Sterling K. Brown has long been one of my favorite actors, and IMHO, it's just a matter of time before we see him on the Academy Award stage. But in the meantime, he's staying plenty busy with his many projects: a partnership with Shipt ahead of the holidays, a new season of his hit series Paradise on Hulu and his award-winning podcast WE DON’T ALWAYS AGREE. Needless to say, Brown has a full plate. Fortunately, I was able to chat with the star about family, the holidays, his podcast, behind-the-scenes stories and his Shipt partnership.
Sterling K. Brown Gets Candid About His Marriage, His Hit Show and Watching Sandra Bullock on Christmas Eve
The actor has a full plate
•
Published Nov 9, 2025
Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty Images
Shipt
“I think the holidays are a time of connection and community, and as always, it is one of my most important and prized values. I think during the holidays in particular, for myself, I feel very close to my kids and my wife, but I have this huge family in St. Louis, Missouri, and so does my wife,” he tells me.
“Right now, I’m in a boot from an Achilles tendon injury, and that is what makes this gifting option with Shipt so special right now. I can send things to my brother and sister, to my cousins, groceries, and important ingredients for some of the holiday traditions that we have in our family. Whether it's my grandmother's dressing or sweet potato pies, sending these things to the people who I know who are going to be making them in St. Louis, and letting them know that I'm thinking of them.”
Season two of his hit show Paradise is also at the forefront of his mind, with Brown telling us to expect a lot more action this go-round. “There are a few more stunts in season two than there were even in season one,” he explains, adding, “The scope of the show sort of gets bigger. We get a chance to do a lot of new locations because we are exploring the world outside of the bunker. And we get a chance to see, like, aspects of humanity that are sort of positive and very reassuring, and those that can be sort of scary as well. I think the big question is, do I find my wife? Does Xavier find his wife? I don't know. Stay tuned. What happened to Sinatra? Is she okay? Is she coming back? Is she not?"
In September 2024, Brown and his wife, Ryan, launched their podcast WE DON’T ALWAYS AGREE, which has quickly gained a large following for its honesty regarding relationships.
“I think for us both, the important thing was to show the stuff behind marriage, not that we get all this credit for goals and black love, which we appreciate, but we want folks to know that not everything glitters all the time. There's real work that goes into having a successful relationship, and we didn't want anybody to think that what they saw was something that just sort of seamlessly happened; that it takes the same sort of work that any relationship requires. The second part, knowing how it connected with people, was really, really beautiful. I think that there was a real appreciation for the level of honesty with which we approached the podcast, and we didn't put all our business out there.”
And now, with the holidays right around the corner, Brown can’t wait to revisit his family's favorite traditions (which happen to involve a Sandra Bullock movie). “My wife and I’s favorite tradition is to watch While You Were Sleeping while we’re wrapping gifts. We’ll have a glass of wine, go to sleep at two or three o'clock in the morning, and then when the youngest wakes up, which is usually around 6:30 or 7, with the excitement that Santa's been to the house, we’ll all unwrap our gifts.”
I can't wait to see what Brown gets up to next.
Want all the latest entertainment news sent right to your inbox? Click here.
