How Faith Made Adrienne Bailon and Israel Houghton’s Marriage Even Stronger

When Adrienne Bailon reflects on her love story with husband Israel Houghton, faith is at the foundation of their relationship.

“I love that saying, ‘A couple that prays together, stays together,’ but bigger than that, I think it’s holding ourselves accountable to someone bigger than each other,” Bailon, 42, exclusively shared with Us Weekly. “I’m not just kind to my husband because he’s a nice guy. No, I give him grace. I try to give him the grace that God gives me. I think that believing in something great or bigger than us has really helped us.”

Bailon and Houghton, 55, were close pals before they turned their friendship into something more.

When asked if faith was always an important trait in a potential partner, Bailon said that it “definitely was a priority that I did not keep a priority.”

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“Although I always wanted that. I don’t think I ever had that until my husband,” she shared. “To have that, I think, just made the world of a difference. I think that there’s something really beautiful about being able to find hope together, especially in all the things that we’ve been through, including infertility and having someone who just constantly was there. Lifting me up in that way really meant so much to me.”

Married since November 2016, Bailon and Houghton are raising their son, Ever James, whom they welcomed via surrogate in August 2022. Although their only child is 3 years old, both mom and dad are trying to share thoughtful glimpses of their faith with their growing boy.

“I think our biggest thing was teaching him faith vs. fear, having someone that believed in God on a faith-based, not a fear-based situation where it’s like, ‘Well, God is going to punish you if you don’t do this. God doesn’t like it when you do that,’ Bailon explained. “Instead, we’re teaching him that he has the greatest champion in heaven who’s cheering him on, who wants great things for him.”

She continued, “He’s madly in love with us, and He loves us, and He’s rooting for us, and that we pray to Him. Even just as a young kid, he tells me about all the great superheroes that he loves. And I’m like, ‘But you know the greatest superhero? Jesus.’”

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Each and every morning, Bailon and Houghton — who is a gospel singer —  start the day counting their blessings with their son.

Although they don’t know what the future holds, both parents hope their child develops his own special relationship with God.

“I think the greatest thing you can do is to show them to lead by example,” Bailon explained. “I think the greatest way that my son has learned, even at his little age of three, about who God is, is watching how we worship, watching how we wake up in the morning and we pray. … We start our mornings with gratitude. I think it’s small things like that, just leading by example. I think it’s the greatest gift you can give your kids.”