Halle Berry Says Her ‘Official’ Wedding Photo Was a Joke

Halle Berry was playing an April Fools’ Day joke four months early on New Year’s Day when she posted an “official” wedding photo with her boyfriend, musician Van Hunt. The photo fooled almost everyone into thinking the two tied the knot. On Sunday though, Berry confirmed it was just a joke.

On Saturday, Berry marked the new year by posting a photo of the couple inside an empty chapel overlooking a tropical landscape. She also included another photo of the two, with “It’s 2022!” written on it. “Well… it’s official!” Berry wrote in the caption. The post fooled plenty of fans, including some of Berry’s celebrity friends. “Congrats!!! So happy for you,” Taraji P. Henson wrote. “Blessings, Queen! Wonderfulllll!!!!” Ava DuVernay commented. “Congrats you two!!! Beautiful!!” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wrote.

However, it turns out that Berry was pulling everyone’s legs. “We were just having some New Year’s Day fun! People clearly don’t swipe as much as we thought they did,” Berry wrote on Sunday, alongside another photo of the couple. “Thank you for the well wishes, tho’, it really touched our hearts! Now it’s OFFICIAL, the internet is no longer undefeated.” She included the hashtags “no more swipes 4 me” and “January fools day.”

Berry, 55, and Hunt, 51, started dating in September 2020 and they have made several red carpet appearances since. In March 2021, Hunt told Entertainment Tonight that Berry was his muse now. “In more ways than I can even tell you right now,” Hunt told ET when asked how influential Berry has been to his latest music. “I could show you rather than I could tell you, and I will show you really soon, I promise… The inspiration for our relationship goes across everything, even in my parenting. I’m a completely different person, I can say it like that, and I think that it’s improved every aspect of my life.”

Berry’s career also took a major leap forward last year. Her directorial debut, Bruised, hit Netflix in November 2021. The film stars Berry as a UFC fighter trying to overcome her demons to make a comeback after her son reenters her life. The film’s success on Netflix led to Berry signing an overall deal to produce and star in new features for the streamer.

“My directorial debut, Bruised, was a labor of love and I knew that Scott [Stuber] and Ted [Sarandos] would treat it with great care,” Berry said in a statement at the time. “The Netflix team has not only been collaborative and creative, but extremely passionate and a delight to work with. I am beyond grateful for the partnership and look forward to telling more stories together.”