Julia Roberts and Danny Moder’s Relationship Timeline: From Coworkers to Parents of 3

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Julia Roberts and Danny Moder's Relationship Timeline: From Coworkers to Parents of 3

Still got it! Julia Roberts and her husband, Danny Moder, have been together for more than 20 years but their relationship is stronger than ever. The pair met in early 2000 while the Oscar winner was filming The Mexican alongside Brad Pitt. Though they're now one of longest-running couples in Hollywood, their romance began with a minor scandal. When they met, the Erin Brockovich star was dating Benjamin Bratt, while the cinematographer was married to Vera Steimberg. After Moder finalized his divorce from Steimberg in 2002, he wed Roberts in a July 2002 ceremony held at her ranch in New Mexico. Roberts later claimed that she wasn't the cause of the couple's split, but rumors about the situation dogged the actress for several years. "He sorted his whole thing out, separate and apart from me," she said in December 2003. "And I sorted my life out, separate and apart from him. I think that's the only reason we were able to ultimately fall in love with each other and be together." [jwplayer Spw5HoVR-zhNYySv2] Asked in the same interview if she was responsible for Moder's divorce, she replied, "I'm an easy person to point the finger at — 'she did it' — and I see that. I don't begrudge people the easy finger-point. It just doesn't happen to be so." Aside from how it started, the romance between Roberts and Moder was very different from her past relationships in that the cameraman was significantly less famous than his wife. She was briefly engaged to her Flatliners costar Kiefer Sutherland, but they broke up in 1991 just days before their scheduled wedding. In 1993, she married country singer Lyle Lovett, whom she met just three weeks before their wedding. They split in 1995. The Closer star was also previously linked to Dylan McDermott, Matthew Perry, Jason Patric and Liam Neeson. Roberts later implied that none of her relationships had shaken her quite like meeting Moder did. “I think that first kind of real ... 'seismic shift' was meeting Danny," she told Gwyneth Paltrow in 2018. "Getting married to Danny. That was the first, like, my life will never be the same in the most incredible, indescribable way." The duo welcomed twins Phinnaeus and Hazel in November 2004. Their third child, son Henry, was born in June 2007. “The thing is, we have these three human beings who are just a complete reflection of the affection we have for each other," she told InStyle in 2017. Keep scrolling to learn more about Roberts and Moder's romance: [podcast_block]

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Spring 2000

Roberts met Moder on the set of The Mexican, where he was working as a cameraman. "He makes me feel my most comfortable self," the actress said of her partner in 2003. "I don't alter myself in any way."

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March 2002

Amid reports that the Mystic Pizza star had caused the breakup of Moder's first marriage, she was photographed wearing a DIY T-shirt that read, "A Low Vera." Asked in 2003 why she wore the shirt, she replied, "It was private. ... I stand by my T-shirt."

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July 2002

The couple wed on July 4 in a top-secret ceremony held at Roberts' ranch in Taos, New Mexico. Guests were asked only to come "celebrate Independence Day" with the couple.

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November 2004

The pair welcomed twins Phinnaeus and Hazel after two years of marriage.

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June 2007

Henry, the couple's third child, joined his brother and sister in 2007. Roberts later said her kids don't really understand how famous she is. "I don’t think they will ever have a true sense of that," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2018. "When they were starting to figure it out, it was like, 'You’re famous?' And I said, 'I think a lot of people might have seen the movie that I’m in or might know who I am.' Maybe an hour goes by. 'Are you more famous than Taylor Swift?'"

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July 2014

Moder scored an Emmy nomination for The Normal Heart, an HBO movie in which Roberts also starred. The couple have worked together several times over the years.

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November 2015

The Golden Globe winner credited her husband for helping her nail her role in The Secret in Their Eyes, another project they collaborated on. "We've done a number of things together, and it's always kind of nerve wracking for me because he's my husband and I want him to think I'm awesome," she said in a behind-the-scenes interview. "But this was a collaboration where I realized that if he hadn't been there I don't think I could have fashioned together the performance that I wanted to."

