Look Back at Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel's 11-Year Marriage Amid Britney Spears' Memoir Drama
Matthew Perez As Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary on Oct. 19, the multi-talented entertainer is "focusing" on his family and not reflecting on the past, ET has learned.
Amid recent revelations about his past relationship with Britney Spears, particularly with the upcoming release of Spears' memoir, The Woman in Me, Timberlake remains steadfast in his commitment to his family.
A source close to the couple tells ET that Justin has been concentrating on his own family and consciously steering clear of concerns related to Britney's memoir, and Justin feels that over the years, he has been supportive of Britney from a distance, given their history.
Justin and Jessica have shared life-changing moments since tying the knot during a romantic ceremony in Italy on Oct. 19, 2012. They've since welcomed two sons, had multiple professional collaborations, meaningful birthdays and more.
Jessica opened up to ET in May 2022 about their love, and how her husband keeps the romance alive. "Well, I'll have to give Justin the credit in this moment, for this one thing that he always says to me: 'We might be married, but we have to keep dating,' and it's so true," Jessica shared. "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."
In honor of the couple's anniversary, ET is looking back at Jessica and Justin's early romance, wedded bliss and all the moments in between.
January 2007: Justin and Jessica Make It Official
Justin and Jessica finally stepped out publicly with their romance in January 2007. The confirmation came after Justin split from Cameron Diaz and Jessica called it quits with Derek Jeter. For the first half of their relationship, the duo played it coy, not providing any details about their romance.
Justin eventually shared how their relationship blossomed from friends to lovers. "When I met Jess, it was undeniable how beautiful she is. We were at a surprise party in Hollywood at a speakeasy kind of a bar, a private club, and we were standing around in a group of people," he revealed in his 2018 book, Hindsight & All the Things I Can’t See in Front of Me. "I made some sort of sarcastic comment, really dry. Nobody got it except her. She laughed, and I noticed, all of a sudden, and in the way where you wonder if a person’s like you, if they have a very dry, dark sense of humor too."
Justin added that he didn’t ask for her number that night. Instead, he waited until he saw her again at one of his shows -- noting that it took a while for them to admit it was right. "We were both still seeing other people, keeping ourselves safe from getting hurt, from really putting ourselves out there,”" Justin wrote of that time period. "It took a bit for both of us to admit to ourselves that we were really, really into each other."
January 2009: Keeping Their Romance Private
During an interview with British GQ, Jessica played it cool when asked about her love life. Instead of confirming that she was seeing the "Sexyback" singer, she instead referred to him as "one sparkly present," adding, “And I don't want to open it in front of strangers."
April 2009: Caught on the Kiss Cam
Justin and Jessica kept their love pretty low-key, but fans got a taste of their PDA when they puckered up for the kiss cam while sitting courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers home game. In the hilarious moment, the camera panned to the couple, and the "Like I Love You" singer playfully mounted his lady while planting a kiss on her.
March 2011: A Brief Split
After almost four years of dating, Jessica and Justin called time out on their romance. The pair's reps released a statement confirming their split, saying, "Addressing the media speculation regarding Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake's relationship, we are confirming that they mutually have decided to part ways. The two remain friends and continue to hold the highest level of love and respect for each other."
November 2011: Back On
The love obviously didn’t die, though. Almost a year after their breakup, the pair was spotted out together on multiple occasions. In an interview with Elle magazine, Jessica noted, "A girl doesn't kiss and tell."
December 2011: She Says "Yes"
Justin and Jessica got engaged in 2011. During an interview with James Corden, the Sinner actress revealed the hilarious way her man popped the question.
"It was so nice, and so sweet and so unexpected," Jessica gushed about the proposal that happened during a snowboarding trip in Montana. "I had no idea it was coming."
Jessica revealed the big moment happened while the two were covered in snow gear. "All of a sudden, he just gets down onto his knees and just sinks into the snow," Jessica said, laughing. "Then he just looks up at me and holds up the ring."
"It was the most lovely, surprising, hilarious [proposal]," Jessica added. "I had this huge glove on, he was, like, ripping the glove off." Biel joked that it was Justin's "confidence" that made him not nervous to snowboard all day with the engagement ring in his pocket.
October 2012: Justin and Jessica Tie the Knot
Jessica and Justin said their I dos in front of close family and friends during a romantic ceremony in Italy. At the time, the blushing bride told People, "I had a little bit of butterflies. I was about to stand up in front of my friends and family and bare my soul for the person I love. It was terribly emotional."
