Don Cheadle on His Intimate Pandemic Wedding: 'Just Me and Her and Our Kids and Our Dogs'

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Don Cheadle's wedding to his longtime partner, interior designer Bridgid Coulter Cheadle, was an extremely intimate affair.

In the new issue of PEOPLE, the 58-year-old star of the Netflix movie White Noise shares some details about the "small" celebration, which took place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It was just me and her and our kids and our dogs and the pastor in the backyard," says Cheadle, who shares children Tai, 28, and Imani, 26, with Bridgid, 54.

The best part of being married? "The tax break," Cheadle jokes. "Our accountant proposed to us, really. It's like, 'You guys have to do this. Please do this.'" Despite his quips, Cheadle adds, "I'm fortunate to be in this relationship."

The Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actor first revealed his marital status during a June 2021 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Guest host Wanda Sykes prompted the conversation when she said she owed the actor an apology. "You texted me at the top of the year, I guess, and you told me that you just got married," the comedian said. "And I was like, 'Oh damn, the pandemic got to Don and Bridgid.'"

RELATED:  Don Cheadle Reveals He and Longtime Girlfriend Bridgid Coulter Got Married amid COVID Pandemic

"I was like, 'What the hell happened, man?'" she continued, before noting that her response to Cheadle was less than enthusiastic. "I think I just text something back, like, 'Hey, if you're happy, I'm happy for you.' ... I was like, 'Cheadle went Hollywood.'"

Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

After Sykes explained to Cheadle that she wasn't aware that he and Coulter weren't already married, the Black Monday star said that he could understand why she came to that conclusion. "Yeah, I mean, that's understandable given that we've been together 28 years before we got married," Cheadle said. "I hold you blameless."

In his PEOPLE interview, Cheadle also discusses his bond with his children Tai, who works in the camera crew on various TV shows and movies, and Imani, a development associate at Cheadle's production company, This Radicle Act.

"I'm very fortunate to be close with my 'adult-ren'—I don't even call him kids anymore," he says. "They're very grounded and un-Hollywood, and I'm glad about that."

White Noise streams on Netflix Dec. 30.

For more on Don Cheadle, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE.