Tempestt Bledsoe a.k.a. “Vanessa Huxtable” from The Cosby Show and Darryl M. Bell — best known for his portrayal of “Ron Johnson, Jr.” on A Different World; and also in Spike Lee’s School Daze, as “Big Brother X-Ray Vision” — have an interesting decades-long relationship and they explained why.

By now, many fans know the famed 90s actors, who began dating in 1993 –five years after Tempestt made a guest appearance on A Different World— have been together for decades. And although they seem like the traditional couple who follows the traditional social norm, believe it or not, they still aren’t married. Some people have no idea the two have been happily unmarried for more almost 30 years — 29 years to be exact. So, how is such a seemingly unbelievable feat possible? Well, there’s a pretty interesting reason for their decision.

DARRYL EXPLAINS WHAT’S TAKING SO LONG TO JUMP THE BROOM

Although they’ve lived together for years, Darryl said, in a prior V-103 interview, that he’s still not ready to make that commitment and that “If it ain’t broke”… well, you know the rest.  And a few years ago, when Tempestt and Darryl appeared on Fox’s reality series, Househusbands of Hollywood, it was clear that not only was Darryl comfortable with being happily unmarried to Tempestt, when he stated that he wanted to be a “Stedman” to her “Oprah”…but that he was cool with Tempestt being the breadwinner, while he took care of things at home. Darryl does have an hilarious sense of humor though, so we’re not sure if he was joking about that ‘Stedman’ statement, or not.

During a previous interview with Entertainment Tonight, Darryl also explained why their unconventional, live-in relationship works:

“I think it is that it is really important that we are able to make each other laugh. Have you noticed that some of the ugliest stand-up comedians have some of the cutest girlfriends? If you can make a woman laugh, you will find your way into her heart,” he said. “I believe in the institution, too. I always say you never know what is going to happen 20 minutes from now, but, at the moment, we are happy and we have been happy, so we will see what the future brings.”

TEMPESTT ASLO HAD SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS…

Although fans would probably like to see the typical storybook plot for Tempestt and Darryl, she’s not giving away any details, reports People. She also explained why. “I wouldn’t say never,” says Bledsoe coyly, “but we feel great about the way things are.” Either way, she’s happy. “This is a tough business for anyone, especially if you start out young,” she says of Hollywood. “I feel really lucky about the way things have turned out.”

Well, alright for “Vanessa” and “Ron Johnson” are doing things their way! No wedding nuptials, but hey, they’re 29-year courtship has lasted longer than many celebrity marriages, so they obviously are doing something right and that’s all that matters.