Meet Jeremy Allen White's Soon To Be Ex-Wife
In 2022, "The Bear" boosted Jeremy Allen White's celebrity to new heights. As is the way of the showbiz world, fame doesn't come cheap. His portrayal of sizzling kitchen taskmaster Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto has without question been a boon for his career, but it also put his personal life front and center. And unfortunately, that means there's been extra attention on his impending divorce from fellow actor and longtime partner Addison Timlin. While the reasons behind the couple's split have been shielded from public view, speculation hasn't been scarce. From cheating rumors to trust issues, a wide range of motives and explanations have been cited.
Timlin and White were major couple goals for fans who were acquainted with their fairytale romance, which began during the actors' youthful years. It was "love at first sight" for Timlin, who first met White when they were in high school. "He has really blue eyes and his blue shirt brought out the blue eyes. And he had really long hair, and that was really cool," she shared on the "Showmance" podcast in 2019. From being long-term friends to making a family together as adults, White and Timlin have remained in each other's orbits for the bulk of each other's lives.
While the dissolution of Addison Timlin's relationship made headlines in 2023, there is, of course, so much more than Jeremy Allen White's ex.
Addison Timlin's acting credits exceed those of her to-be ex-husband
Jeremy Allen White may be front and center across television and internet screens at the moment, but the sum of "The Bear" star's acting credits pale in comparison to Addison Timlin's body of work. Even before she'd made 10 trips around the sun, Timlin's girlhood dreams to perform were soaring high. She was still in elementary school when she expressed a desire to star in the iconic musical "Annie." "I was three feet tall, and I was, like, focused," she told The New York Times when she was 14 years old. Her career as a child star took off enough for her mom to consider making the move to New York where she could pursue her passions.
After she proved her merit in stage productions, she began working in film, rubbing shoulders with showbiz heavy-hitters like Melanie Griffith and Jennifer Aniston. "For me, I know this is what I want to do. I've always felt like this is what I've wanted to do. Forever," Timlin sagely declared as a teen. It is something she saw through well, making her feature film debut in the 2005 movie "Derailed." Soon after, she dipped her toes into television with series like "3 lbs" and "Cashmere Mafia." As she graduated to prominent shows like "Law & Order" and, more memorably, "Californication," Timlin's status as an artist was further elevated. She even produced the 2017 film "Chasing You," which starred White.
Al Pacino is a father figure to her
How many young actors can say they have Al Pacino looking over them? Addison Timlin can. No, this legend of all legends isn't Timlin's godfather (pun very much intended), but their bond is truly special. Their connection goes back to 2012 when they co-starred in a black comedy called "Stand Up Guys." Pacino spearheaded the cast with fellow cinema greats Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin. Amidst these Hollywood luminaries was a young actor in her early 20s without a great many film credits — and yet, she managed to deliver a standout performance that remains one of her most memorable. In the process, Timlin also gained a father figure in Pacino. "Al is someone I've remained very close with. I'm like, 'Dad?' He's met people that I've dated and given them a hard time," she told WWD in 2016.
Though Timlin impressed as Alex — who, in the film, is a waitress eventually revealed to be Walken's character's granddaughter — her days on the sets of "Stand Up Guys" were "mostly terrifying" but "pivotal," she told Harper's Bazaar. Few up-and-coming stars get the rare privilege of working with the likes of Pacino in the initial phase of their careers. So there were doubts whether Timlin acknowledged the gravity of the opportunity she had been given. Echoing a producer's apprehension, she said, "Oh my god, maybe she is that young, and dumb enough to not know who these people are."
Addison Timlin is enthusiastic about tattoos
Her ex-partner Jeremy Allen White certainly made a splash with his ripped, tatted-up physique on "The Bear." But in real life, it is actually Addison Timlin who is more passionate about tattoos, of which she has a fair few. About 30, for those keeping count. Her romance with tattoos began rather sentimentally at the age of 16. "It sits on my shoulder and says, 'the last one' ironically, but it's my mother's handwriting and it's a poem she wrote when I was born because I'm the youngest of four," she told WWD. Once she crossed that threshold, there was evidently no stopping her. A smattering of tiny tattoos — some letters, some shapes — cover the breadth of Timlin's back and arms.
