Justin Timberlake and his wife, Jessica Biel, have lately been sharing the secrets behind the success of their five years of marriage and dishing out advice about how to stay happily married. While ordinary folk might not consider five years of marriage a remarkable achievement, among celebrities who rush to the divorce court almost as soon as they leave the altar, five years of staying married might rightly be considered a feat.
In the case of Biel and Timberlake, the known circumstances of their marriage did not give much hope of an enduring union. And much of the pessimism was justified given the tumultuous nature of the courtship that unexpectedly ended up in marriage on October 19th, 2012. Timberlake in particular did not seem ready for marriage as he was the subject of persistent cheating rumors. His apparent reluctance to get hitched was one reason why many did not expect that the marriage would last long.
The couple’s recent media appearances thus appear to have confounded naysayers. However, many skeptics remain unimpressed, saying that the media blitz could be a sign of trouble, especially soon after rumors surfaced that they were seeking marriage counselling.
Biel and Timberlake's effort to portray their marriage in a good light means they only share the brighter secrets while hoping to keep the darker ones under wraps. However, in line with the understanding that a balanced view of any marriage must include the darker secrets of the relationship, here are 20 Dark Secrets About Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel’s Marriage.
Timberlake Didn't Want To Get Married
The information that Timberlake was not keen on getting married came from his grandmother, Sadie Bomar, a favorite source of Timberlake tabloid gossip. Grandma Bomar told the Daily Mail in 2009 that it was Jessica who was keen on getting married and that Justin wanted to remain single. According to Bomar, Justin was focused on his career as a musician and he wasn't ready to marry.
However, sources close to Biel later denied the old lady's statement, but another source close to Justin appeared to confirm Bomar's claim in an interview with People after the couple broke up early in 2011. The source told People that Justin wanted to remain single and have fun. But he decided to get married to Biel later in 2012 because he loved Jessica and thought that she was a marriage material.
Biel Admitted She Stalked Timberlake For A Date After They Met
Biel and Timberlake met through mutual friends at a Golden Globes after-party in 2007 and exchanged numbers. Media reports claimed that when Timberlake failed to call the day after they met, Biel made the first move. According to sources close to the couple, Biel admitted in a speech that she gave at the surprise birthday party she gave for Timberlake's 30th birthday in January 2011, that she took matters into her own hands when Timberlake failed to call by driving to his house. She reportedly admitted that she "virtually stalked" Timberlake until she got the date she wanted.
However, Timberlake later denied the claim that Biel made the first move during a press conference with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 2012. He told reporters that he had to call Biel on the phone several times before she said yes.
They Did Not Kiss For A Very Long Time After Their Relationship Started
When the two celebs first started dating they conducted most of their relationship over the phone because they couldn’t get the opportunity to be together. This was due to the fact that both had a very busy work schedule at the time. Justin was on tour and Biel couldn’t join him because she also had a busy schedule of her own. So most of their contact during the early days of their courtship was through texting and phone calls.
Biel admitted when she appeared on The Late Show with James Corden in January 2017 that she and Timberlake did not kiss for a very long time after their relationship started because their interaction after they first met was restricted to phone calls.
They Wanted To Maintain Secrecy, But Rumors Brought Unwanted Attention
When they started dating in 2007, Timberlake and Biel were protective of the privacy of the relationship. However, rumors that they were dating spread very quickly and some individuals close to the couple opened up to the media about it. Proof of their relationship eventually emerged in 2008 when they were photographed together in Rome.
Although they continued to struggle to keep their relationship private, repeated allegations that Timberlake was cheating on Biel brought them unwanted attention.
They appeared to abandon their policy of secrecy after their marriage in October 2012 and began sharing about their private lives on social media. The couple recently embarked on what appeared to be a publicity campaign to end rumors that their marriage was under strain. They talked to the media about their relationship and shared the secrets of their happy marriage.
