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Meet Iva Colter!
By Izzy Casey — Written on Oct 01, 2020
Mike Colter stars in the hit CBS television series Evil, which is being released to Netflix on Oct. 1 — just in time for the Halloween season! Mike Colter is a famous television actor by day, and loving husband and father by night. Welll, technically, loving husband and father by day and night. It's clear that for Colter, supporting his wife, Iva Colter, happens 24/7. But who is this lucky lady?
Who is Iva Colter?
Iva Colter was born in New Jersey on April 25, 1975, which makes her a Taurus. She received an M.A. in Gender and Culture from Central European University and a PH.D. in comparative literature from Rutgers University.
What Iva Colter do for a living?
She is the current Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Netflix. Before making her way to the top of the promotion ladder, she served as Manager and Director of Talent Acquisition at Netflix. From 2012-2014 she worked as an AVP of Recruiting at Ares Management. She puts the "success" in "successful" for sure!
When did Iva Colter and Mike Colter meet?
Technically, Iva was Mike's schoolgirl crush. The two love birds met at Rutgers University in New Jersey. At the time, Mike was receiving a masters degree in acting, while Iva was earning her PH.D. In 2016, they married, but dated each other ten years before saying their "I do's."
Iva and Mike were judged by "fans" for being an interracial couple.
When a poll titled “Luke Cage’s Got A White Wife — Mad Or Nah?” came out, 21% of people taking the poll voted "Not gonna lie — I'm a little hurt." Insert video of Chris Crocker sobbing mascarra tears under a bed sheet. Replace "Britney" with "Iva and Mike."
“I love my sistas... I’m a human being. I look at people [for their] character and what is inside," he said. "I met my wife when I was struggling and in grad school. She stuck with me for 16 years … She held me up many times.”
They are the proud parents of two children.
Their oldest daughter, Naiella Colter, will be turning five years old this year. In 2018, Mike opened up about his relationship with parenting. “I thought I’d be more strict, but I think it’s a combination of strict and fun because if I tell her to do something, she takes her time. She looks at me and sizes it up, deciding whether she’s going to do it or not,” he said.
“She says no, but I can tell she’s trying to calculate how much she can get away with,” he explains. “I’m pretty firm because if she doesn’t listen, I say, ‘You have to be a good listener,’ and if she doesn’t listen then I get pretty serious with her and give her a talking to,” he added.
In Oct. of 2018, the couple welcomed another beautiful baby girl into this world. Days before she popped out of the oven, Luke Cage was canceled for streaming on Netflix.
Mike Colter posted to his personal Instagram account, “As one door closes, another has opened, with the birth of my 2nd daughter. Born this week. A lot of great memories. Time to make more. Always forward, forward always." For some reason, the post was taken down from his account.
The Colter family has spent a lot of time together during quarantine.
From one-on-one family chess games with Naiella to talking longs walks with their dog, Layla, Mike Colter reports that he and his family are finding ways to make each day as productive as possible. Anytime they step outside they wear their masks, of course!
Izzy Casey is a writer who covers pop culture.