Credit: Courtesy of Danny Moder/Instagram

July 2017

"This pretty lady and I have been following each other around for awhile," Moder wrote via Instagram alongside an image of his wife walking through tall grass. "Married 15 years today. And look how green our garden still is!!! Love you."

Credit: Courtesy of Danny Moder/Instagram

October 2017

The whole family celebrated Roberts' 50th birthday with a vacation. "No Lovers birthday weekend is complete without a surprise bumping into your kids in a surf shop," the cinematographer wrote via Instagram. "50 is better with 5."

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November 2017

“There’s no way to describe it without sounding sappy or ridiculous because everything in my mind ends with an exclamation point,” the Mona Lisa Smile star told InStyle, discussing her life with Moder and their kids.

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September 2018

Roberts shared a sweet photo while hugging her husband. “Oh Summer, thank you! You made us happy and brave,” she captioned the shot. “We embraced every moment of sun-drenched JOY.”

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November 2018

During an interview for Paltrow's podcast, Roberts talked about how strong her marriage was after 16 years. "He truly, to this day, to this minute is just my favorite human," she said, adding that their connection "just gets deeper" as time progresses. "I'm more interested in what he has to say or his point of view just than anybody. Really, we're so lucky in that way. We just really, really like each other and we just enjoy each other's company."

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November 2018

Roberts told Harper’s Bazaar that she tries to protect her kids from hearing about divorce rumors — but it isn’t easy.

“Sometimes we are in the grocery store and I won’t even know something is out, but we’ll see a tabloid and we’ll all be standing there like, ‘Oh, that’s uncomfortable. This is really uncomfortable,’” she said. “It can still hurt my feelings, because I’m so proud of my marriage.”

Credit: Courtesy of Danny Moder/Instagram

February 2019

"My very funny valentine," Moder wrote via Instagram while wishing Roberts a happy Valentine's Day. "Dressed up so classy for a shoot in a beautiful city, but really bringing joy and laughter with her funny faces and conjured voices. Still pinching myself."

Credit: Courtesy of Danny Moder/Instagram

May 2019

When the family celebrated Mother's Day, Moder marked the occasion with a rare photo of the whole crew. "That pretty mama in the middle," he wrote via Instagram. "We love you so much."

Credit: Courtesy of Julia Roberts/Instagram

July 2020

The Runaway Bride star marked the couple's 18th wedding anniversary with an adorable selfie posted to Instagram. "✨18 years✨ #heckyes," she captioned the sweet snap.

Credit: Courtesy of Julia Roberts/Instagram

July 2021

The camera-shy couple shared a selfie via Roberts' Instagram on their July 4 wedding anniversary. "19 years," the Pretty Woman star wrote with red, white and blue hearts. "Just getting started!"

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July 2021

During the Cannes Film Festival screening of Flag Day, on which Moder served as cinematographer, Hazel made her red carpet debut, posing with her dad for photos while wearing a lace shirtdress and black Mary Janes.

Credit: Courtesy of Danny Moder/Instagram

July 2021

Moder celebrated his 20th wedding anniversary with Roberts by sharing a throwback photo of them together “on a dusty road before that big idea.” He wrote, “Just holding on to this beautiful girl one day at a time. One epic day at a time.”

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January 2022

“Happy Everything 🎂🎁⚡️ you make my world go round 🧡 #131,” Roberts wrote via Instagram in a sweet tribute to her husband on his 53rd birthday.

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February 2022

For Valentine's Day, Roberts posted a throwback photo of herself sharing a kiss with Moder, adding a drawing of a red heart over the image. Several of her famous pals "liked" the sweet snap, including Sarah Paulson and Jennifer Aniston. 

Credit: Courtesy Julia Roberts/Instagram

July 2022

The Ticket to Paradise star commemorated her 20th wedding anniversary with Moder in an Instagram post. "⭐️TWENTY⭐️," she wrote. "#can’tstopsmiling😊#can’tstopkissing😘."

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October 2022

“The life that I have built with my husband, [and] the life that we’ve built with our children, that’s the best stuff. To come home at the end of the day, triumphantly to them,” Roberts gushed during a CBS Sunday Mornings interview about her husband and three children.