"I think of them as a timeline of my life," she explained poignantly. True to her utterance, Timlin marked the milestone of motherhood with a tattoo for her firstborn, Ezer Billie, in 2019. Timlin had her daughter's name inked across a heart, while White had it done across a hummingbird. The significance of his tattoo is irrevocably tied to Timlin, too: The "Shameless" alum told InStyle that the moment his then-wife told him she was pregnant, there was a hummingbird hovering around. While several of Carmy's tattoos are fake, White does sport a real tattoo on his forearm dedicated to Timlin, with their nicknames Buddy and Billie.
Addison Timlin was thankful for the family time she got during the pandemic
Addison Timlin has no peculiar hobbies, no raging desires for late nights out, and no typical celebrity frills. She finds satisfaction in the simple pleasures of life. These include her motherhood duties and, in her pre-divorce days, spending time with her then-partner Jeremy Allen White. Her homebody tendencies helped during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It was a beautiful time to slow down. I was counting my blessings the whole time because we were in a unique position," she told Digital Journal. In fact, it was during the early phase of the pandemic that Timlin and White grew their family, welcoming a second child in December 2020. Going from one to two kids was undoubtedly challenging, but between her busy schedule as a mother, she still managed to hone her cooking skills.
Cooking is one passion she has in common with White (and Carmy, of course). Besides that, she's down to chill out in front of the TV. "My hobbies are either making television or watching it," as expressed in a 2021 episode of "Paltrocast with Darren Paltrowitz." Timlin's inclination towards a domestic life isn't entirely a new development that occurred after she started a family. The "Little Sister" star, even during her days as a young actor, yearned for modest joys. As Harper's Bazaar pointed out, Timlin once tweeted, "I think I would spend my last day on this earth eating all of my favorite kinds of cereal with a cute boy on a comfy couch."
Playing Hillary Clinton in a film had her in tears
In 2019, Addison Timlin's film "When I'm a Moth" premiered. Timlin starred as a young Hillary Rodham Clinton — or a version of her, at least. The movie is a fantastical retelling of the former first lady's life before she became known to the world. It was dubbed an "un-biopic," and as ambitious as the film's premise was, it miserably failed to land. Review authorities like Variety absolutely skewered the attempt, calling it "an insufferably pretentious arthouse drama." Though the film didn't earn glowing feedback, Timlin's endeavor to portray the character in all her bespectacled honesty wasn't particularly picked apart.
Meanwhile, for Timlin, stepping into the shoes of one of the most significant women in American politics was rather noteworthy. "It was exciting to feel a connection to her during that very unique time in history," she told Digital Journal. While the experience was seemingly positive for her, it wasn't the easiest. In her interview with Darren Paltrowitz, Timlin said she spent hours every night poring over the dense script, regularly stressing out over getting the lines down pat. "At some point, around 10 or 11 at night, I would be in tears," she shared. What's more, the location's cold climate took a toll on the actor. "I was really sick during some of it," she said.
The indie art space is Addison Timlin's comfort zone
Addison Timlin has surely carved a niche for herself in the independent film space. In her nearly two-decade showbiz career, which she kickstarted during childhood, Timlin has dedicated a significant portion of her craft and energy to alternative cinema and experimental projects. It's her safe space, she has stated. "I find myself mostly existing in this weirdo indie world, which I feel really comfortable being in," she said in an interview with Collider.
Her arthouse endeavors aren't lost on audiences that enjoy that strata of cinema. Her performance as a young goth nun in the 2016 black comedy "Little Sister," which saw her collaborating with former youth icon Ally Sheedy, was eye-catching — and not just for her shock-pink hair. "Little Sister" ended up collecting an award at the Oak Cliff Film Festival.
