What’s not to love about Morris Chestnut?!
The brilliant actor has been gifting our screens with iconic roles since the 90s. Yes, you read that right, since the 90s.
He first burst onto the screen in the career-making role of Ricky Baker in Boyz N the Hood. From there, he’s become a staple in Black cinema and TV shows. Going on to star in The Perfect Holiday, ‘Being Mary Jane,’ The Best Man, Like Mike and the list just keeps going.
He may be best known for being a multi-generational heartthrob. Maybe one of the few men on planet earth you can bond over with your mom, grandma and younger cousin.
Unfortunately for us, but incredible for him, Morris Chestnut has been in a long-term happy marriage for decades. The actor married his beautiful bride Pam Byse in 1995. The two have remained tight lipped over their union, only sharing little things about their relationship over the years.
When asked by Essence what it’s like to be loved by a Black woman, Morris had this to say about Pam, “Incredible. She holds the house down. She allows me to go out and do the job and just focus on the job. The house is held down.”
Morris Chestnut and Pam Byse Beginnings
The two met in a club in Atlanta in the early 90s. Morris recalls that a friend of his, Tiny Lister, told him that she wasn’t interested. “We were hanging out in the club and [Tiny] told me about this chick, that chick, whatever. Then I saw Pam, who is my wife, and I said, ‘What’s up with her?’ He said, ‘Nah, man, don’t waste your time. She don’t give anybody no play.’ So as soon as he said that, I was like, ‘That’s the woman I need to go holler at,’” he recalls of their first meeting.
Luckily, she ultimately relented.
So what draws the eye of someone like Morris? How did Pam turn him into husband material?
According to the actor, “One of the things that made me truly realize that I wanted her to be my wife is the way she was. She has three older sisters and they have kids. Her nephew was very young at the time, and when we were dating I would see the way she was with kids. I’ve always thought that she was a good person and attractive and all that, but one of the primary reasons why I wanted her to be my wife was because I knew that she would be an excellent mother to my kids.”
Morris and Pam’s Children
The two became parents to two children. Grant born in 1997 and Paige born in 1998. Grant strayed outside the family business of entertainment, opting to instead pursue his own business endeavors. He graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications, specializing in marketing and advertising. He currently works as an account executive. Paige is an accomplished commercial, print and runway model signed to Wunder Management. She walked in New York Fashion Week in 2020.
The two remain a source of inspiration for their father. He thanked them while receiving his Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2022. Saying, “Since you guys have been born, you have been a true inspiration and motivation. Seeing you guys grow up has been a wonder to me. I love you guys, and thank you so much for being a part of everything that I am.”
Pam told Gayle King that the majority of her conversations with her husband center around their slightly different approaches to raising their children. “I want to baby them and he wants to push them out and make them live in the world,” Pam shared.
As far as the secret to his long lasting marriage? Morris says one of the biggest tips is they don’t say anything when they’re arguing that they can’t take back.
It helps that he married a confident woman who respects his status in the industry and the people who helped get him there. “I love his fans,” Pam told Essence. “I love the way they love him. He wouldn’t be where he is without them. So I appreciate them.”
