LL Cool J Shares His Marriage Rule with Wife Simone I. Smith (Exclusive)

LL Cool J and wife Simone I. Smith have the secret sauce.

The couple, who recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, has learned a thing or two over the years about maintaining a strong relationship — and the “Murdergram” rapper opened up about it to PEOPLE.

“Having a couple TVs doesn’t hurt,” LL Cool J, 57, told PEOPLE exclusively ahead of the 2025 MTV VMAs, which he hosted in September.

“A couple of TVs goes a long way,” he adds. “Because I might not want to watch reality all day long. I might want to watch a documentary or something so she could go watch reality, I can go in there and watch a documentary.”

This way, the rapper says, “everybody’s happy.” On a much more serious note, however, the foundation of their relationship is “mutual respect.”

“Just mutual respect. Keep it simple. That’s all,” he says.

At the annual awards show, LL Cool J — real name James Todd Smith — and his wife arrived in coordinating houndstooth outfits.

The month prior, the pair marked their 30th wedding anniversary in a sweet Instagram post. In the caption section, Smith wrote, “30 years of marriage today. All glory to our Lord and savior Jesus the Christ!!”

In the same post, she reflected on what it takes to make a marriage last: “Marriage isn’t for the weak, it’s for the faithful. It takes work, love, listening, picking your battles, being a friend, a prayer warrior, a cheerleader, and a safe place.”

Smith also explained that “every marriage has its own DNA” and there is no “blueprint” for creating a successful marriage. Instead, she stressed needing “grace, commitment and two people willing to grow through every season together.”

“We’ve laughed, cried, prayed, forgiven, and grown—together,” she said. “We did the work, and God did the rest. 💜,” she concluded. “30 years. Countless memories. One God who kept us. 🗣️LORD I THANK YOU‼️🙏🏽💜✨”

LL Cool J and Smith met as teenagers through a mutual friend in 1987 and they dated for eight years before tying the knot in 1995. Since then, they have welcomed four children together — son Najee, 36, and daughters Italia, 34, Samaria, 30, and Nina, 25. They have even become grandparents, as the couple’s eldest daughter, Italia, has two children of her own.