Her other low-key films like "When I'm a Moth" and "All Roads to Pearla" weren't as lucky with success but Timlin, with her never-say-die approach, isn't wary of pushing the envelope with her work. "The thing that motivates me the most is to try to do something way different than the last thing that I did," she told Collider. Perhaps her adventurous attitude is what keeps her circling back to the indie space which embraces the offbeat far more than big-budget Hollywood films that, in Timlin's words, "are not so risk takey."
She met Jeremy Allen White when they were kids in drama class
Addison Timlin and Jeremy Allen White's relationship goes back long years to when the duo were just teenagers. It didn't immediately start off as a romance though. The teens were part of the same acting circle. "When we were 14 years old and I saw you perform for the first time in drama class, I couldn't take my eyes off of you," Timlin wrote in an Instagram post dedicated to White. Their dynamic transcended friendship in 2008, when Timlin and White turned co-stars for Antonio Campos' psychological thriller "Afterschool." With Timlin identifying White as her "best friend of 15 years," the two presumably remained close for the better part of their lives.
Given that the two admitted to dating other people in their youth — White was famously in a relationship with his "Shameless" co-star Emma Greenwell — it took some years before they properly committed to each other. "We had a couple of false starts throughout our, sort of like, adolescence and early twenties," White revealed in an interview with InStyle (via Stylecaster). But from their disclosures, one can infer that a spark always existed between the pair. In 2013, long before the duo officially got together, Timlin referred to a mystery man in an interview with Harper's Bazaar: "We have a nice foundation from being friends for a long period of time, and then it took a hard right turn into romance." We'll give you one guess.
She was super emotional after watching The Bear
Having known him for ages, Addison Timlin has had a grandstand view of the upward trajectory Jeremy Allen White's career has taken. Though White has been acting for well over a decade, his biggest break yet came in 2022 as he fronted Hulu's wildly popular gastronomical drama "The Bear." The series, which is two seasons in, accrued roaring success, with White's characterization of award-winning chef Carmy raking in his first major acting accolades. Seeing her longtime love finally get the recognition he deserved was a significant moment for Timlin. "When I watched the pilot for The Bear, I cried my f***ing heart out," she wrote following White's Critics' Choice and Golden Globes sweep. "I think somewhere I must've known how much life was about to change, but mostly I just knew that the world was about to discover what I've known all along."
White's Carmy hasn't just found appreciation among critics but also in devoted fan circles on the internet, where he is revered as somewhat of a stud muffin. (He had no reason to make two simple words — "Yes, Chef!" — sound so deliciously tantalizing.) Carmy's tatted body and brooding manner make viewers feel a certain way that is enunciable only through thirsty expressions, of which there is no shortage online. Fortunately, Timlin never let the intense attention get to her. White told People, "I have a pretty healthy distance from it all. And my wife does as well."
The former partners share two daughters
Addison Timlin and Jeremy Allen White expanded their family in 2018, welcoming their first daughter together. "Welcome to the world baby girl, it just got so much brighter," the elated mother wrote in an Instagram post introducing her child. Ezer Billie quickly became a regular feature on her mom's social media. From accompanying her parents on voting day to dozing off on her mother's actor friends, Ezer had a busy social calendar as a baby. Timlin, on her part, was emotional over this milestone in her life: "I have wanted to be a mother since I was a little girl. ... Ezer thank you for finding me, for whispering to me all the secrets of the world. You have made my life," she shared.
Before they welcomed baby no. 2, White and Timlin tied the knot in 2019, officially becoming husband and wife after a lifetime of togetherness. Though the ceremony was intimate, it was star-studded with the likes of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson, godmother to her best friend Timlin's children, in attendance. Funnily enough, visuals of Martin and Johnson in fineries at a courthouse in Beverly Hills kindled some fan excitement over the lovebirds getting hitched, TMZ reported. The couple that actually did get hitched marked their big day with personalized matching denim jackets that read Buddy and Billie, the duo's nicknames for each other. A year later, Timlin gave birth to their second daughter, Dolores Wild.
