Aurora Starchild
Halle Berry wants you to know that you don’t have to settle unless it’s right. The 56-year-old actress has had many relationships, including three marriages, but none of them worked out. Finally, she’s found the man of her dreams, and he’s “head over heels” for her, too! Meet Halley Berry’s boyfriend, Grammy-Award-winning musician Van Hunt.
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Halle Berry Has “Course-Corrected” Many Times, Finally Found Her True Love
Halle Berry was married to Major League baseball player David Justice from 1993 to 1997. She married actor and musician Eric Benét from 2001 to 2005. Her third husband was French actor Olivier Martinez, married from 2013 to 2016. Berry has a 9-year-old son, Maceo Robert, whom she shares with Martinez. She also has a 15-year-old daughter, Nahla Ariela, whom she shares with her ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry.
A troll once heckled Berry for being unable “to keep a man” despite her beauty and accomplishments. Berry snapped back with, “Who said I wanted to keep them? I’m all about living your best life, if you make a wrong move, course correct and re-spin and start again!”
The following month, Berry shared an important message for anyone struggling with love on Valentine’s Day.
“To all the Valentines who may be struggling to get it right…I feel you, but never give up and NEVER SETTLE for less than what makes your heart sing!” she wrote. “No matter what they say or what they call you. No matter how many times you try, it’s always worth it. If you desire love, you will find your match, your equal ….your person…even if it takes you until you’re 54!”
Here’s what you need to know about Van Hunt, the man who Berry calls “the love of my life,” who she’s been waiting for all these years.
Van Hunt Is a Grammy-Award-Winning Multi-Instrumentalist, Singer-Songwriter, and Producer
Hunt signed on to Capitol Records in 2001 and released his debut album, Van Hunt, in 2004. His music is described as a hybrid of funk, rock, and neo-soul, and his many influences include David Bowie, Prince, Iggy Pop, Thelonious Monk, and Neil Young.
In 2007, Hunt released an album with the Blue Note label before signing on to Hot Spot/ Thirty Tigers in 2011. He’s released five studio albums, five EPs, and nine singles. In 2007, Hunt won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals after collaborating for a tribute cover of “Family Affair” by Sly & the Family Stone.
Van Hunt started playing drums at age seven and saxophone at age 8. Then he picked up bass, keyboard, and guitar. LA Weekly once raved about his album, Popular, after Blue Note failed to release it in 2009. Calling it “a left-field stunner,” the publication called the album “an appealingly trippy fusion of funk grooves, punk guitar and soul vocals that still makes room for the occasional future-folk slow jam.” Popular was finally released in 2017.
Hunt Has One Child — And He’s Great with Berry’s Kids
Hunt has a son named Drake from a previous relationship, although not much is known about him publicly. Hunt has published photos of their feet together and reposted a poem that Drake wrote, published by the Sunrise Movement.
An insider told Closer Weekly that Hunt had introduced Drake to Berry, and his son approved.
“Van introduced Drake to Halle and her kids a while ago,” the insider said. “Everyone totally clicked. He’s thrilled that his dad has found happiness and has told friends they’re the perfect match.”
Halle also introduced her children to Hunt, and they immediately formed a bond.
“He’s incredibly proactive with her children and takes a hands-on approach,” the source told Closer. “It comes as no surprise to Halle that Van is so caring with Nahla and Maceo because it’s in his nature to be protective… That’s how he is with her.”
The sourced added that Hunt has been helping Nahla, “a keen musician and singer,” with her music, and playing outside with Maceo.
Hunt and Berry Talked on the Phone for Months Before Meeting
Hunt and Berry met during COVID. The details of how they connected haven’t been disclosed, but the Monster’s Ball actress told AARP that their relationship blossomed from months of conversation without actually seeing each other.
“Because of COVID, we spent four months talking on the phone. We were forced to only let our brains connect and discover if we had a connection before our bodies decided to get involved,” said Berry. “I’d never done it this way. We talked for hours and hours and hours and hours and never got tired. I fell in love with his mind, his conversation… I really believe I’ve found my person. I fell in love with him before I even met him.”
They Took Their Time When Going Official to the Public
Hunt made the first “Instagram official” move on July 9, 2020. He shared a selfie of a woman kissing him on the cheek as he was smiling from ear to ear in front of a row of bamboo. The caption said, “my bamboo,” and there was no way to know that it was Halle Berry by his side.
Ten days later, Berry followed suit and shared a similarly mysterious post of her feet against a man’s feet. The caption said, “Sunday, funday,” and had a heart emoji.
The next month, Berry posted a second foot photo on her birthday. This time, their feet were a bit more intertwined, and a rising sun illuminated a gorgeous lace bed curtain in the background.
“Waking up Vegas!” Berry wrote. “Thank you for all the beautiful birthday wishes from my friends and my very supportive and loyal fans! You ALL helped to make my birthday extra special.”
Soon after, Hunt posted another snap of a woman kissing him on the cheek. This one was a little more revealing. Berry’s signature cheekbones subtly hinted that it could have been Halle Berry, but only to the biggest internet sleuths. “kisses land softly” read the caption.
The “official” announcement came on September 17, 2020, when Berry shared a smiling photo of herself wearing a Van Hunt t-shirt and a pageboy cap. “now ya know…” she wrote, adding a heart and a foot emoji. The foot was obviously referencing her mysterious footsie cuddles from the past two months.