Timberlake And Biel Clashed Over Their Prenuptial Agreement
Prenuptial agreements are notoriously unromantic business. However, they are necessary when a lot of wealth is involved in a marriage. The fact that a couple must deal with the issue at a time that they are looking forward to their engagement, wedding, and honeymoon complicates the matter.
Biel and Timberlake reportedly had a sharp disagreement over their prenup which nearly disrupted preparations for their engagement. Soon after Justin's granny, Bomar, announced that Timberlake had popped the question during a vacation in Wyoming, a source revealed that trouble erupted when Jessica demanded, ahead of the engagement, that a fidelity clause be added to the prenuptial agreement so that she receives a compensation of $500,000 if she catches Justin cheating on her.
The alleged disagreement highlighted trust issues between the two following multiple allegations that Timberlake was cheating on Biel.
How Much Did Biel And Timberlake's Lavish Wedding Really Cost?
Multiple media reports published after Biel and Timberlake's wedding claimed that the bash cost $6.5 million. According to the reports, the couple spent more than $1 million on renting an Italian resort, the Borgo Egnazia resort in Fasano, and about $100,000 on bike rides, fireworks, drinks and food, for about 80 guests. Millions were reportedly spent on transporting the 80 guests to Italy and accommodating them luxuriously for days. The guests included Jimmy Fallon, Andy Samberg and Beverley Mitchell, the bride's 7th Heaven costar.
However, E! News, one of the media outlets that reported that the wedding might have cost up to $6.5 million, later published another report quoting a "source" that insisted that the cost of the wedding was "actually nowhere near" $6.5 million. But E! News still concluded that the wedding bash must have "cost a pretty penny."
Rumors Have Plagued Their Relationship And Marriage
Persistent allegations of cheating have cast a shadow over their marriage. Although there have been persistent rumors about Timberlake indulging in multiple flings before and after their marriage, he has continued to deny them. However, Biel might have believed some of the rumors, especially the allegations that he cheated on her with the actresses Olivia Munn and Mila Kunis. The trust issues between them explain why Biel reportedly demanded that a fidelity clause be added to their prenuptial agreement.
There are only two possible explanations of the situation in which none of the allegations against Timberlake have been conclusively proven to be true: he is either a philanderer who is very skilled at covering his tracks or most of the cheating allegations against him were not true.
Timberlake Really Might Have Cheated On Biel With Olivia Munn
Multiple media reports in 2010 suggested that Timberlake cheated on Biel with actress Olivia Munn. Timberlake reportedly met Munn at an event while she was starring on NBC's Perfect Couples. Sources close to Timberlake claimed that he chased after Munn aggressively but she rebuffed him, saying she could not date him because he was still dating Biel at the time. Timberlake allegedly lied to Munn that he had broken up with Biel, and Munn appeared to have believed him.
According to some sources, Timberlake and Munn spent three days in September 2010 at the Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel in NYC, having relations.
The truth about the allegations remain uncertain. It is also unclear whether Biel believed them or received information from trusted sources. Fans have also debated whether the allegation of cheating with Munn was a factor when they broke up temporarily in 2011.
He Also Might Have Cheated On Biel With Mila Kunis
There were rumors in 2011 that the SexyBack singer was dating his Friends With Benefits (2011) co-star, Mila Kunis. The rumors gained traction after paparazzi photos emerged showing Kunis and Timberlake hanging out off-set and "cozying up to each other."
Anonymous sources claimed that the cheating rumor was true. However, other sources claimed that Timberlake had hit on Kunis but she rejected him because she knew he was dating Biel at the time. Yet other sources close to Biel said she tried to ignore the rumors at first, but she later began believing them. After Timberlake denied the rumors, photos emerged in September 2011 allegedly from a hacked phone belonging to Kunis. The photos appeared to show that Timberlake and Kunis had been exchanging explicit messages and images, but the evidence was not conclusive.
Why Biel And Timberlake Broke Up In 2011
Fans have speculated about the reasons behind the couple's break up in March 2011 soon after they returned from a trip to a Colorado ski resort to celebrate Biel's 29th birthday. What happened during the trip that led to their break up remains one of the dark secrets of the couple's relationship.