She filed for divorce after over three years of marriage
After a long courtship period, and an even longer friendship, Addison Timlin and Jeremy Allen White married in 2019. Nearly four years later, this fan-favorite fairytale came crashing down with the heartbreaking dispatch that the couple were headed for divorce. The news of Timlin and White's marriage ending became mainstream knowledge in May 2023, soon after Timlin initiated the proceedings, People reported. While the affected parties refrained from reacting publicly to their situation, various publications weighed in on the reasons behind the beloved couple's split.
A report from ET quoted a source that claimed "trust issues" burdened Timlin and White's relationship. "They were attempting to work things out but things became increasingly difficult for them, and they decided to split," they added. Internet gossip sites theorized over cheating and adultery, though friends of "The Bear" star rubbished the rumors. Sources, however, did point to White's busy shooting schedules as a supposed explanation for Timlin deciding to end things, according to Page Six.
It was through specifics in the court documents obtained by news publications that it became clear that Timlin and White had been living separate lives long before the divorce was set in motion. Their separation dates back to September of 2022, just over two months after the premiere of White's career-altering show "The Bear." In her divorce filing, Timlin only mentioned irreconcilable differences, seeking spousal support and primary custody of the couple's two children.
Jeremy Allen White and Addison Timlin seem to be on friendly terms
Jeremy Allen White and Addison Timlin were in each other's lives way before they got married and so they remain even after their marital status is under question. Things haven't soured between the former couple, which shares two daughters, despite their separation nearly a year ago. Just weeks after their divorce made headlines in May 2023, White and Timlin were spotted having a more-than-cordial exchange at their older daughter's soccer game, Page Six reported. There were kisses and hugs aplenty, with White even goofing around with the daughters the pair is co-parenting. Though sources indicated to People that there was some tension at the time of their separation, "Things have settled a bit."
Timlin and White had been separated for longer than the world knew. There was no reason to suspect a split, especially since the pair appeared so totally loved up through their reported estrangement since 2022. When White ascended the Golden Globes stage to receive the best actor award for "The Bear" in January 2023, he delivered a grand gesture of love for his ex-partner. "Addison Timlin, I love you deep in my bones, thank you for all that you do, thank you for everything that you've done," he said, echoing Timlin's own declaration many moons ago. Timlin too, made no small show of her affection for White, calling his success "one of the most overwhelming dimension hopping moments of my whole life."
Addison Timlin said being a single mom can feel 'so lonely'
On more than a few occasions, avid Instagrammer Addison Timlin has gushed about the experiences of motherhood and raising two children with Jeremy Allen White on the social media platform. An exhibit: "Sweet husband, I love navigating the sweet storm of our children with you everyday," her post for Valentine's Day read in 2021. Fast forward to 2023, Timlin changed track to shed light on her altered situation of parenting. In a lengthy Instagram post for Mother's Day — which incidentally also served as a public revelation of Timlin and White's prolonged separation period — the "Fallen" star pondered over her life in the past year.
"Co-parent is not how I pictured it. ... Its not the natural order of things. It can be exhausting but more than anything it can just be so lonely. when something magical happens and you have to tell yourself "don't forget this" because theres no witness by your side," she shared, alongside snaps of special moments with her girls Ezer Billie and Dolores Wild. White found no mention.
Reactions to Timlin's heartfelt post were divided, with some fans supporting her and other comments taking issue with her original phrasing of "single mom" which she later changed to "co-parent." According to Page Six, sources claimed that even White allegedly felt "blindsided" by Timlin's statement, which was essentially the first time she addressed her separation in public. White has reportedly appealed for joint custody of their daughters.