They say besides every great man is an even greater woman. And this woman, if she loves you, will stand by your side and love on you with unconditional love. Actor Reginald Ballard found true love in his wife, but their journey would show him just how true her love was. Ballad’s wife took their vows seriously when “in sickness and in health… ’til death do us part,” because years later, the actor’s life would be saved thanks to her.
The public came to know Reginald Ballard when his smaller role of “Bruh Man from the 5th Floor” on Martin would leave an indelible mark. His stint on the show began around season 2, after a successful audition process. For the most part, he says, the character’s lines were improvised between himself and Martin. With this, they were able to create the hilarious and successful chemistry we’ve seen on-screen for about three seasons.
From Martin, Ballard would be seen on The Bernie Mac Show as “W.B.” and would also do various stand-up comedy shows. Reginald Ballard is also on the Disney+ series Monsters At Work. Before the world met Reginald Ballard, his future wife would meet him in the eighth grade. But they were more enemies than friends when they first met. Ballard recalled on the Lone Star Plate podcast that the two would make “sly remarks” at one another for four years until they finally went out on a date together. The couple has been together ever since, marrying in 1987, and together they have two children.
Both he and his wife moved to Hollywood in order for him to pursue his dreams. While they were penniless, his wife never left his side. In good health, she never left his side. And in 2020 when Reginald Ballard fell into terrible kidney problems, his wife was by his side. When doctors informed Ballard that he needed a kidney, his wife was later revealed to be a perfect match. The only issue was they differ in size, so her kidney was not the right size.
“So what they did was they did a swap,” the actor explained. “She gave her kidney to somebody, and they [kidney] swapped. I got somebody else’s.” The surgery occurred on December 10, 2020. Taking to Facebook, Reginald Ballard shared a picture of him and his wife after the successful surgery. “SHE GAVE HER KIDNEY FOR ME!” Ballard joyfully declared. He then praised his wife while highlighting their love journey. “36 YEARS TOGETHER RIGHT THERE AND THEY SAY BLACK LOVE AIN’T REAL,” he added. “WE LOVE EACH OTHER WITH ALL OF OUR [FINGERS] AND ALL OF OUR TOES!!!” Then in April, Ballard returned to Facebook with another picture of the couple on the beach. “TODAY 100% POST SURGERY!!! ALL PRAISE DO TO THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS,” he wrote.
