Who Is George Takei's Husband? All About Brad Takei

George Takei and his husband, Brad Takei, first met each other in the 1980s.

The actor was not publicly out at that time, but he did join an LGBTQ+ running club called the L.A. Frontrunners, where his now-husband Brad was also a member. “He was the best runner in the club," George told Oprah Winfrey on an Oprah: Where Are They Now? episode. "And also great-looking. So I went up to him and I asked him to train me for my first marathon. Before long, we became partners."

It wasn’t until 2005 that George, who played Mr. Sulu on Star Trek, publicly came out to Frontiers magazine. “Because of the changes that are happening, I see the potential for significant change —[the potential] that I might be able to contribute to the gay community as I have to the Japanese-American community and to the civil rights movement,” George said of his decision. “Because of the changing public and political climate, I think we need to get the numbers, and I can play a part in trying to bring some rationality to our society.”

The pair tied the knot in 2008 in a Buddhist ceremony in downtown Los Angeles. Nearly 200 guests watched George and Brad exchange vows in a circle of yellow rose petals. The reception was held at the Japanese American National Museum. George's former Star Trek costars Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig were their maid of honor and best man.

So who is George Takei's husband? Here’s everything to know about Brad Takei and his relationship with the actor.

Brad was a financial journalist when he met George

Brad was a financial journalist when he met George in the 1980s but became George’s business partner in the early 1990s.

“Eventually, I helped George with some of his public relations, press releases and various projects,” Brad explained on the podcast Oh Myyy Pod!. "He needed somebody to help make sure that things got accomplished so that he could be a visionary and artist and I could do the detail work — and it sort of gradually evolved that I became his business manager.” 

Brad joined George on an episode of The Newlywed Game

In 2009, Brad and George became the first openly gay couple to compete on The Newlywed Game since its inception in 1967. "I grew up watching the show in the 1970s where [host] Bob [Eubanks] would talk about 'making whoopee' and now Carnie Wilson just asks how often you have sex," Brad said. "It shows how much our culture has changed."

George also recognized the magnitude of the moment. "We're boldly going where no other same-sex couple has gone," the actor added. "We want to be seen [on the show] in context throughout society as no different from other couples who preceded us, in the context of normalcy and commitment to each other."

Brad changed his last name from Altman to Takei

After being together for 26 years, Brad changed his last name from Altman to Takei in 2013, despite George’s resistance. “I argued with him on that,” George told Access Hollywood Live.

“He wanted to become a Takei.” George even suggested hyphenating their names, to which Brad replied, “I feel Takei.”

Brad joined George on-screen for their documentary

After years behind the camera as George’s business manager, the couple filmed a documentary together about their advocacy work, called To Be Takei.

“The mission statement was to allow access into our private lives to show fair-minded Americans that a same-sex couple, this is like everyone else in our culture dominated by opposite-sex couple,” Brad told The Wrap. “Maybe if our doc showed we’re just like everyone else, just the same gender, maybe fair-minded people will think twice about wanting to discriminate against the LGBT community.”

He believes in the longevity of George’s career

Brad has always been extremely supportive of George’s career.

“I always say George is the next Betty White. The middle years of her career, she was a very prominent American actor winning Emmys left and right and very well known to the American public, but she didn’t become 'Betty White' until her very mature years,” Brad told The Wrap. “That path is what’s happening to George. He’s not that guy from Star Trek — which is not a bad thing to be, he’s proud to be part of it — he’s simply George Takei.”

He won the International Vanguard Award together with George in 2014

The couple's LGBTQ+ work earned them the honor. In his acceptance speech, George took a moment to thank his husband for being his partner in all aspects of life. “He’s my husband, we’re married, but we’re also professional partners in life. We build our lives and our career together, and I feel so blessed in having him and I feel very blessed to be gay.”