Michael Jai White is an American actor and martial artist. Throughout his career, he has graced our screen in a number of notable roles and films. Behind the scenes, White has also courted some of Hollywood’s hottest ladies before settling down with his wife, Gillian White. Before marrying Gillian, though, another woman tried to make Michael an honest man. She even proposed to him.
Michael Jai White is a Brooklyn-born entertainer who has been in the business for decades. He got his start in ’80s film series The Toxic Avenger before appearing in the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie as an extra. Steady work would eventually land him the lead in a Mike Tyson television film called Tyson. His signature film Spawn would, hit theaters in 1997, and he’s been a regular on our screens ever since. Later notable roles would include Why Did I Get Married, Exit Wounds, Never Back Down, Dark Knight, and Insecure.
On the dating scene, Michael has been connected to several beautiful women. One was his Why Did I Get Married co-star Tasha Smith. The pair play an on-screen couple, Angela and Marcus Williams. Their chemistry was so believable that even after two films, they got a television show spin-off titled For Better or For Worst. This is because they dated way back in the day. While chatting with the women of The Real, Michael revealed that the pair had been good friends for years and did not actually argue in real life as much as their on-screen counterparts do. He now considers her “family.”
Michael briefly dated another actress, AJ Johnson, in 2004. While not a lot is known about their relationship, the two fitness enthusiasts attended one red carpet together and were seen on several dates before things fizzled out. Between 2004 and 2011, Michael was married to Courtenay Chatman. Chatman and White share a daughter named Morgan. Chatman is a gynecologist. She and Michael reportedly met at a 24-Hour Fitness, where they hit it off instantly.
She admits to not knowing he was an actor and finding out later on after friends told her about his films. Chatman was so smitten by White that she decided to pop the question during a dinner date. Courtenay took White to dinner and had a special plate brought out, asking him to marry her. According to her, he ate so slowly that evening that she grew impatient and got in the chair next to him, knocking the food off the plate and asking him to marry her. Michael said yes, and the two were together for several years.
White has since remarried and is now with Gillian Iliana Waters. He expressed his love and appreciation for Gillian with a Facebook post titled “Apologies to My Ex’s,” where he thanked her for helping him realize the best version of himself. The pair tied the knot in Thailand and have done some acting together. In 2021 they co-starred in Take Back, an American action thriller.
Michael Jai White and Gillian Waters will be celebrating eight years of marriage in July. The couple does not have children together.
