Who Is LL Cool J’s Wife, Simone I. Smith?

LL Cool J rapped about needing love, and he found it with his wife, Simone I. Smith.

The rapper, actor and host of the 2025 MTV VMAs has been with Smith since he was a teenager. The pair first met in 1987 in New York City and dated for eight years before getting married in 1995.

Smith has been by the hip-hop legend’s side for much of his career, and LL Cool J has supported her through various ups and downs, including the launch of her own jewelry line and her bone cancer diagnosis.

The couple have also raised four kids together and are now grandparents to three. In August 2025, LL Cool J and Smith celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, and over the years, they have been open about what it takes to make a marriage last.

So, who is LL Cool J’s wife? Here is everything to know about Simone I. Smith and her decades-long relationship with the rapper.

She’s from New York

LL Cool J (born James Todd Smith) and Smith grew up in Queens, N.Y., where they met.

During a 2012 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the rapper revealed that they were introduced as teenagers through a mutual connection in 1987, per HuffPost.

“It was Easter and I was driving down the block in my mother’s car,” LL Cool J told host Jimmy Kimmel.

He stopped the vehicle to say hello to a friend, who asked if he wanted to extend the gesture to a family member. “I looked over and said, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll meet your cousin,’ ” he recalled.

In January 2023, Smith posted a throwback photo of her and LL Cool J from their early days, captioned, “When I was 17 and he was 19 we fell deep in love growing up in Queens!”

She’s an entrepreneur and jewelry designer

Smith co-founded her jewelry line, Simone I. Smith Jewelry, in 2011. According to the brand’s website, the idea for her first jewelry design came to her after she was diagnosed with cancer. The brand’s Instagram describes the line as an “effortless, soulful style for the modern woman.”

Collaborators of the line include major celebrities like Mary J. Blige and nonprofit organizations such as Color of Change and the American Cancer Society.

Smith’s designs were selected for Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2020 and have appeared in Essence, InStyle and Hamptons magazine. As a successful entrepreneur, she’s received honors from the National Association of Women Business Owners of Los Angeles.

She was diagnosed with bone cancer and has been cancer-free since 2004

In 2004, Smith was diagnosed with stage III chondrosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer that was found in her right leg. Her treatment involved a 15-hour-long surgery to replace the bone and a long rehabilitation period. However, Smith made a full recovery and has been cancer-free ever since.

In 2011, Smith partnered with the American Cancer Society to launch a signature lollipop collection of pendant necklaces, which symbolized her cancer journey. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from each sale at Simone I. Smith Jewelry is donated to the organization.

She and LL Cool J married 1995

After dating for several years, the couple wed on Aug. 7, 1995.

In his 1997 memoir, I Make My Own Rules, the rapper revealed the details of his proposal to Smith, sharing that it was unconventional. Instead of getting down on one knee, LL Cool J turned down the music during a ride in his Porsche, drove at top speed and asked Smith to marry him. He didn’t slow down until she said “yes.”

Smith shares sweet tributes every year to mark their anniversary. On their 23rd anniversary in 2018, she wrote out the lyrics to her husband’s hit song “Candy Girl” alongside a photo of the couple, adding, “Happy 23 Baby!!! I’ll be your Candy Girl Forever 💜💜.”

More recently, in August 2025, Smith celebrated her and LL Cool J’s 30th wedding anniversary with a heartfelt Instagram post.

“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,” she wrote in part. “We’ve laughed, cried, prayed, forgiven, and grown—together. We did the work, and God did the rest. 💜.”

She and LL Cool J share four children

LL Cool J and Smith have four kids together: son Najee and daughters Italia, Samaria and Nina. The couple’s eldest daughter, Italia, has three children, making the couple proud grandparents.

Their youngest child, daughter Nina, is following in her father’s footsteps and pursuing a career as a singer. She’s released a few singles, and she graduated from Berklee College of Music in May 2023.

She’s longtime friends with Mary J. Blige

In 2018, Smith teamed up with singer Blige for a jewelry line called Sister Love, which was inspired by their friendship and features designs that “symbolize strength, edge and style.”

The duo released the line at the 2018 Essence Festival, where they spoke about their one-of-a-kind friendship. “We support each other in everything we do and in the ways we help each other grow from our individual strengths personally and professionally,” Smith told PEOPLE.

“We are two New York ‘Fly girls’ from Yonkers [Blige] and Queens [Smith] with so many similarities,” she continued. “Together we make Black girl magic to empower women to be strong, fearless and unstoppable … Working with Mary is to show other women the importance of supporting each other. We are stronger together.”

LL Cool J is her biggest supporter

During a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the pair revealed that the secret to their marriage is supporting each other through the highs and the lows.

Throughout Smith’s cancer journey, LL Cool J never left her side, even putting his career on hold when it was necessary.

“You don’t abandon someone in that foxhole,” he told Winfrey. “You gotta be there in that foxhole with them.”

He added, “I made some decisions professionally and decided to be by Simone’s side more during that period.”