'Time stopped': Spike Lee reveals he lied to his date after seeing Tonya Lewis Lee at Congressional Black Caucus for the first time

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Spike Lee has revealed how he met his wife Tonya Lewis Lee for the first time and how “time stopped” for him.

The film director also disclosed that he was on a date with someone else at the time when he saw Tonya, PEOPLE reported.

Spike Lee claims ‘time stopped’ for him after he saw Tonya Lewis Lee

Spike Lee sat down for an interview with Kelly Corrigan on her podcast ‘Kelly Corrigan Wonders’ where he shared that he and his wife’s paths crossed in Washington, DC, in September 1992.

A screening of a trailer for his movie ‘Malcolm X’ was happening at the Congressional Black Caucus and Tonya was present at the event on behalf of her father.

Explaining his love story, the 67-year-old screenwriter reportedly said, “So I had a date that night. So I'm going to the restroom and I see this woman coming to me — and I know it might sound corny, but it’s true — time stopped.”

“I said, ‘Damn!’ [Laughs] And so later on, she said the same thing. So we just looked at each other and then couldn't see [each other] anymore,” Spike noted.

Spike Lee invited Tonya Lewis Lee for a date soon after meeting her

The ‘Do The Right Thing’ director further elaborated, “So the night is going on. You know, I’m there, I got to introduce the trailer for Malcolm X. And it's time to go, so we’re leaving — Tonya has her version, I have my version, and there’s the real version …

“I'm going down the escalator, and she's going up the escalator. So I'm going down the escalator, I gotta think quick. So tell the person I’m with, ‘I think I left my Montblanc pen upstairs,’ you know, something like that,” he added.

The Academy Award winner then mentioned, “I make a U-turn, go back on the escalator and find her and ask her for, you know, her number,” before adding that their first date was “Madonna's Sex book party”.

Tonya Lewis Lee recalled meeting Spike Lee

However, Tonya earlier revealed about their first meeting, as reported by Essence, “We walked past each other. Spike circled back around and proceeded to give me the third degree.”

“‘Are you an actress? A model? A singer? Who are you here with? What do you do? Do you have a boyfriend?’” the 58-year-old film producer added.

The couple exchanged vows in October 1993. In 2020, the ‘Aftershock’ director reportedly shared, “I think marriage has taught me more about myself than anything. What I will and won’t put up with and what’s important to me.”

“I believe in marriage ... It’s a mutual understanding that each individual has a lot to contribute to the other, the marriage, and the world,” Tonya asserted.