And for all the powerful moments in his life, one of the most cinematic began in 2005 outside a Walgreens in Berkeley, California. During a February 2024 appearance on “The Graham Norton Show,” Domingo shared his love story in a way that sounded like a scene from a romantic movie.
He said he was living in New York and at the time was in Berkeley on a Sunday night when he went into Walgreens. He was only there to buy a facial mask for the night, but as he walked in, he saw a man walking out.
The man had beautiful hair, a lip piercing, and instantly caught Domingo’s attention. They looked at each other, and Domingo remembered thinking, “Oh my God.”
He was on the phone at first, but when he came back outside, the man was still nearby and talking to a young woman who seemed upset about something. The man kept looking at Domingo, and vice versa, and the actor wondered what exactly was going on because the woman was so animated.
Colman Domingo spotted out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 26, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
Colman Domingo spotted out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 26, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
Domingo decided to get off the phone, seemingly hoping the moment might turn into something. But before it could, the man and the woman walked off down the street. There was still a spark, though. The mystery man kept looking back, and Domingo waved, but he just kept going.
Domingo was left completely dumbfounded. He wandered into a Blockbuster across the street and admitted he did not even know what he was doing.
Then he checked his watch; it was 8:03, a tiny detail that somehow stayed attached to the memory. He went back outside and wondered if the man might still be there. When he was not, Domingo thought maybe he would return the following Sunday and somehow see him again.
Colman Domingo and his husband posing during the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California on February 22, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
Colman Domingo and his husband posing during the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California on February 22, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
“I’m that kind of hopeless romantic,” he said. And honestly, that tiny confession makes the story even sweeter. Three days later, the plot took a very 2005 turn: Domingo was trying to buy a used computer and browsing Craigslist when he wondered whether those Missed Connections ads actually worked.
He said he used to read them on the subway, so he decided to look through them. On page two, he saw information that changed everything: Someone had written that they saw him outside Walgreens in Berkeley.
Colman Domingo and his husband at the 97th Oscars in Hollywood, California on March 2, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
Colman Domingo and his husband at the 97th Oscars in Hollywood, California on March 2, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
The man had placed the ad for Domingo only two hours earlier. Domingo jumped up, realizing the post was about him. The ad described him by his faux hawk, which Domingo laughed about because, yes, it was 2005. That detail was enough for him to know he had found the stranger from Walgreens.
They met up three days later for their first date. Domingo said he was trying to be “a good boy” and go home, but the man asked if he could stay over.
Domingo agreed, but said they should just cuddle. They did, and in the early hours of the morning, while he thought the other man was asleep, Domingo said what was already sitting on his heart.
Colman Domingo and his husband at the Pre-Tonys Dinner in New York on June 10, 2023. | Source: Getty Images
Colman Domingo and his husband at the Pre-Tonys Dinner in New York on June 10, 2023. | Source: Getty Images
“I think I love you and you’re about to change my life,” he recalled saying at 4 a.m. The line sounds almost too romantic to be real, but the years that followed proved he was not wrong.
The Mystery Man Became the Husband Who Helped Him Grow
That man, Film Producer Raúl, to be exact, became Domingo’s husband. In a November 2019 interview with The Advocate, Domingo said they had been married for 14 years and gave his husband a lot of credit for helping him become his fuller self.
Raúl and Colman Domingo at the 29th Critics’ Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California on January 14, 2024. | Source: Getty Images
Raúl and Colman Domingo at the 29th Critics’ Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California on January 14, 2024. | Source: Getty Images
“We are deeper into our relationship now than we’ve ever been, and I expect that to grow,” he explained. He described love as an ongoing journey where two people have to be willing to change directions together.
“You’re along for each other’s ride through life, and you have to be unafraid of changing directions,” Domingo said. He added that it helped that he and his husband wanted nothing more for themselves than to become the best people they could be, allow themselves to be free and unafraid, and help each other grow in their own spaces.
Raúl and Colman Domingo at the Ketel One Family Made Vodka Celebrates Filmmakers at the Official Gersh Agency Party in Park City, Utah on January 20, 2024. | Source: Getty Images
Raúl and Colman Domingo at the Ketel One Family Made Vodka Celebrates Filmmakers at the Official Gersh Agency Party in Park City, Utah on January 20, 2024. | Source: Getty Images
That is the kind of relationship advice that sounds gentle but actually takes a lot of courage. It is not about staying the same forever; it is about loving someone while both of you keep becoming more fully yourselves.
Leading up to 50, Domingo and his husband took that cue of freedom quite literally. They moved from New York City to Los Angeles, leaving behind congestion and noise for a different way of life.
Domingo said they had more space at the house they bought the previous year. There were trees, a pool, and a life that felt more open.
Colman and Raúl Domingo at the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California on February 7, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
Colman and Raúl Domingo at the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California on February 7, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
His Advice to Romantics Is Sweet, Simple, and Very Old-School
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