February 2013: Newlyweds
After kicking of their year sitting next to JAY-Z and Beyoncé at the GRAMMYs, the "Suit and Tie" singer and the 7th Heaven alum spent the next several months putting their love on display on the red carpet. The pair made a memorable romantic appearance together at the premiere of Justin's movie, Inside Llewyn Davis, at the Cannes Film Festival.
January 2015: Baby on Board
Justin shocked the world when he announced that he and Jessica were expecting their first child. In an Instagram post thanking fans for birthday wishes, the "Can’t Stop the Feeling" singer shared a picture of him kissing his wife’s baby bump next to the message, "Thank you EVERYONE for the Bday wishes! This year, I'm getting the GREATEST GIFT EVER. CAN'T WAIT."
Later, while accepting the iHeartRadio Innovator award, Justin gave his wife a shout-out. "I want to thank my best friend, my favorite collaborator -- my wife, Jessica, who's at home watching. Honey, I can't wait to see our greatest creation yet," he said, before joking, "Don't worry, Daddy's heading home right now to innovate by learning how to change a poopy diaper and get my swaddle on."
April 2015: Party of Three
Jessica and Justin welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Silas Randall Timberlake, whom they named after Justin's grandfather.
April 2016: Collaborating Together
Jessica brought Justin on to do the music for her project, Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. When speaking with ET about working with her husband, the actress joked about being in charge. "I like to say that I was his boss," she said at the time.
July 2017: Keeping Their Love Strong
During an interview with Marie Claire, Jessica dished on the reason that she and Justin are such a match.
"We have similar values; we believe in loyalty, honesty. We like to have fun. We like a lot of the same things," she told the magazine. "Also, in the business, we’re all very career-oriented, and you have to be a little selfish. I understand that about my peers — about being focused and driven — and if you can find that and someone who shares the same values as you, it’s like: Score!"
February 2018: Justin Dedicates His Album to His Family
Justin's Man of the Woods is dedicated to his family and features their son, Silas, so it's no surprise that Jessica is the leading lady in his "Man of the Woods" music video.
October 2019: Total Devotion
During an interview with ET, Jessica gushed about the love of her life and the moment she knew she was all in. "I knew that he was my person early on, but we were so young," she said. "There wasn't any big risks being taken. There wasn't anything... really putting anything on the line. We were just hanging out."
"I think before we got married, that's when I was like, 'Oh yeah, this is the person I want to be in the boat with when we hit the rapids, because we're going to hit the rapids and we're going to have to hold on tight,'" she continued. "'Can you row? Because I can row, I think you can row, let's try this.'"
The same year, JT echoed his wife’s sentiments, telling ET, "It's like once you find that person, it's like a baptism, where you're like, 'I can't go back,' you know what I mean? Like, I can't go back, which is what fatherhood's like too."
December 2019: Justin Publicly Apologizes to Jessica
Justin was photographed holding hands with his Palmer co-star, Alisha Wainwright, and publicly apologized to Jessica. He insisted that he did not have an affair with Alisha.
"A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse in judgment -- but let me be clear -- nothing happened between me and my co-star," he shared. "I drank way too much that night and I regret my behavior."
"I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son," he continued. "I apologize to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be. This was not that."
A source told ET that Justin and Jessica's relationship was still solid after the apology.
"After Justin was spotted holding hands with his co-star, the couple took time to reconnect, spending much-needed quality time together," the source said. "Justin and Jessica love one another very much and weren’t going to let this come between them, more so since Justin told Jessica he didn’t cheat, and she believes him."
January 2020: Justin and Jessica Welcome Baby No. 2
Surprise … it’s Phineas! The couple secretly welcomed their second child during the pandemic. In January, Justin confirmed the news with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show, sharing his baby boy’s name for the first time. "His name is Phineas and he's awesome," he revealed.
"He's so cute and nobody's sleeping," he continued with a smile. "But we're thrilled. We're thrilled and couldn't be happier."
In June 2021, Jessica shared that she did not intend to keep the birth of their second child a secret.
"I had, like, a secret COVID baby," she said during her appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast. "It wasn't like it was supposed to be a secret. It was just COVID happened, and then I went to Montana with my family and never left."
May 2022: Their Marriage is Still Thriving
During a chat with ET in May, Jessica dished on the thing that her man does that keeps their romance alive. "It's a really good question, right? Well, I'll have to give Justin the credit in this moment, for this one thing that he always says to me: 'We might be married, but we have to keep dating,' and it's so true," she shared. "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."
In July, Justin and Jessica kept things hot during their romantic vacation in Italy. The pair was spotted sharing kisses in the Mediterranean Sea and getting handsy on the beach.
