Who is Olu Evans? All about Misty Copeland’s husband as she reportedly moves on from ballet

Misty Copeland, who is married to Olu Evans, an attorney based in New York, announced in an interview with The New York Times that she is retiring from the American Ballet Theatre, where she has been the principal dancer since June 2015.

Misty Copeland, who has been married to Olu Evans since 2016, has been with the famed American Ballet Theatre company for 25 years, having joined in 2000 after previously training at the San Francisco Ballet School. Copeland, who had previously taken a break from appearing on stage, spoke in a 2024 interview with BBC, about her life away from the spotlight. She said:

"I have so many things in my life that kind of fulfil what ballet has been, and ballet is still in that: it's [also] the work I'm doing through my foundation, it's these incredible projects I'm creating with my production company, it's having a son. To me, this feels like a really natural evolution, that I'm just going with the flow. I'm so content and I'm so proud of the career that I've had."

More about Olu Evans, as wife Misty Copeland announces retirement

Olu Evans met Misty Copeland, while he was partying with his cousin, actor Taye Diggs. The couple met at a dance club in Chelsea, New York, and immediately connected. During a 2014 interview with Elle, Copeland, who initially struggled to communicate with people, shared how Olu Evans helped her come out of her shell. She said:

"He taught me to communicate in ways I'd never learned before, to not run away from problems, and sit down and think about things critically. And he made me feel like I really did have a bright future as a ballerina."

According to People, Olu Evans, whose full name is Olubayo Evans, was born in 1979 and later studied law at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He later started practicing corporate law in New York after registering with the Office of Court Administration in 2007.

The couple, who prefers to keep their relationship private, got engaged in 2015, and in 2016, they got married at Laguna Beach California, in a private ceremony attended by their closest friends and family. Before tying the knot, Copeland told People that she was looking forward to a simple wedding and enjoying her special day with Olu Evans. She said:

"It’s coming along! It’s happening this summer so it’s very soon. I’m super busy so I have amazing people taking care of a lot of stuff. I think I’m a pretty simple girl, so I like for there to be no drama. I just want to enjoy the day, and not have it be about the preparation."

Misty Copeland and Olu Evans welcomed their first child, son Jackson, in May 2022. In an interview with People, Copeland spoke about how her husband has been her biggest support system. She said:

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"It's never easy, but I wouldn't be able to do it without having a support system. My husband is incredible and he's an amazing dad. He's been there for me throughout my entire career to help me to be able to balance those things."

In her 2022 interview with BBC, Misty Copeland also shared that since the birth of her son, she gave her body time to heal, before adding that her break "just feels right."

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