Inside Justin Timberlake And Jessica Biel's Marriage
Over a decade has passed since Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake first got together, but they're still one of the hottest couples Hollywood has. With their respective showbiz careers that span the breadth of music and acting, the two are a creative powerhouse. In each other's company though, it's not their long list of credits, but only their love that shines the brightest. From bringing up two children to weathering the storm of multiple controversies and everything in between, Biel and Timberlake only seem to be strengthening their relationship with each milestone they cross. Cheating rumors and ghosts of past romances have come and gone but the Timberlake-Biel marriage is here to stay.
A private couple on most other fronts, the one thing they aren't averse to is expressing their passion for the other. "She's become a huge influence on my life, and I have such admiration for her, especially seeing her as a mother now," Timberlake wrote in his 2018 memoir "Hindsight" (via ET Online). Their status as parents hasn't dimmed their commitment to each other, a fact the couple constantly drives home with frequent date nights and endless loved-up snaps on social media. Their marriage is a safe space, according to Biel, with the foundation of partnership seeing the couple through big and small moments. On that note, let's take a deep dive into Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel's marriage, the challenges it has pushed through, and the recipe for its long-lasting success.
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake briefly broke up before marrying in 2012
The start of Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake's relationship was like any ordinary meet-cute. In Timberlake's words, "It was very un-Hollywood-esque" (via Us Weekly). The couple met at a bar among friends, with Biel catching Timberlake's attention when she responded to a joke he made. "I made some sort of sarcastic comment, really dry. Nobody got it except her," he wrote in his memoir, per Grazia. It took a while before numbers were exchanged and the duo could wring themselves free of other romantic alliances to pursue a relationship. By 2007, Biel and Timberlake were the new big thing in showbiz.
It wasn't all smooth sailing though. Their romance hit a roadblock in 2011 when headlines flashed news of their sudden breakup. The split happened in the throes of infidelity rumors surrounding Timberlake, though a statement to People claimed that the pair parted ways without animosity. "It was completely mutual and they both decided it was time to move on," the statement further read. As it turns out, it was only a hiccup, given that Biel and Timberlake were back together a few months later — and how! The two bounced back stronger from the split and by late 2012, tied the knot in Italy. The star-studded ceremony — the innermost details of which never made it to the press — stretched on for a week, foreshadowing the long marriage Biel and Timberlake would embark on.
Shared values and good humor keep the pair going
Compatibility has been a key factor in keeping the Jessica Biel-Justin Timberlake relationship strong for decades. The celebrity couple don't just share common ground by way of their showbiz professions, but also in their perspectives toward things. As "The Sinner" star told Marie Claire, "We have similar values; we believe in loyalty, honesty. We like to have fun. We like a lot of the same things." Having a partner who is in the same business is also a huge plus, considering that they would be able to relate to the commitment a career in entertainment warrants.
For Biel and Timberlake, the support isn't just off-screen but on-screen, too. In what was a complete surprise to fans of "Candy," Timberlake made an unexpected cameo on the true crime series headlined by his wife. When Biel told Timberlake about a vacant part the show was too broke to cast, Timberlake stepped in to fill the role — for free! "I think he's just a big supporter of mine in our relationship and at work, privately and personally," Biel gushed to Variety.
That said, Biel and Timberlake's relationship isn't just driven by sentimentality; they keep each other laughing all the time. Biel, who referred to Timberlake as a "comedic genius," is no less herself. She once shocked and delighted fans in equal measure by leaving a dirty comment on her husband's Instagram about being "in awe of [his] big...brain (via Cosmopolitan).
They have always enjoyed their privacy as a couple
In the midst of all the incessant public attention that surrounds their celebrity existence, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have managed to preserve their privacy as a couple. This quality, uncommon in Hollywood, has been a near-constant streak in their relationship since the very beginning. Biel explained it simply, saying: "It's the one part of my life that is my own and not for anyone else" (via People). Their privacy is industry-wide knowledge, so much so that any insight into their family life is often described as rare in media headlines.