At the time, an eyewitness told ET, they "were very lovey-dovey," adding, “They were kissing during the night and looked very much in love. They danced and sang all night, including to Justin's songs, 'Holy Grail' and 'Gone.'"
October 2022
The happy couple celebrated 10 years together on Oct. 19. A few days before, they shared a glamorous date night at the CHLA Gala, and Jessica posted a rare glimpse into their evening out.
On the day of their anniversary, the couple revealed they had renewed their vows over the summer during a ceremony in Italy. "From our vow renewal this summer," wrote Biel, who was smiling and holding up a peace sign with her fingers in the fun snapshot. "In Italy where it all went down."
The location, of course, is of significant importance to Biel and Timberlake, who tied the knot in Italy on Oct. 19, 2012.
Justin celebrated the milestone on Instagram, writing "10 years ain't enough! You make me a better husband and father every day! I love you so much you beautiful human! Run it back!"
He paired the caption with a carousel of photos and videos honoring their decade together.
January 2023: Celebrating Justin's Birthday
Jessica celebrated Justin's 42nd birthday on Jan. 31 with an Instagram message, telling fans that her husband "makes the ordinary extraordinary."
"Happy birthday to the person who challenges and inspires me every day," Jessica wrote. She paired the caption with two photos of her and Justin aboard a boat.
"The person who keeps me laughing and creating and risking it all," Jessica continued. "The person who makes the ordinary extraordinary. You know who you are. I love you 🫶🏻"
March 2023: Celebrating Biel's Birthday
Timberlake paid homage to his wife on her 41st birthday with a sweet carousel of photos posted March 3 on Instagram. The singer gushed about his wife, whom he said is "aging like a fine[ wine]."
She also posted a few photos of the couple and thanked everyone for the birthday wishes.
"Birthday vibes so bright I had to see it with my third eye," she wrote in her caption. "Thanks for all the lovely wishes!"
May 2023: Justin Knows He's a Lucky Man
The 42-year-old singer had a bit of fun in response to a comment he received on social media, in which the user declared, "I don't know who you are but your girlfriend looks like Jessica Biel. Congrats!" For good measure, the comment concluded with a starry-eye and thumbs-up emojis.
"From now on I'm only going by 'Jessica Biel's Boyfriend,'" Timberlake captioned a silly TikTok video, in which he stares at the camera and mutters "Yeah" repeatedly in response to the comment.
@justintimberlake Replying to @David 🧑💻🕺🎵🎧🎹🎛🎚🎙 ♬ original sound - Justin Timberlake
June 2023: Jessica Dances to NSYNC's Hit 'It's Gonna Be Me'
The 41-year-old Cruel Summer executive producer wasn't shy about jamming out to her husband's hit NSYNC song, "It's Gonna Be Me," at the recent after-party for her Freeform show's season 2 premiere.
ET got exclusive footage of Biel rocking out to the 2000 track at the event.
October 2023: Britney Spears Makes Shocking Claims Against Justin Timberlake
In her highly anticipated memoir, The Woman in Me, Britney Spears makes several bombshell claims about Justin and their three-year relationship that ended with a text message in 2002.
Spears confirms long-standing rumors that the former boy band member ended their relationship with a text message in 2002. The Princess of Pop opens up about the heart-wrenching experience, revealing that she was devastated by Timberlake's sudden digital breakup.
"I was comatose in Louisiana, and he was happily running around Hollywood," Spears writes in her memoir, according to the New York Times. The emotional toll of the breakup left her reeling, and she says she even contemplated leaving the music industry altogether.
Spears also discloses that the breakup was not without its complexities. While she does not name Timberlake's other romantic interest, she alleges that he had cheated during their relationship. The two former Mouseketeers began dating in early 1999 but faced a crossroads in their romance nearly two years later.
Another deeply personal revelation in the memoir is Spears' account of a challenging moment in her life. She discloses that she had an abortion in late 2000 after a "surprise" pregnancy, something Timberlake was reportedly not pleased with. "He said we weren't ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young," Spears writes in her book.
Despite the recent claims by Spears, Timberlake is focusing on his family. A source told ET that with the upcoming release of Spears' memoir, the singer is looking ahead.
"Justin has been focusing on his own family and trying not to concern himself with Britney’s memoir," the source said. "In recent years, Justin has tried to be supportive of Britney from a distance. They dated so long ago, but he still has respect for her. Justin and Jessica just want everyone to grow and evolve instead of continuing to bring up the past."
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