Meagan Good Tells Tamron Hall How "God Told Her" That Devon Franklin Was Her Husband

From Oprah Magazine

• Actress Meagan Good has been married to film producer, Seventh-day Adventist preacher, author, and motivational speaker DeVon Franklin since 2012.

• For years, they made headlines for choosing to remain celibate until marriage.

The Intruder and Shazam star Meagan Good has been stealing screens since her breakout performance in 1997’s Eve’s Bayou, having successfully made the transition from child star to adult actress.

In 2011, Good started dating DeVon Franklin—a film producer, Seventh-day Adventist preacher, author, and motivational speaker—after getting to know him on the set of the 2011 film Jumping the Broom, and the two eventually got married in June 2012. According to the actress, their marriage was preordained by God.

In an interview on the Tamron Hall Show, Good revealed that after getting to know Franklin better on set, she thought: "Man, that's the kind of guy I wish I could marry. And that was it. He's the guy that gives you the job. That's all I thought about it."

The child star was in the tail end of a "not-so-great" relationship, but when she got back from filming in Novia Scotia, apparently God sent her a sign.

"The first thing that God told me was that it was time to get out of that relationship," the star said. "The second thing that God told me was that it was time to be celibate. The third thing that God told me was that Devon was my husband."

Fortunately for the happy couple, the stars aligned at the right time for them, and the two have stood by each other's side ever since.

Franklin started his career as a studio executive at MGM (one of few Black film executives), and even Oprah listed him as one of her SuperSoul100 trailblazers in 2016. We’ve gathered all the information we can on Franklin, just in case you were wondering.

DeVon Franklin has made some of your favorite movies.

Franklin’s career in Hollywood began at MGM, where he worked on movies like John Travolta’s Be Cool and Queen Latifah’s Beauty Shop before the studio was bought out by Sony Pictures Entertainment. He went on to join Sony’s Columbia Pictures as a director of development, and would eventually go on to become one of the industry’s youngest senior vice presidents of production, overseeing movies like The Pursuit of Happyness, The Karate Kid, Jumping the Broom, and Sparkle with Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks. During his time at Columbia, Franklin produced Heaven Is For Real, an unexpected hit that grossed more than $100 million worldwide and is the fifth-highest grossing Christian film of all time. Franklin’s last movie during his time at Columbia was the 2014 remake of Annie starring Quvenzhané Wallis.

Franklin has been quoted saying “entertainment absolutely has the power to heal,” and after leaving Sony, he wanted to make more faith-based content. He launched Franklin Entertainment in 2014 with a first-look deal through Sony and Columbia Pictures, where he produced the smash hit Miracles From Heaven, reuniting Franklin with Beauty Shop star Queen Latifah.

Franklin later earned a multi-year first-look deal with 20th Century Fox, where he produced movies like The Star starring Kelly Clarkson and Oprah, as well as 2019’s Breakthrough starring Chrissy Metz and Topher Grace. Upcoming projects in development include a possible reboot of He-Man And Masters Of The Universe, Cooley High with Common, and a TV series based on the movie Foxy Brown for Hulu with wife Meagan Good.

Franklin has a deep relationship to his faith.

Franklin is a Seventh-day Adventist preacher and ordained minister, and everything in his life is geared towards his faith. He even unplugs from technology from Friday to Sunday in order to read the Bible and attend church.

“I have put my faith front and center for everyone to see.not only has relying on my faith not harmed my career prospects, it has actually enhanced them,” Franklin told the Christian Broadcasting Network. According to Franklin, he began preaching at the age of 15, and has made several media appearances where he talks about faith, transformation, love, and spirituality. In an interview with Jet, Franklin explained why he intersects his film career with his ministry: “As I was pursuing my movie career, I realized the more I embraced the ministry side of my talents and gifts, the more doors opened because I was really being true to myself and who God created me to be.”

He is also an author.

Fans of Franklin’s ministry work can take it on the road with them, as he’s the author of three self-help books: 2012’s Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success without Losing Your True Self; 2017’s The Hollywood Commandments: A Spiritual Guide to Secular Success; and 2019’s The Truth About Men: What Men and Women Need to Know.

He also co-wrote a book with his wife, 2016’s The Wait: A Powerful Practice for Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life You Love.

Franklin and Good got married in 2012.

The couple met on the set of 2011’s Jumping the Broom, and dated for 13 months before getting married in June 2012. They’ve become known for their honesty about their courtship, putting God first in their relationship, and their decision to wait until they were married before having sex, the subject they wrote about in their book The Wait.

About celibacy, Good told Parade, “it helps because the relationship wasn’t based on physicality, and I think sometimes when that leads the relationship and that type of connection, I think sometimes you can’t really see clearly and you settle for things that you wouldn’t settle for during longterm. And you don’t really realize that until three or four years down the line.”

When asked about Good, Franklin told Essence what his main priority is to be an exemplary husband. He added, "Sometimes my version of being a good husband, maybe my version, it may not always be the version she needs. And sometimes her version of being a good wife, maybe her version of what a good wife should be but isn’t always the version I need.”

His mentor is Will Smith.

Franklin’s career started during his time at the University of Southern California, where he graduated in 2000 with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Cinema-Television. He also held an internship at Will Smith and James Lassiter’s Overbrook Entertainment. He made his way to assistant for Lassiter, and has continued to work with Smith for years, collaborating on films like Hancock, The Pursuit of Happyness, and Annie.

Franklin couldn’t help but gush to Rolling Out about his relationship with Smith. “I think it was just a divine encounter, an appointment for me to be able to start my career with that type of mentorship, guidance, and leadership because it really helped to shape everything in my career: how I navigate the entertainment industry, how I deal with people, how I continue to believe for the things I know are possible and also to have fun along the way," he said. "I mean, you know when you look at Will, he has a lot of fun! He enjoys life. He’s phenomenal. It’s a blessing to be able to get my start, and for that seed of my career to be planted there, and to now see it grow is amazing.”

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