Some sources claimed that Biel decided to end the relationship because she wanted to get married, but Timberlake was not ready. Others insisted that Biel was willing to continue the relationship despite the rumors that Timberlake was cheating on her, but the embarrassment Timberlake caused her when he dismissed her romantic gestures in front of their guests at the birthday party she gave for him in January proved to be the last straw. Yet other sources claimed that she decided to break up with Justin after she obtained proof of the rumors of his cheating with Kunis or Munn.
The Lindsay Lohan List Scandal (2013)
A list emerged in 2014 containing the names of 36 male celebrities that Lindsay Lohan reportedly bragged to friends she had intimate relations with in the past. The handwritten list, allegedly personally compiled by Lohan, included Justin's name, along with other male celebrities, such as Adam Levine, Zac Efron, and Colin Farrell.
Timberlake's inclusion on the list of Lohan's conquests caused him and Biel considerable embarrassment. The revelation came after Lohan took to Twitter in June 2009 to post cryptic messages that appeared to accuse Timberlake of cheating on Biel. Lohan Tweeted a photographed which she claimed showed Timberlake kissing or hugging a mystery brunette in NYC. After the grainy photo and the cryptic messages appeared on Lohan’s Twitter account, she denied she was responsible. She claimed that her Twitter account was hacked. However, no one took her excuse seriously.
Timberlake Caught With Backup Singer Zenya Bashford (2014)
One of the causes of the tension between Timberlake and Biel, according to the divorce rumors that swirled in 2016 and 2017, was that Jessica had had enough of Timberlake's serial cheating. Biel was said to have been upset when the former 'N Sync singer was photographed dancing intimately with the backup singer Zenya Bashford at a night club in Paris in August 2014.
Sources close to the couple said that Biel was always worried when Timberlake traveled on concert tours because she feared that the trips provided him with opportunities to hook up with other women.
The sources expressed hope that the couple would be able to overcome the trust issues arising from Timberlake’s apparent serial cheating. There have been rumors linking Timberlake with several other female celebrities besides Munn and Kunis. The others include Rihanna, Kate Hudson, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett Johansson, and Ashley Olsen.
Jessica Biel And Gerard Butler Dating Rumors
The only time that Biel was ever the subject of romance rumors after she met Timberlake was in June 2011 when some tabloids claimed she was dating the Scottish actor Gerard Butler.
The rumors first emerged in March when the two were filming the movie Playing for Keeps (2012) in Louisiana. However, Butler and Biel moved quickly to suppress the rumors. A source said on their behalf that they were just friends. But the rumors were reignited later in June when paparazzi photographs emerged showing Biel and Butler "romantically close" together.
The Daily Mail later reported in November 2012, after Biel and Timberlake had married, that Butler expressed regret that he had not taken his relationship with Biel more seriously when they were together on the set of Playing for Keeps, despite having earlier denied any relationship between them.
They Reportedly Clashed Over When To Have A Second Baby (2017)
With a photo posted to their social media account, the couple announced late in January 2015 -- on the third year after their marriage -- that they were expecting their first baby. After posting the photo showing Timberlake kissing Biel's tummy, they announced the birth of their son, Silas, in April 2015.
It appeared at the time that the couple was happy about the arrival of their first son, and, in a number of interviews, Timberlake spoke glowingly of his relationship with Biel. However, reports of growing tension between the two soon emerged.
According to a December 2017 article by In Touch Weekly, Jessica and Justin clashed over the question of when to have their second baby. Timberlake wanted Biel to have their second baby soon after Silas, but Jessica wanted to pursue new career opportunities that had opened up.
Timberlake And Biel Sought Marriage Counseling
Justin reportedly wanted Jessica to put her career on hold and have their second baby as soon as possible after the birth of their first son, Silas. He also confirmed in a January 2018 interview with People that he had always wanted a large family. In Touch Weekly reported that the clash between the couple over when to have their second baby -- and Justin's preference for a large family -- caused considerable tension in 2016 and 2017.
