better'

Sterling K. Brown has opened up about the uniquely awkward and hilarious relationship he shares with his mother-in-law.

During his visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday night (July 22) to promote his new Hulu show, Paradise, the Emmy-winning actor reflected on attending his wife's family reunion and how "cool" the whole vacation was, especially since his mother-in-law isn't a fan of him.

Brown joked about how great it is to see his mother-in-law in her feelings over the family liking him, except for her. "My mother-in-law historically does not like me," he explained. "But the rest of the family actually likes me a lot. So, it's fun to be around a family where she's like upset the whole time that everybody likes me except for her."

The audience roared with laughter as Brown continued, explaining that the relationship, although rocky in the past, had improved over the years, thanks in part to two very important additions to the family: his sons, Aaron and Amaré.

"It's gotten better," he said. "I gave her grandchildren; so she's happy about that, and she was very complimentary about Paradise. She was like, 'Sterling, this is a really good show. I like it a lot.' So we're turning a corner."

Brown has spoken on the tense relationship he has with his mother-in-law several times. One of the most recent instances occurred five months ago, when he shed some light on what might have caused his mother-in-law to despise him.

"Ryan and I dated for a long time before we got back, so the course of true love did never run smooth," Brown said. "Never tell your parents when you're going through a bad patch, ever."

Want to know more about Brown's marriage and family life? Take a look below.

When Did Sterling K. Brown Get Married?

Brown met his wife, Ryan Michelle Bathe, while they were freshmen at Stanford University. According to an interview Brown did with Seth Myers, he and his wife lived in the same dorm, auditioned for their first play together, both are from St. Louis, Missouri, and were born in the same hospital. They also went to New York University together and were hired by the same agency. They eloped in 2006 and were officially married in 2007.

Do Brown and Bathe Have Children?

Brown and Bathe welcomed their first child, Aaron, in 2011. Their second child, Amaré, was born in 2015.

Why Doesn't Brown's Mother-in-Law Like Him?

Over the years, Brown has explained why his mother-in-law isn't a big fan of him. In 2019, Brown claimed his mother-in-law told her daughter, "I don't care who you date here, just stay away from that boy and she pointed at me," referring to when she saw him at Stanford.

According to Brown, he was engaging in method acting as he had a role in the theater program's production of August Wilson's play, Joe Turner's Come and Gone. "The character's very intense, and I was sort of [method acting] at age 18 just trying to inhabit and my hair was all scraggly and looking crazy and she's like, 'That Negro, no bueno, stay away,'" Brown said.

How Has Brown Handled the Situation with His Mother-in-Law?

Brown has mostly taken the high road publicly when it comes to dealing with his mother-in-law. In addition to saying it's fun seeing her get mad during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Brown has implied the relationship has been improving. However, in his appearance on Black Love with his wife, Brown revealed the tension with his mother-in-law, which crept its way into his relationship with Bathe.

"She's one of those few people in life, and I cannot tell you why except for her desire to be right about me, which is tough, and it's one of the tougher things that we deal with throughout our union together," said Brown.

Bath added: "The good news is we're very much aligned in terms of how to deal with my mother, and I think that becoming a mother solidified the fact that I'm a wife first because in my mind, whatever happens, these kids need their dad and they need their dad and their mom to be together."