Reverend Run, 59, whose real name is Joseph Simmons, is a man of many talents. He’s best known for being one of the founding members of the hip hop group Run-DMC. The group, which also included Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and the late Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell, has a new Peacock documentary series that came out February 1, called Kings from Queens: The RUN DMC Story.
Aside from being a famous rapper, Rev. Run also made a name for himself as the star of the MTV reality series Run’s House. The show aired from 2005 to 2009 and followed Rev. Run and his family’s lives. His wife, Justine Simmons, was a big part of the show. Justine was the second woman to marry Rev. Run, but she’s turned out to be his one true love.
Who Is Justine Simmons?
Justine Simmons, 58, is Rev. Run’s wife. The two got married on June 25, 1994 and had four children together. Justine was a fan-favorite on Run’s House for being so kind and loyal to her husband. Justine has her own jewelry line, Brown Sugar, and wrote a book with her husband called Take Back Your Family: A Challenge to America’s Parents.
Since the reality series ended in 2009, Justine has appeared on other shows with Rev. Run and their kids, including Rev Run’s Renovations on HGTV, Rev Run’s Sunday Suppers on the Cooking Channel, and Rev Runs Around The World on the Travel Channel.
Rev. Run and Justine’s Marriage
Rev. Run and Justine have been married for almost 30 years, and they are still madly in love. The couple met when they were teenagers. Rev. Run was performing at a Kurtis Blow concert on Long Island and Justine and her friends went backstage to meet him. “We were only 15 and 16 years old, and then we drifted apart and came back together later,” Rev. Run said during an appearance on the Tamron Hall Show in January 2020.
When the couple was on The View that same month, Justine said that they are both “selfless” which makes their marriage work. “I’m constantly checking him to see if he’s okay, and he’s doing the same for me,” she said. “If I see him not happy at home, I don’t leave him like that, I wanna know what’s going on. And same for me.”
Rev. Run and Justine’s Children
After getting married in 1992, Rev. Run and Justine had three children. Their son Daniel, who goes by “Diggy,” was born in 1995. Two years later, they welcomed son Russell, named after Rev. Run’s famous brother, Russell Simmons. Rev. Run and Justine’s daughter, Victoria, was born in 2006. Sadly, Victoria suffered from a birth defect called omphalocele, which causes a child’s internal organs to grow outside of their body during pregnancy, Justine gave birth via C-section and Victoria sadly passed away. Several years later, Rev. Run and Justine adopted a daughter named Miley.
Justine opened up about losing one of her children in her and Rev Run’s book Old School Love in 2020. “I had carried Victoria Anne full-term; she was in me, a part of me. I could feel her every single day in me,” she wrote, via People. “Joey found comfort in God and being with me. I found comfort going under the covers. For the most part, on most days, I was trying to heal my body, heal my sadness, heal my sorrow, and heal my heart … I was lonely for my child.”
Rev Run’s First Wife, Valerie Vaughn
Before his marriage to Justine, Rev. Run was married to Valerie Vaughn. They tied the knot in 1983 and had three children together, daughters Vanessa and Angela, and son JoJo. Rev. Run and Valerie’s kids all appeared on Run’s House, as did the rapper’s children with Justine. Vanessa is an actress and entrepreneur, while Angela is a star and producer for the reality series Growing Up Hip Hop.