Who Is Director Ryan Coogler's Wife? All About “Sinners ”Producer“ ”Zinzi Coogler

Zoe Kaplan, Mariah AlanskasSun, March 15, 2026 at 8:30 PM UTC

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Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Coogler attend the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards on January 04, 2026 in Santa Monica, California.Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Ryan Coogler and his wife, Zinzi Coogler, have been married since May 2016, but have known each other since they were in high school.

"We met when we were 13 or 14,” Zinzi told The Hollywood Reporter in an April 2025 interview. “When you are in a relationship with someone for that long, you pull each other into each other’s lives.”

After going on their first date to see Bring It On in theaters, the two quickly became college sweethearts while attending Saint Mary’s College in California.

“In 2003, I saw a young girl kicking everybody’s a-- on the track. I didn’t get her number that day. I built up my courage and got it at the next track meet,” Ryan said during his acceptance speech for his 2026 Critics' Choice Directors Award for Sinners. “She changed my life. She made me a better football player, a better student, a better person and she made me a better filmmaker.”

While the two have kept their relationship and family life relatively private over the years, including their three children, they have increasingly been in the spotlight together professionally since the success of box office hit Sinners, which Ryan directed and Zinzi produced.

So, who is Ryan Coogler’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Zinzi Coogler and her relationship with the director.

Zinzi was raised in California

Zinzi Coogler and Ryan Coogler attend the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala on January 13, 2026 in New York City.Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Zinzi was born April 18, 1985, in Oakland, Calif.

Ryan told Filmmaker Magazine in April 2025 that Zinzi’s mom was born in the Philippines and came to the U.S. in her 20s, making Zinzi a first-generation American on her mom’s side.

Meanwhile, Ryan said that Zinzi’s dad’s family has been in the U.S. “for centuries” when referencing his wife’s ability to cater to international and U.S.-based audiences.

She is an ASL interpreter

Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Coogler attend the 2026 BAFTA Tea Party on January 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Before producing movies, Zinzi was an ASL interpreter at a deaf advocacy non-profit, per The Hollywood Reporter. At the time, Ryan moved to Los Angeles to go to film school at the University of Southern California, making their relationship long-distance.

As they grew in their careers, she and Ryan always pulled each other into their respective projects, Zinzi told Marie Claire in January 2026.

“I got film school the other way,” she said in the interview.

“She was there on every set, always in the background, never getting credit,” Ryan said during his Critics' Choice award acceptance speech. “On this movie, she was my boss, and it was f---ing awesome. And I think she’s the biggest reason why this movie is so good."

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They married in May 2016

Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Evans attend the 2026 Annual Movies for Grownups Awards on January 10, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California.Credit: Maarten De Boer/Getty

Ryan and Zinzi got married on May 1, 2016.

“​​Zinzi is my favorite person in the world,” Ryan told Democracy Now! in an April 2025 interview. “You know, I’ve been around her a long time, and still somehow it feels like it’s not long enough.”

They share three children together

Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Coogler attend The BAFTA Tea Party on January 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Little is known about Ryan and Zinzi's children, as the couple prefer to shield them from the public eye.

The two had their first child sometime in 2019 after Zinzi was spotted showing off her baby bump at the 2019 Oscars. While their second child’s birth year is unknown, the couple’s third baby was born in 2025.

"That's why we're so passionate about the stories we tell, because kindness is so important, and maybe if we have a deeper understanding of each other, that kindness wouldn't come so difficult," Zinzi told Marie Claire. "I hope that would be an influence to our kids, regardless of what comes about.”

Zinzi was the first to invest in Ryan’s career

Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Coogler attend the AFI Awards Luncheon on January 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.Credit: Monica Schipper/Getty

When Ryan was first writing scripts, and the couple had little to no financial stability, Zinzi invested $300 into his career by buying him Final Draft, a software to write movies.

“My wife, she was my girl at the time, [and] they had a software where you could write screenplays,” Ryan said in a Hot 97 radio interview. “I was trying to write in Microsoft Word. It’s impossible because your format gotta be right. I was broke, playing football on little scholarship money.”

According to Ryan, Zinzi had to really scrape together the money for the software.

“Gifting was one of my love languages because I loved to give something that would give joy to someone,” Zinzi told Marie Claire. “I knew nothing about screenwriting, but it was something that he had a real interest in. It was very expensive for us at the time, but if that would give him that joy, then it was my pleasure to be able to do that.”

She co-founded their production company, Proximity Media

Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Coogler attend the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California.Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty

The Cooglers don’t just share credits on multiple projects, they also founded their multimedia company, Proximity Media, together, alongside film producer and screenwriter Sev Ohanian.

The production company notably produced not only Sinners, but also 2021's Space Jam: A New Legacy and 2021's Judas and the Black Messiah.

“We find ourselves leaning into stories about communities that are, I guess you could say, underrepresented, but in a way that shows that complexity and vibrancy and joy in life,” Zinzi told Marie Claire.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”