EXCLUSIVE: DeVon Franklin on 10 Years of Celibacy Before Marriage

Film executive DeVon Franklin and actress Meagan Good made headlines when they jumped the broom in July — not only because of their beautiful, Hollywood-style wedding, but also because the couple famously touted their commitment to celibacy before marriage. 

So how did Franklin, who’d gone 10 years without sex, and his bride-to-be make it work during their courtship? “We held each other accountable because we honored the commitment,” he tells ESSENCE.com. “And we both were already committed to it.”

The newlywed, who calls married life with Good blissful, credits his drive to obtain his higher purpose in life for keeping him focused. “I believe we all are called to a higher purpose,” says Franklin. “That is the greatest motivator. What if I never get to my purpose because my lifestyle never leads me there? The poor choices in my life are the barrier to me getting to my purpose.”



Franklin believes that marriage’s higher purpose is love and healing. “The idea of disrupting that or potentially corrupting the union by doing anything less than honoring our commitment kept us both motivated and committed to keeping each other accountable,” he says.

As for kids in the near future, Franklin says he and Good are in no rush to have a little one. “We just got married,” Franklin says, laughing. “We have to learn each other as husband and wife first.”