Maury Povich & Connie Chung's Relationship Timeline: Inside Their 42-Year Marriage

Maury Povich and Connie Chung just love each other to death.

The couple's paths first crossed in 1969 when Chung began working at WTTG-TV as a copygirl. At the time, Povich already established a career as a news reporter and sportscaster for the independent station.

"He was a big star and I was just a kid," the journalist told People about their first meeting. "I would rip the wire copy off the machine and give it to Mr. Povich. He was very gruff and very matter-of-fact. He never looked up. I kept thinking, 'Maybe someday he'll acknowledge that I'm a human being.' I worked there for two years and then I left to launch my career – and I left him in the dust."

Their romance did not begin until they reconnected in Los Angeles in 1977. At the time, Chung was working as an anchor at a CBS affiliate.

"I was her co-act before they cleaned house," Povich recalled. "Because Connie was the only person I actually knew in Los Angeles, I always said the way to get to Connie's heart is first, she pities you, and then she can love you. She pitied the fact that I was fired."

After dating non-exclusively for seven years, Povich and Chung tied the knot in a 1984 wedding ceremony.

"It was nice," Chung told People. "Though I didn't convert to Judaism at the time, we got married before a rabbi. We both said to each other afterward, 'Were you listening to what the rabbi was saying?' And we both said, 'No, but did you see that dog right across the street?' We both were mesmerized by this dog in the building across the street who was looking down at the traffic and going from window to window barking."

Povich and Chung experienced fertility struggles during their marriage. So, in 1995, they welcomed their son, Matthew, via adoption.

"We tried to get pregnant," the Maury star revealed on Bunnie Xo's "Dumb Blonde" podcast. "And this is — I'm telling you, this is over 30 years ago. And so Connie had to take time off from CBS, and it became a big story that we were trying to get pregnant."

"And [the] late show guys, you know, Jay Leno and everybody was kind of making fun of [it]. 'I wonder if Maury and Connie are doing it tonight?'" he added. "You know? Doing all this kind of stuff to the point where Fox had this great show called In Living Color. They did a skit on Connie and I in bed trying to get pregnant and Jim Carrey played me."

The couple ultimately decided to adopt a child because they "couldn't do it." On the other hand, it was reportedly the "best decision" they made, and they "would not take it back."

"First of all, Connie says, when we're starting to adopt, Connie says to the lawyer that we hired, 'So we want a child who is half Chinese and half Jewish,'" he recalled. "And the lawyer says, 'You won't live long enough. Nobody comes up like that. It's not gonna happen.'"

Povich continued, "So we have this guy, and he's just spectacular. And he's now 30. He's engaged. He and his girlfriend have been together for like nine or ten years."

Although they kept the adoption private, the tabloids eventually learned about it.

Povich and Chung appeared on screen together in the MSNBC television news series Weekends with Maury and Connie in 2006. The show only lasted a few months after it was canceled due to low ratings.

Reflecting on the secret to their strong marriage, Povich revealed to People, "Whatever discussions or arguments go on during the day, once the head hits the pillow, it's over and not to be continued the next morning. It is not on my mind."

Chung chimed in, "That is truly admirable, but I hold grudges and I need to continue to argue it out, whatever it is."

Povich said they have always respected each other's careers, space and values.

"There's no need for any do-overs. Maybe that's the reason why we're still married," he gushed, while Chung added, "I would go back and relive every moment."

In her 2024 book, Connie: A Memoir, Chung acknowledged her husband's big role in her career.

"Were it not for Maury, I could never have had the career I had. He has been my foundation, my support beam, my love, my partner in every way, for decades. He helped me navigate my treacherous path up the ladder. I used to think I could survive without him. The guy in me told me, 'I was not dependent on anyone.' I was just another white guy, just like him. Now I know I could not live without Maury."

In addition, she wrote about loving her husband "with all my heart, and I know he loves me deeply, but sometimes, you know, I don't necessarily like him. My guess is that the feeling is mutual."

She also spoke fondly about their marriage in an interview with Us Weekly, sharing they "always had [their] own things that [they] do."

"I believe that you don't have to be friends with all of his friends, and he doesn't have to be friends with all of my friends. He can go do what he wants to do, and I'll do what I want to do," she explained. "We always come together and have dinner together — sometimes we have lunch together too — but we don't get in each other's hair."

Povich and Chung balance heartfelt moments with naughty ones.

On the premiere episode of "On Par With Maury Povich," the couple played a game during which the TV personality made a shocking bedroom confession.

"I feel sexiest when?" Chung read a slip of paper she drew from a jar.

"I feel sexiest on Sundays," he answered, to which Chung playfully responded, "Never on Sundays."

Povich then added, "Not in our house… It's always been. Everybody says, 'Can we play golf on Sunday?' I say, 'Nope. Sundays are with Connie.'"

According to Povich, he always tells Chung on their anniversaries that they "are going to take this marriage one decade at a time."

"We love each other to death," he added. "There are a lot of days we don't like each other, and that's fine. I think, more than anything else, the reason why it worked is because we understood the business we were in. I mean, I'm married to my wife. She comes home, she says: 'I have to go to Pakistan. I'll see you in a week or so.' OK, fine, I understand that. Some people, some husbands, might say: 'What the h--- is that? Who's going to take care of the kid?' So what? And if I say, 'I'm going to go to Nashville to do a week of (interviewing) country music stars,' 'OK, fine.'"

Povich said their shared understanding of each other's pressures and mutual support has brought them closer over time.

He said warmly, "She's been my go-to personality all these years. I have always thought of myself as Mr. Chung, and I still do. She was a big star way before I ever was, and I don't mind."