Suleika Jaouad, a novelist, is married to artist Jon Batiste. In February 2022, the singer married his long-term companion. Jaouad said on CBS Sunday Morning that they intended to marry after she was diagnosed with leukemia for the second time. She said,
“We married the day before I went into the hospital for my bone marrow transplant.” We knew we wanted to be married from the first week we started dating, I believe. That’s when Jon first broached the subject of marriage with me. So we’ve been together for eight years. This is not a rushed choice!”
Despite the fact that they married before Suleika’s bone marrow transplant, she said that her diagnosis was not a cause for Jon to propose. She said that,
“He told me, ‘I just want to be clear: I’m not proposing to you because of this diagnosis.'” It took me a year to create your ring. So just keep in mind that the time has nothing to do with it. But what I do want you to know is that this diagnosis makes no difference. It simply makes it obvious to me that I want to commit to this and be with you. But, when we knew we just had a few weeks until the bone marrow transplant, we decided to go for it.”
All about the wife of Jon Batiste
Suleika Jaouad is the New York Times columnist who writes Life, Interrupted. She was born in New York City on July 5, 1988, and is of mixed race since her father is Tunisian and her mother is Swiss. The 33-year-old was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and was given a 35% chance of life by physicians. She overcame the lethal ailment and routinely discussed her medical experiences.
Jaouad earned a bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University in 2010, as well as minors in Gender Studies and French. She worked on many human rights initiatives for organizations such as the Center for Constitutional Rights, Oxfam, and the African Union.
Suleika studied in Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt, where she researched and wrote about women’s problems. She travels around the United States teaching writing and giving speeches at high schools, colleges, hospitals, companies, fundraisers, and professional events. She has been on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, NBC’s Weekend Today, CBS News, The Paris Review, the Los Angeles Times, and Darling Magazine, among other outlets.
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More about the marriage of Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad
Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad were able to marry fast and enjoyed a small but wonderful wedding. Jaouad mentioned in her most recent interview that they used bread ties instead of traditional wedding rings. She said,
“And I’ll tell you, we were on cloud nine when we walked into the bone marrow transplant facility.” We were overjoyed, overjoyed with love and enthusiasm after such a lovely evening. And I really think that is what got us through.”
Jon Batiste spoke up to People in 2021 about developing his album We Are and how the song Show Me the Way is an example of the expression of his love for Jaouad. According to the songwriter,
“It relates to a lot of my childhood and our connection.” It’s a great thing to have a piece of our relationship snipped out and put into an album.”
The 35-year-old performer garnered 11 nominations and won five wins at the recent 64th Annual Grammy Awards, including best music video and album of the year.
