Sterling K. Brown is spilling the tea on how his wife, Ryan Michelle Bathe, put him in the friend zone before they decided to take their relationship to the next level. 

While appearing on Tuesday’s broadcast (Dec. 12) of the “Sherri” show hosted by comedian Sherri Shepherd, the “This Is Us” alum put Bathe on blast about their pre-relationship dilemma. “She did put me in the friend zone,” he said.

For him, that was an area he was not willing to commit to. “Let me tell you something about that: Brown wasn’t going to stay in that friend zone,” the Emmy-award-winning actor told Shepherd.

Still, he respected Bathe's boundaries and gave her the space she needed. “I had to stop talking to her for a minute because I had to let her know ‘Look I don’t want to be your friend. I want to be something a little bit more than that. So until you’re ready....we can just hang out for a little bit.'"

However, they have now been married for almost two decades. The “American Fiction” star said the “beautiful” thing about their relationship is that “We’re almost like brother and sister and husband and wife at the same time.” The unique spark within their marriage is that they “tease each other all the time.”

The two originally met in 2008 but didn't exchange vows for eight years. After eloping in 2006, they had a larger wedding one year later, as reported by PEOPLE. Along their love journey, they have also welcomed two sons: Andrew, 12,  and Amaré, 8. 

To keep their bond tight, Brown said he and Bathe enjoy dancing together. “Now if we go to the club [and] if you back it up on me, I’m not going to shy away.”

Not only do they enjoy getting down on the dance floor, but they are also taking the reigns in the business world together. Their latest venture as a couple is their new podcast, “We Don’t Always Agree,” while Brown added, “It’s gonna be fun.”

This show will take pages out of their longtime romance while highlighting their various approaches in business, parenthood, relationships, and politics. "After 18 years of marriage, you don’t always agree, but you figure it out. You make a decision every day to say "yes" to your partner. And we’ve said yes for 18 years, and we’re really really happy.”

He continued, “We sort of approach things slightly differently. She has a different perspective as a Black woman, and I as a Black man."