Berry’s Son Maceo Performed a “Commitment Ceremony” for Hunt and Her
By the time Halley Berry confirmed the rumors that she and Hunt were dating, he had already met her children. A source told People in September 2020 that the couple were spending a lot of time at Berry’s house in Malibu along with her children. “It seems pretty serious,” they said.
Berry’s kids hit it off right away with Hunt, which finally sank in when then 8-year-old Maceo performed an impromptu wedding from the back of the car.
“My son, Maceo, of his own volition did this little commitment ceremony for us in the back seat of the car. I think he finally sees me happy, and it’s infectious. It was his way of saying, ‘This is good. I like this. This makes me happy,’” Berry told AARP.
“It was a very real moment for all of us. I teared up, Van was fighting back tears. Even Maceo knew he’d said something poignant. It meant a lot to us,” she continued. “I have two children with two different fathers. Van has a son. As a mom living this modern, blended family, all I care about is that my kids are OK with the decisions I’m making.”
Berry told Live with Kelly and Ryan that Maceo had “pronounced” them man and wife.
“[My son said,], ‘Mom, you should get married to him.’ I said, ‘Really, I should marry him?’ ” Berry explained. “He said, ‘Yeah, I pronounce you man and wife.’ So, we’re like, ‘Oh, okay. We’re married!’ But we’re not married. So, that’s our commitment ceremony.”
Hunt Is Vocal About His Love for Berry
Hunt and Berry have written many tributes to each other, but there is one particular piece that would bring any woman to tears (of joy). Hunt wrote an essay called “Feet to the Fire: The article I wish someone would write about Halle Berry” and it was published on her website rē-spin. The site seeks to “re-empower” individuals by replacing preconceived notions, especially of public figures, with stories of humanness and connection.
“Halle waits on nothing and leads the rhythm where she wants it to go. she knows that magic is made, and she was not made for waiting on it to happen,” he wrote. “it could be interpreted as ‘controlling’, but a more obvious explanation is that this man’s world has made this woman acutely aware that survival is a thing that must be secured, not hoped for.”
“no one ever discusses this tenacity when describing her. they speak of beauty and favorite movies, but never of heart,” he continued. “it is nigh impossible to peer inside Halle without noticing her heart; and the principles that make it thump.”
He’s Proud of Berry for Her Movie Bruised
Hunt described Berry’s respect for others, her generosity, and her profound knack for sniffing out bullsh*t. And then he described the years of work that the multi-hyphenate award-winning actress had put into the movie Bruised. Berry had to learn Judo to star as the Jackie Justice, a disgraced MMA fighter who “finds redemption.” The film also marked Berry’s directorial debut as she simultaneously produced it and assembled the soundtrack (which Hunt helped with). He called it “a triple-headed feat” — one that ultimately helped him realize how “ignorant” he was of not just Halle’s, but even his own mother’s power.
Berry shared the essay to Twitter and wrote, “when your man writes the MOST amazing article about you on such a special day.” The movie had just premiered during Thanksgiving.
A year after Bruised came out, Hunt posted a carousel to Instagram that started with a scene from the film, Berry sitting on the stage at Jimmy Kimmel Live, and a billboard that read “Directed by Halle Berry (Love Saying That).”
“if you haven’t seen it TWICE, then you aren’t giving Halle Berry her flowers,” wrote Hunt. “she put her whole ass into this film. the effort, alone, is worthy of your quality time.”
Van Hunt Loves Dressing Up — and Down —and Playing — With Halle Berry
By now you may have seen the gorgeous couple walking red carpets together in complimentary suits and gowns (like at this year’s Oscars). But they also have an impressive costume camaraderie, best demonstrated last Halloween. The two went all-out as blood-sucking vampires — and looked sexy the whole time.
Hunt and Berry have also sported matching denim, matching Valentine hooded onesie pajamas, and taken impish photos for Christmas, just because. It’s clear they get each other and enjoy each other’s company, and all that really matters is that they’re in on it.
But the best joke they’ve played so far has to be from New Year’s Day of 2022. The couple posed together at an altar somewhere in the tropics, kissing. They appeared to be in an empty church. “Well… IT’S OFFICIAL!” wrote Berry.
Fans and friends were already anticipating the couple getting hitched, so everyone jumped to the same assumption. The post received hundreds of thousands of likes and thousands of comments. No one seemed to swipe to see the second photo, which said, “It’s 2022!”
They’re Not Married… Yet
Berry set the record straight the next day.
“We were just having some New Year’s Day fun! People clearly don’t swipe as much as we thought they did,” she wrote in another Instagram post. “thank you for the well wishes, tho’, it really touched our hearts! Now it’s OFFICIAL, the internet is no longer undefeated.”
A few weeks later, Berry told Jimmy Fallon how their Instagram prank went wrong. They’d had “copious” drinks at the bar before passing a chapel on their way back to their room.
“We think, ‘Oh, let’s go in here. Let’s see what’s inside here.’ So, we go in. And while we’re in there, we get the crazy idea.’ We think, let’s call his mom. Let’s take a photo of us and send it to her and say, ‘Guess what, we got married,’” said Berry. “So, we took the photo and then after we saw how good the photo came out, we said, ‘Let’s play this joke on everybody, on our friends on Instagram.'”
Everyone from Dwayne Johnson to Jason Momoa ana Ava DuVernay was fooled. The prank was a little too good, it seems.
Maybe it’s just a matter of time before those real wedding bells start ringing.