They eventually decided to seek marriage counseling. Sources close to them claimed that they were determined to resolve their differences.
The claims that Biel and Timberlake had decided to go for counseling appeared to confirm rumors that originated from some notoriously unreliable tabloid sources in 2016 that the marriage of the famous couple was under considerable strain.
They Reportedly Clashed Over Where To Settle Down After They Married
The couple reportedly clashed early in their marriage over where to settle down and raise their son. The clash might have been due partly to individual schedules which meant they would have to be in different cities or places most of the time if they could not reach a compromise. They both also had to decide on the best place to raise their son.
Justin reportedly preferred to settle down in his native Nashville and was upset that Jessica had to be away from home for months at a stretch due to ongoing projects.
Us Weekly reported early in 2015 that they finally agreed to raise their son on their Yellowstone Club estate in Big Sky, in the mountains of Montana. However, they later purchased a $20 million duplex penthouse on 443 Greenwich St. in lower Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood early in 2017.
The Au Fudge Lawsuit Has Put A Strain On The Couple
Jessica's LA restaurant business, Au Fudge, has been struggling with a lawsuit that is reportedly putting a great strain on the couple. Former employees recently dragged Au Fudge to court over an allegation that the business stole tips worth more than $430,000 from them and violated rest break laws. Sources said that Biel was very upset about the issue, but Timberlake was doing everything to support her. A former employee of the business who spoke with People also alleged that Au Fudge stole gratuity charges due to its employees.
An employee had also sued Justin's Southern Hospital BBQ & Bar restaurant in 2008, claiming that he and other employees were not receiving gratuity charges and overtime pay due to them.
The fact that Justin's restaurant business had faced similar accusations as Jessica's led to speculation about a "pattern."
Biel Struggled To Prevent Her Role In The Sinner From Affecting Her Family Life
Jessica Biel once shared that although her role in The Sinner (2017 TV Series) was a major professional achievement, the dark and unpleasant theme of the series, which involved violence and crime, proved challenging as a woman with a family. She revealed in an interview with People that she struggled to keep the depressing theme of the series from affecting her family life. This meant that she struggled to disengage from the character she portrayed in the series after each filming.
Her comments reflected what many movie goers might not appreciate about the acting profession: the realistic portrayal of the darker aspects of life in TV shows and movies often have an effect on the actors, and sometimes, actors experience extreme psychic pressure and physical stress due to the roles they play in TV shows and movies.
Justin Has Got Five Tattoos On His Body And Possibly A Sixth That Is Jessica's Name
Timberlake has five tattoos on his body. The first is a cross on his left arm. On his back is a tattoo of a celestial being holding a banner, with the words "Guardian Angel" and his mother's initials. The tattoo is also dedicated to his faith, and his twin sister, Laura Katherine, who passed away after they were born.
The third tattoo around the calf of his left leg is his Aquarius sign. A Chinese ideogram close to his left ankle represents music. The fifth tattoo on his right leg is a composite that includes a flame and a red carpet rope. He got the tattoo to celebrate his success with NSYNC.
He mother forbade him to get anymore, but agreed he could get a last one: the name of the woman he marries. It is possible he got the sixth tattoo and that only Jessica knows where.
Timberlake Admitted To Having OCD And ADD
Justin Timberlake admitted in 2008, in an interview with Collider, that he was suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The singer, then 27, revealed that the condition interfered with his normal daily living. He was not the first celebrity to admit suffering from OCD. David Beckham, Cameron Diaz (Timberlake's ex-girlfriend), and Jessica Alba, have confessed they were suffering from the condition.
One of the manifestations of the condition, which Timberlake talked about, was a compulsive desire to have physical objects around you arranged in a particular symmetric order. Other signs of the condition include intrusive thoughts and an uncontrollable urge to engage repetitively in ritual behavior.
ADD, on the other hand, is characterized by heightened distractibility or inattention, hyperactivity and forgetfulness.
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Do you know of any other dark secrets about Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel's marriage that we have missed? Let us know in the comments section below.