This tendency to remain tight-lipped has carried Biel through several challenging moments in her relationship with Timberlake, whose life has been riddled with cheating rumors and intense tabloid coverage. Not one to pay them too much heed, Biel has seemingly adopted a dismissal strategy to keep her peace with the chatter that surrounds them. Having a sense of humor about it helps.
Referring to her relationship with Timberlake, she told Vogue: "It's the most precious thing that I have in my life, and I care about it so much that I don't care about what anyone says or thinks." The pair prizes their privacy to such an extent that they kept the birth of their second child under wraps for several months in 2020. Though Biel explained on the "Armchair Expert" podcast that the secrecy wasn't intentional, the parents did take their time before publicly confirming the update in 2021.
They are each other's biggest cheerleaders
To find a fan in your partner has got to be one of the most precious experiences in a relationship — and one that both Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake are more than familiar with. Trailed by a sparkling list of on-screen credits, Biel and Timberlake enjoy successful careers in the entertainment industry and global fan adulation. Their cheers for each other, though, are the loudest in the crowd. Biel said it in as many words around the time that her show "The Sinner" premiered in 2017, telling Elle: "With Justin, he's so happy for me. I always say he's my biggest fan." When the positions are reversed, Biel gives tough competition to her husband, doubling as his most supportive admirer.
Back in 2019, when Timberlake was on the brink of wrapping up a concert tour, Biel recorded an emotional message gushing about how much he inspired her. "I would say that I'm so proud of you but I feel like that's the understatement of the century," she said, declaring herself as his top fan (via Instagram). Timberlake too, hasn't ever reined in his words while lifting up his wife. While his promotions of her work are constant, some of his most candid proclamations for her came about in his memoir "Hindsight," in which he wrote: "I'm fascinated by her. She's everything, man ... I wake up and roll over and look at her, and I'm inspired" (via ET Online).
Biel and Timberlake follow a 'divide and conquer' rule for parenting
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake hit a milestone in 2015 with the birth of their first son, Silas. A second bundle of joy, Phineas, followed in 2020. Like any couple, celebrity or not, Biel and Timberlake experienced their fair share of parenting highs and lows. And though they largely kept their sons away from paparazzi attention, they tried to empathize with fellow parents by sharing first-hand accounts of raising two boys. "It's not easy balancing your whole life. Trying to be around your kids, and spend time with your partners and friends, and time for yourself and then also your career," Biel said on "The Drew Barrymore Show," admitting that she hadn't wholly mastered the balancing act.
The pandemic was an especially challenging time for the pair, who re-learned the process of parenting afresh when Phineas was born. They relied on teamwork to make the dream work, as Biel told People. "It was very much: Be flexible, go with the flow. But you have to divide and conquer, otherwise, I think one person probably gets too burned out." Biel hasn't been shy about opening up about the difficulties of parenting and neither has Timberlake, who (rather controversially) stated in an interview that "24-hour parenting is just not human." But in between what Biel said is "the most unsexy job in the world," the pair tries to find an equilibrium by making time for each other (via Today).
Their relationship has weathered multiple cheating rumors
Before linking up with Jessica Biel for life, Justin Timberlake had quite the reputation for being a playboy. This notoriety followed him well into his relationship with Biel, when Timberlake's affair rumors with actor Olivia Munn caused a stir in the press back in 2010. Timberlake and Biel were not married at the time, though they had been together for over three years by then. Us Weekly reported that the "Cry Me a River" hitmaker allegedly went behind his girlfriend's back to pursue Munn, "chasing her immediately" after meeting her at an event. The outlet's source also spilled NSFW details about Timberlake and Munn's supposed fling, which the singer's spokesperson denied.
