How did Spike Lee meet Tonya Lewis Lee? Actor reveals he ditched his date after seeing now-wife for the first time

Spike Lee recently talked about how he met Tonya Lewis Lee (Image via Instagram / @officialspikelee and @tonyalewislee)
Spike Lee recently talked about how he met Tonya Lewis Lee (Image via Instagram / @officialspikelee and @tonyalewislee)

American director Spike Lee recently recalled the first date he had with his now-wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, more than 30 years ago. During an interview on the Kelly Corrigan Wonders podcast on May 12, the 67-year-old Oscar winner talked about how he met his wife in September 1992. He also disclosed their unusual first date.

The former attorney and screenwriter of Do the Right Thing originally met in 1992 at a Washington, D.C. event, and they got married after a year.

According to Lee, the two met at the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C. On behalf of her father, who was Philip Morris' treasurer at the time, Tonya attended the Congressional Black Caucus screening of a trailer for his film Malcolm X.

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Tonya stated in an interview with Essence magazine on October 2, 2023, that he approached her after spotting her in the crowd and expressed his interest by asking a number of questions.


Director Spike Lee recalled meeting his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee during a recent podcast

Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee have been married since 1993 (Image via Instagram / @officialspikelee and @tonyalewislee)
Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee have been married since 1993 (Image via Instagram / @officialspikelee and @tonyalewislee)

After getting married in 1993, Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee have grown to become one of Hollywood's most popular couples. They share two children, a girl named Satchel, 30, and a boy named Jackson, 27.

Spike Lee recently recalled their first meeting in a May 12 interview Kelly Corrigan Wonders podcast. He said:

“So I had a date that night. So I'm going to the restroom and I see this woman coming to me — and I know it might sound corny, but it’s true — time stopped.”
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Lee continued-

“I said, Sh*t!’ [Laughs] And so later on, she said the same thing. So we just looked at each other and then couldn't see [each other] anymore.”

He then went on to say that she was heading up the escalator as he was going down. So in order to go up, he'd made up an excuse to the person he was with.

Then he rode the escalator back to find her to ask for her phone number. He further revealed that he had contacted her later that week, inviting her to Madonna's s*x book party, as his date, which was scheduled to be held outside Washington.

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The director clarified that at the time, Lewis Lee was working in a law company. Everyone in her office had seen her on the news at the book party, so when she returned to Washington, D.C, she was busted by her colleagues.

On the other hand, during an Essence magazine interview in October 2023, Tonya opened up about the same and described how they had met at an elegant dinner. The director of Aftershock said:

“We walked past each other. Spike circled back around and proceeded to give me the third degree. ‘Are you an actress? A model? A singer? Who are you here with? What do you do? Do you have a boyfriend?’”

In the same interview, she went on to say that she was drawn to Spike's artistic profession since it contrasted sharply with her previous position as a corporate lawyer.


Later, during his podcast interview, Spike heaped praise on Lewis Lee's Emmy-nominated 2022 documentary Aftershock. Spike Lee further declared that he was very proud of her effort. He said-

"She's a filmmaker in her own right, and went to Sarah Lawrence undergrad, UVA Law School.”

He further said-

Lewis Lee is doing "what she always wanted" to be a "greater person. She's doing that now."

Later in the podcast, Spike Lee discussed his mother Jackie, who passed away when he was a student at Morehouse College.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande
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