Who Is Ice Cube’s Wife, Kimberly Woodruff-Jackson?
Ice Cube has built an enduring career in music and acting. A founding member of the iconic hip-hop group N.W.A., he expanded his entertainment profile and has become one of the most well-respected pioneers in the industry. But he hasn’t done it alone. Ice Cube’s wife, Kimberly Woodruff-Jackson, has been by his side for over 30 years. Though she keeps a low profile, the matriarch of Ice Cube’s family has had a positive impact.
How did Ice Cube and Kimberly Woodruff meet?
Ice Cube (born O’Shea Jackson) met Kimberly Woodruff in 1988. She was in a relationship with someone else, and for Woodruff, it was not love at first sight, Ice Cube said. But he had an immediate attraction.
“The first thing that went through my head was, ‘Wow, that could be your woman,’” he said of the moment he first saw her. “She did not dig me. I think she was in a relationship, so she wasn’t having it,” the rapper told Bethenny Frankel on her talk show, Bethenny, in 2014.
“But then I ended up seeing her about six months later, and it was different … The second time, we had a chance to really talk a little bit, and she had a chance to really catch my flavor. And she fell in love with your boy.”
They began dating and became engaged three years later. Their son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., was born in April 1991, the same year Ice Cube starred in the Academy Award-nominated film Boyz in da Hood. The couple married in April 1992 and welcomed four more children.
Ice Cube’s wife has been with him ‘through thick and thin’
Kimberly Woodruff-Jackson has stayed out of the spotlight but attends events to support her husband. The two have been married for 30 years, and Ice Cube is as in love with Woodruff-Jackson now as he was at the beginning of their relationship.
“She’s been there through thick and thin … I travel a lot, so she’s holding it down … It’s a true partnership. I respect my wife; she respects me. We really wanna be around each other, and it’s just fun.”
Asked if he still gets butterflies when he sees his wife, the Friday actor told Frankel: “Oh, yeah, definitely … [Romance and sex] don’t have to fade … I still want her to look at me and be like, ‘Yo, this is the man I want to be with.’ So you gotta keep yourself up, keep up your P’s and your Q’s and keep your lady happy.”
For their 25th wedding anniversary, Ice Cube re-proposed to Woodruff-Jackson. He also recalled the first time he proposed.
“I don’t know if it was considered romantic. I had bought her a new car [a BMW 5 Series], and when she went to sit in the car, there was a ring sitting on the seat,” he said on the Australian radio show Fitzy & Wippa in 2018, the Daily Mail reported.
As for what makes their relationship work, Ice Cube said it’s a combination of communication and friendship.
“I like to hang out with my wife, talk about things, get some coffee, you know? Sometimes just understanding where the other person is coming from is helpful to getting along and being happy.”
Ice Cube’s family remains mostly private, but his son has emerged as a star
Ice Cube and Kimberly Woodruff-Jackson have five children: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Darrell Jackson, Shareef Jackson, Karima Jackson, and Deja Jackson. Jackson Jr. inherited his father’s natural acting skills and has a burgeoning film career. He played Ice Cube in the 2015 N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. His performance was critically acclaimed, and it even surprised Ice Cube, who was proud of his son’s portrayal.
Jackson Jr. was happy to take on the task of playing his dad.
“[F. Gary Gray, the film’s director] knew that this movie had to be authentic, and nobody is going to handle this role as passionately as I would because it’s my family’s legacy,” Ice Cube’s son told News AU in 2015. “He wanted me to make it work, so he got me acting coaches — it was a lot of hard work.”
Jackson Jr. has continued acting. His other film credits include Ingrid Goes West, Just Mercy, and Long Shots.