A year after this speculation, Timberlake and Biel briefly parted ways amid sensational claims that the singer had a thing going on with his "Friends with Benefits" co-star Mila Kunis. Though Kunis' role in Timberlake and Biel's breakup was suggested, given that they had allegedly been flirty on set, those close to the situation shut the rumors down, per Marie Claire. A certain cheating rumor that Timberlake could not shrug off as easily, however, surfaced in 2019. Timberlake was papped on a night out with his "Palmer" co-star Alisha Wainwright in New Orleans, with footage released by The Sun showing the two celebrities getting cozy. As part of damage control, Timberlake issued a public apology to his wife and family for his "strong lapse in judgment" and the embarrassment it caused them.
Biel has often served as Timberlake's musical muse
Justin Timberlake is known for drawing inspiration for his music from his real-life ladyloves. "Cry Me a River" is perhaps his most infamous dedication to a romantic partner, but some of his sweetest (and most non-controversial) tracks are professions of love to his wife Jessica Biel. In fact, Timberlake's greatly beloved song "Mirrors" was written for Biel long before the two got engaged. "The video became a dedication to my grandparents. I learned about long-lasting love from them. I know that's what I have with my wife," he wrote in his memoir "Hindsight" (via Billboard). "She changed me. She changed my life. All of that is in 'Mirrors.'"
The couple's fairytale wedding ceremony in 2012 was made extra dreamy with the NSYNC member debuting a special song, yet unheard by the world, just for his wife, Us Weekly reported. The pair took their creative collaborations up a notch in 2018, when Biel made a long-awaited appearance in Timberlake's album "Man of the Woods." Alongside a cameo in the album's namesake track, Biel also contributed to vocals and spoken narrations on songs like "Filthy" and "Hers." The inspiration doesn't flow just one way though. Biel's titular character in "Candy" has widely been likened to millennial-era Timberlake, especially with her short crop of curly hair, recalling Timberlake's once-signature hairstyle. "We laughed about it because it looked like the early days of those beautiful curls," she told ET Online.
Date nights keep the spark alive in their marriage
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake have cracked the code to a picture-perfect romance: date nights. A ten-year marriage and two kids later, Biel and Timberlake are convinced more than ever about the power of cordoning off private time for themselves amid the chaos of life. "You just have to keep making time for each other and you have to keep making each other a priority. And do the things that you love together," Biel told ET Online, crediting her singer husband for consolidating their passion for date nights. "We might be married, but we have to keep dating," she said, repeating Timberlake's words.
It doesn't always have to be an elaborate setup for the lovesick couple. As Biel told the outlet, "an old-fashioned date — dinner, movie, make out" does it for her. Sure, sometimes she could doze off before the date has even started — as Timberlake once shared on Instagram — but that doesn't mean she doesn't adore their intimate outings.
Finding exclusive time for their relationship isn't always the easiest job on their to-do list but Biel and Timberlake make it work by navigating their calendars like pros. Date nights happen once a week at least, while they also manage to take off on romantic holidays outside of family vacations. "You just have to make it a priority, really, because it's easy for all of that stuff to get put on the wayside," Biel told USA Today.
They've become the couple that wins Halloween every year
Over the past several seasons, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have been giving serious competition to Halloween queen Heidi Klum with their unbelievably on-point costumes. The celebrity couple are known to go hard — and by hard, we mean super hard — when it comes to dressing up for the spookiest night of the year. To begin with, their selection of characters is always unique, ranging from LEGO cartoons to "Toy Story" figures to even the Wet Bandits from "Home Alone."
In 2019 though, Biel and Timberlake's Halloween getup trumped all their previous ones, with the pair paying a crackling ode to Timberlake's former NSYNC glory that captured headlines and imaginations like never before. Biel channeled major Timberlake energy from the noughties in a metallic jumpsuit and a dramatically curly wig, putting together an outfit that resembled one of her husband's many unforgettable looks from his boy band days. Timberlake, meanwhile, supported her as a trusty microphone.
