What Almost Broke Jessica Biel And Justin Timberlake’s Relationship?

Highlights

• Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel’s relationship went from on and off to a solid partnership, but what incident almost made them call it quits?
• They first met in 2007 through mutual friends and had a low-profile relationship.
• They broke up before getting engaged but eventually got back together and got married in 2012.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have been married since 2012. Many see them as couple goals, but their relationship hasn’t always been so smooth. Before getting engaged, the two broke up. At the time, the Sexy Back performer refused to discuss the details of the split and said that he “didn’t know” if he still wanted to get married.

In recent years though, the relationship between Timberlake and Biel has looked stronger than ever. The couple have two children together. They had their first onscreen collaboration on Hulu’s biographical drama, Candy. But, it appears that some rocky roads may have returned in their relationship in 2024. How Biel and Timberlake are weathering the storm plays out in the tabloids daily.

Here’s how their relationship went from on and off to a solid partnership.

Updated February 2024: Since the release of Britney Spears’ memoir, a shadow has been cast on Justin Timberlake and the way that he allegedly treated Spears when they were younger. Fans rallied around Spears and turned their backs on Timberlake. This made rumors swirl that things between JT and Jessica Biel were rocky. But, on Timberlake’s birthday on January 21, 2024, Biel posted a compilation of adventures the two have had together over the last decade and captioned the post, “I ALWAYS got you. Happy birthday, babe.” As such, it appears the two are as solid as ever.

How Justin Timberlake And Jessica Biel First Met

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel met through mutual friends

The couple first met in 2007. It was at a birthday party Timberlake was hosting for one of his friends. According to the singer, it wasn’t love at first sight at all.

“There was nothing starry about the way we got together,” Timberlake explained. “It was very un-Hollywood-esque, in fact.” They just started talking, then he asked for her number through a friend so he could ask her out.

However, Biel didn’t want to go out with him at first.

“I had to be pretty persistent in order to get her to say yes,” recalled the Man of the Woods artist. “But I have a fair amount of tenacity and if I want something I stick to it. And in the end, she agreed.”

In May of that year, their relationship went public when The Daily Mail spotted them kissing in the United Kingdom.

“They’re both doing everything they can to keep their relationship low-profile, but when they’re among friends they can hardly keep their hands off each other,” an insider said at the time.

Around the same time, Biel told Parade that being followed by paparazzi was “difficult and sort of bizarre to deal with.”

By September, Timberlake had admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he was dating someone who “smells lovely” and that he gets “pretty romantic around her.”

Then during a Lakers game in 2009, the Friends with Benefits actor outdid Dustin Hoffman and his wife’s “award-winning” kiss by straddling Biel.

“And then it cut to us,” Timberlake told Jimmy Kimmel. “I was not to be outdone, OK? So I mounted my girlfriend in front of 18,000 people.”

Justin Timberlake And Jessica Biel Broke Up Before Getting Engaged

Timberlake and Biel have never disclosed why they broke up in the months before getting engaged

In March 2011, news broke that the couple had broken up. Their reps released a statement saying that “the two remain friends and continue to hold the highest level of love and respect for each other” and that they “mutually have decided to part ways.”

Three months later, Timberlake addressed the split in an interview with Vanity Fair. There, he referred to Biel as “the single-handedly most significant person in my life.”

“In my 30 years, she is the most special person, OK?” he continued. “I don’t want to say much more, because I have to protect things that are dear to me—for instance, her.”

They never disclosed the real reason for their split. But shortly after the interview, the two were spotted together again, sparking rumors that they had gotten back together. Sure enough, in December that year, Timberlake proposed to Biel while they were on vacation in Montana.

“I had the ring on my pinkie and I was like, ‘Look at the shadows over there on the mountains,’ and she was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s beautiful,’ and I was like, ‘Do you see it?’” the Disney alum remembered.

Biel described the moment as “wonderful,” adding that “it’s actually not anything I ever really thought was going to happen to me or that I really wanted. And when it happened it just seemed—it just was right.”

They had their “total fantasy experience” wedding in October 2012 in Italy.

How Justin Timberlake Ended Up On Jessica Biel’s ‘Candy’

Justin Timberlake offered to play a character on the series, free of charge

It was actually Timberlake’s idea to join the true-crime show, Candy.

“He loved the episodes too, and said, ‘Who’s playing this guy?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I don’t know. Probably an Atlanta local,” Biel told Variety. “We don’t really have any money left. We sort of spent it all on our main cast and this is one of our last cast members that we need to cast.’” The actor then volunteered to play the part, free of charge.

Biel went on to explain, “He said, ‘I want to do it.’ And I really thought, ‘OK, that’s funny. I’d love for you to do this, but I know that’s not really for real.’ He’s like, ‘No, no, no. For real. I see how funny he could be, but he’s the one who really sees through her story. He’s this major adversary for her. From the very beginning, he doesn’t believe it for one second.’”

After realizing her husband was serious, Biel called her producing partner Michelle Purple. But by the time she called, Purple had already spoken to Timberlake.

Though it was a “nerve-wracking” experience working alongside her husband, Biel said, “It definitely opened up my mind to thinking about other things we can work together on.”

Source: Daily Mail, Parade, Vanity Fair, Variety

Source: NewsFinale