Who Is Rev Run's Wife, Justine Simmons?

Joseph Simmons, better known to fans by his stage name Rev Run, has been a fixture in the music world for decades as a member of the hip-hop group Run-DMC, and his family members, such as daughter Angela Simmons, have entered the spotlight largely because of Rev Run's notability. It isn't just daughter Angela in Rev Run's life, however; the hip-hop artist has been married to wife, Justine Simmons, since 1994, per public broadcaster GPB.

Although GPB notes that Justine has appeared alongside her husband and the rest of her family on reality television for years, beginning with the MTV reality series "Run's House" in 2005, there is plenty to know about Justine beyond the fact that she's a member of a family that easily could be considered hip-hop — if not music industry — royalty. From how she met husband Rev Run to her own career, here are some more facts about Justine Simmons.

The following article includes a brief discussion of child loss.

The first thing to know about Justine Simmons (neé Jones) is that she and husband Rev Run have a long history. According to GPB, Simmons met Rev in 1982, when the two were teenagers. Clearly, though, they had a good feeling about each other from the start, as the outlet notes that the hip-hop icon once wrote Simmons in a letter, "I will marry you someday."

Joseph ended up being right. GPB notes that "someday" ended up being after the end of Joseph's first marriage to Valerie Vaughn, but Justine and Joseph have had four children together — three biologically and one by adoption — in addition to Joseph's three children from his first marriage. 

Sadly, People reports that one of the couple's children together, a daughter born in 2006 named Victoria Anne, died shortly after her birth due to complications of a birth defect.

Despite challenges in their marriage, Justine Simmons and Rev Run have maintained a strong relationship — so much so that the two published a 2020 book with the title "Old School Love: And Why It Works," as they discussed at length in an interview with Ebony. According to Penguin Random House, Simmons has authored two other books, "God Can You Hear Me" and "Take Back Your Family," and has designed a jewelry line called Brown Sugar.

On top of their many other roles and responsibilities, an article from Andscape notes that the couple have shown their charitable sides: Both serve as ambassadors for healthcare company Novo Nordisk and have spoken to school children about healthy eating and diabetes — a condition that runs in both their families.

Above all, it seems that the Simmons are the very definition of a happy and healthy power couple.