Who Is Omari Hardwick's Wife? All About Jennifer Pfautch

Omari Hardwick may be best known for playing James "Ghost" St. Patrick on 50 Cent's hit series Power, but to his wife Jennifer "Jae" Pfautch, he has a much more important role: loving husband.

The couple married in 2012 and have since celebrated several milestones together, including the births of their two children, Nova and Brave. Pfautch has also supported Hardwick professionally, and was actually the one who encouraged him to pursue his breakout role in Power.

While speaking to Ebony in 2020, Hardwick revealed that he was initially hesitant to take on the complicated character, but Pfautch's confidence in him helped him take the leap.

“I wouldn’t say I convinced him to take the role [in Power], per se," Pfautch told the outlet. "His soul knew it was time to embrace what God had for him careerwise, and in order to do that, the role of Ghost was the next step in that process. I honestly said very little; just enough to remind him of his call and his purpose."

Beyond their support for each other, the two have managed to keep the ins and outs of their relationship relatively private. But that doesn’t mean that Hardwick and Pfautch are shy about displaying their love on social media, as they frequently share tributes for each other on birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions.

In May 2023, Pfautch even joined Hardwick at the premiere of his new Netflix movie The Mother, in which he costars alongside Jennifer Lopez.

"Beautiful night celebrating the premiere of THE MOTHER," Pfautch captioned a snap of the couple on Instagram. "The Hubby absolutely KILLED this role."

Later that month, Hardwick talked to PEOPLE about his marriage, saying that "communication is so key" and it's "definitely" the most important component of a healthy relationship.

He added that respect is also important. "You just got to really respect the person you're in that relationship with. Once that's gone it's really hard to get that back," he said.

So who is Omari Hardwick’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Jennifer Pfautch and her relationship with the actor.

She is from St. Louis and worked as a publicist in California

Pfautch is from St. Louis, Missouri and, according to her LinkedIn, graduated from California Lutheran University in 2004 with a degree in communications.

While she was at school, she interned at NBC, working in the primetime entertainment publicity department. After graduating, she went on to work as a publicist for firms like the Creative Artists Agency and Paradigm Talent Agency in California.

She and Hardwick got married in 2012

While it's unclear when the pair first started dating, Hardwick and Pfautch officially tied the knot in May 2012.

Ahead of their 11-year anniversary in April 2023, Pfautch posted a sweet tribute to her husband and shared their secret to a successful marriage.

“One of the single most important things, in my opinion, is growth,” Pfautch wrote in the caption of the post. “Constant, perpetual, continual GROWTH in all facets. Look for someone who is always evolving. They aren’t going to magically fall in love with growth once you’re married, so look for it when you’re dating someone.”

They share two kids

Pfautch and Hardwick welcomed their first baby, daughter Nova, on Nov. 21, 2012. During an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan in 2020, Hardwick described his little girl as a "Scorpittarius," meaning she was born on the cusp of the Scorpio and Sagittarius zodiac signs.

"Jae named Nova, obviously, meaning new star, supernova," the actor explained of his daughter's moniker, which Pfautch also picked for its Hopi tribe meaning of "chasing butterflies."

The couple's second baby, son Brave, was born on March 23, 2015. "They're growing up quick," the proud dad added of his two kids.

Hardwick made another appearance on the talk show in May 2023 to give an update on the couple's family. The father of two shared that their daughter is the only girl in her baseball league, playing the positions of shortstop, first base and center field.

“She’s super fast, she’s rocking and rolling,” he said, adding that Nova takes after both Hardwick (who played football at the University of Georgia) and Pfautch. "Her mom is really athletic too," he said, explaining that their son Brave has also taken up basketball.

They experienced a pregnancy loss

Both Hardwick and Pfautch have been open about grieving the loss of a child following the stillbirth of their first baby in 2008. In an interview with Lance Gross, Hardwick revealed that he actually had to work the day Pfautch lost the baby.

"It came to a place where we lost the baby and ironically, the day that we delivered the baby, I was forced to work," the actor said. “And it was the first moment for me that I was angry at the industry.”

The loss took a toll on the couple, and Hardwick credits a conversation with his Sorry to Bother You costar Terry Crews for helping him save his relationship following the devastation.

"Terry actually said 'Man! You can't leave that girl.' He grabbed me so hard," Hardwick said in an interview with Ebony.

On Mother's Day in 2017, Pfautch shared a since-deleted Instagram post dedicated to all of the women who have lost children. "To all my Mother's who have lost a baby: TODAY is for YOU too. I lost mine and Omari's first child at 7months pregnant (almost 10 years ago),” she wrote. “Mother's Day was heartbreaking for me for years following our loss.”

They are both Capricorns

Whether it's during an interview or in a hashtag at the end of an Instagram post, Hardwick frequently mentions that the pair share a zodiac sign.

"#Cappystrong," Hardwick captioned a birthday post for Pfautch on Jan. 4, 2019.

Hardwick’s birthday falls a few days later, on Jan. 9.

They make time for date nights

Despite the pair's busy schedules, Hardwick and Pfautch make sure they leave room in their schedule for the occasional date night. As the actor told PEOPLE for the 2016 Sexiest Man Alive issue, the couple doesn't need to get fancy to enjoy quality time together.

“You know how you can be romantic? You can be romantic by going to a beautiful setting, sitting on a park bench and getting good ole fashioned golden arches a.k.a. McDonald’s,” he said. “That’s probably the best I can do romantically.”

Hardwick also said he turns to music to spice things up. “I can play music!” the Power star explained. “I am a music-ie while my wife is a foodie, so the combination works.”

Pfautch encouraged Hardwick to pursue music while 'Power' was on hiatus

While the Georgia native has always been interested in many forms of art, his wife encouraged him to get serious about his passion for music during the hiatus between seasons 1 and 2 of Power.

"Jae said 'Don't do a movie this hiatus,' she always has these ideas, she was like 'Why don't you do music?' " Hardwick said during an interview on Good Morning America.

Hardwick later released his debut music video, "hOme," in January 2019.

Hardwick is protective of Pfautch

Hardwick has spoken about how people have been critical of his interracial marriage with Pfautch, who is White. The mother of two has received negative comments on social media, and has even been ignored by fans of Hardwick.

The Army of the Dead actor shared on the radio show The Breakfast Club how he once refused to take a photo with a fan because they did not address Pfautch or his children while the family was out together.

"Just acknowledge our families. This woman to my right here, saved my life," he said about Pfautch, adding that she helped him get through some of his lowest points in life. "You don't really know the story. I was broke as f---, she saved my f------ life," he said about the interaction.

As for social media criticism about his wife's appearance, Hardick told Ebony, "That’s just weird. There’s nothing to really break down on that."

“Do we really think there’s a god up top matching people together because of their color?" he added. " That’s a disrespect of God. There’s a lot of ignorance. … Flyness has no color to it; beauty has no color to it; power has no color to it.”

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