While the costume was all Timberlake's brainchild, Biel revealed on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" that she slipped in an element of surprise for her husband. "I surprised Justin because I remembered we have that exact jumpsuit that he wore in storage. So, I pulled it out and it was the real one. It's for real. It's the real jumpsuit." Clearly, for the creative couple, Halloween isn't all fun and games — they mean business!
Biel has supported Timberlake through some challenging moments
The past came back to haunt Justin Timberlake in the wake of burgeoning support for his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears. As the #FreeBritney movement gained steam — fueled by the 2021 New York Times documentary on her controversial conservatorship — fans of the "Toxic" singer seized the moment to call out all who seemingly wronged her during her pop princess era. Timberlake's name surfaced in a big way, with retrospective commentary lambasting him for his questionable treatment of Spears, especially after their breakup. Social media reactions prompted Timberlake to apologize in a statement that read: "I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn or did not speak up for what was right" (via Instagram).
Besides Spears, the apology also mentioned Janet Jackson, whose wardrobe malfunction at the 2004 Super Bowl had involved Timberlake. Amid his denunciation, Biel showed up for her husband, responding to his apology with a heart and a concise "I love you." The duo continued to rely on each other through similar pushback once more when Spears' tell-all memoir, replete with bombshells about Timberlake, dropped in 2023. Easily the more controversial half of the duo, Timberlake gushed about having someone like Biel in his corner, telling ET Online about what it was like "to have somebody by your side to really go through it with you and get in the mud with you."
They marked their 10-year anniversary with a vow renewal
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel made their grand milestone of completing 10 years of marriage even grander with a magical vow renewal ceremony. To celebrate their love, the couple made a trip back to the romantic paradise of Italy, where they had first said their "I do's" back in 2012. Like every other event in their lives, Biel and Timberlake decided to keep the special moment private between themselves, without much pomp. "It was very intimate, it was very small. A couple of our friends, and we literally barely put this thing together," Biel told Today, even revealing that the pair were in two minds over the vow renewal.
Though the couple wanted to keep it lowkey, Biel understandably couldn't hide her excitement in the run-up to her 10-year anniversary. "I sometimes feel like 10 years has just flown by in the blink of an eye and other times I feel like, 'Oh my gosh, 10 years, that's a really substantial amount of someone's life,'" she told Access Hollywood. For how downplayed it all was, it still made for an emotional moment. Sharing snaps from their European getaway on Instagram, Biel wrote: "Being married to you is the adventure of a lifetime! Run it back, baby. RUN IT BACK. I love you." The vow renewal also made a callback to her 2012 nuptials, with Biel styling a piece from designer Giambattista Valli, who had designed her original wedding dress.
They consider themselves girlfriend-boyfriend even after marriage
Husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend? No one can tell. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have an 11-year marriage behind them and yet haven't fully recovered from their dating era. Much of it can be credited to their date nights, the importance of which the couple has reiterated in interviews time and time again. As Biel put it to ET Online, "Those touch point moments make all the hard times palatable." Timberlake is insistent about the couple blocking time to date between their marriage. Their evergreen boyfriend-girlfriend status, however, is primarily the consequence of a hilarious TikTok incident that went viral online and gave the couple an iconic calling card.
According to Billboard, a TikTok user commented on Timberlake's profile about his girlfriend's resemblance to Hollywood star Jessica Biel, sending the singer a well-deserved "congrats." Timberlake kept the joke running by remarking, "From now on I'm only going by 'Jessica Biel's Boyfriend.'" Soon enough, Biel got in on the fun by referring to her husband as her boyfriend on Instagram. Notwithstanding the amusement of it all, there is truth to the fact that Biel and Timberlake haven't lost the wild passion that's associated with new couples. Timberlake's memoir "Hindsight" was an exhibit, in which he couldn't stop raving about Biel. "I've watched my wife change. I've watched her body change. It's a temple. It should be worshipped," he wrote. We guess love never felt so good for Biel and Timberlake!