Strange things about Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel's marriage

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel tied the knot in October 2012, and if you judge their marriage by their often adorable social media output, they appear to be as fresh-faced and head-over-heels in love as they did when they first stepped out together. We're talking Paris selfies, loved-up throwback photos, and tropical family vacation shots that only the rich and fabulous can afford. 

If you remove the filter, however, it becomes clear that their marriage is not as conventional as they would have you believe. And no, we're not talking about Timberlake and Janet Jackson's infamous Super Bowl halftime snafu that had parents all over the world scrambling for the remote — that was long before Biel was in the picture. We're not even talking about Timberlake's other Super Bowl halftime show over a decade later, which he flubbed so bad The Atlantic dubbed it "a monument to underachievement" — even though that surely made for some award silence around the Timberbiel house.  

We're talking about the stuff that's kept this pair in the tabloids since their first public canoodle. Let's take a look at the stranger side of Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel's marriage. 

When Justin Timberlake finally made the call, it didn't take Jessica Biel long to realize she wanted to marry him. The actress opened up about the romance's early days during an interview on The Late Late Show With James Corden (via Entertainment Tonight.) "I have this email that is really funny that I sent to my producing partner Michelle [Purple], and it's literally like, 'OK, I can't make that meeting so I have to cancel, also I know I will marry this man, you can't tell anybody but your husband.' I have no idea why I wrote that email, I don't know what he did that day, but I have this hilarious email."

The fact that the Minnesota girl was so sure about spending the rest of her life with Timberlake at this early stage is even stranger considering most of their relationship at this point was conducted over the telephone. Biel told Corden that Justin's hectic touring schedule meant physical contact was rarely possible back then. "We didn't kiss for a very long time because he was on tour," she said, "and we were talking on the phone, like normal pre-teens do, we were just chatting on the phone for hours. So, we never really kissed for a very long time."

In 2012, Jessica Biel walked down the aisle to a song written and performed by her soon-to-be husband as part of a lavish ceremony in Italy, but the previous summer, it looked like Timberbiel was over for good. 

Rumors that Justin Timberlake and his Friends With Benefits (2011) co-star Mila Kunis carried on rehearsing for the steamy rom-com long after the shoot had ended gathered steam, coming to a head after they were spotted getting a little too close while promoting the flick together in the UK. "Justin couldn't take his eyes off Mila," one source claimed. "He was hanging on every word she said, and laughing a little too heartily at her jokes." While friends of the couple told People that Biel "always wanted to turn a blind eye" to the situation with Kunis, in the end even she allegedly started to believe the buzz.

The couple split, and while Timberlake's camp denied any shenanigans with Kunis, the pop star's shady track record made his case a hard one to argue. The smooth singer has had to deny involvement with a number of celebs throughout his dating timeline with Biel, including Rihanna, Kate Hudson, Lindsay Lohan, Olivia Munn, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett Johansson, and Ashley Olsen. Whether there is any truth to the infidelity rumors or not, JT seems to be making a real effort to let the world know there's only one girl for him.

When it comes to Justin Timberlake gossip, there aren't many better sources than Sadie Bomar, the star's brutally honest grandma, who claimed that Justin Timberlake was in no rush to head down the aisle with Jessica Biel.  

According to a 2009 story in the Daily Mail, Bomar said, "He's busy writing new material and he works hard to be successful–he's really focused on that. As far as we're concerned, he's always been single. The girlfriends come and go, but we believe nothing has ever been serious. Justin does his own thing and he isn't ready to marry just yet."

While these claims were denied by a source close to Biel, a friend of Timberlake echoed granny's sentiments. "Justin was dying to be single and have fun," his buddy told People. "He was torn, because Jess is an amazing woman and considered to be marriage material, and he loved that about her. But he couldn't drag her along just because one day in the far future he'd want to marry her. It was making her crazy, and it was making him hate himself."

Justin Timberlake wasn't the only one to suddenly change his tune about marriage. His family also made a complete 180 on the subject. JT's loose-lipped granny Bomar was at it again as 2011 drew to a close, taking it upon herself to announce that Timberbiel was not only alive and well, but that her grandsom had finally popped the question while the lovebirds vacationed in Wyoming. 

"He called me on Christmas Day and told me he's engaged," Bomar revealed. "The family loves Jessie...she's a very sweet girl."

A sweet girl she may be, but a gullible one she is not. It reportedly wasn't long before engagement celebrations turned into sour discussions over a prenuptial agreement, with a source telling Star magazine (via SheKnows) that trust issues and a proposed fidelity clause were the main sticking points between the pair. "She thinks if he strays during the marriage, she should be royally compensated," the insider claimed. "She wants a fidelity clause in the prenup giving her at least $500,000 if he does. If he's faithful for several years, maybe she'll agree to have his baby. She doesn't trust him 100 percent yet. Jessica figures if she gets fat during the pregnancy, he'll cheat again."

Rumors of turmoil in camp Timberbiel began to fade in 2017, perhaps because the couple seemed to be consistently broadcasting its happiness. During an interview in May, Jessica Biel complimented her husband's charm and sense of humor. However, she raised eyebrows when she admitted that she doesn't want her son, Silas, to go into his daddy's line of work when he grows up.

"There are many qualities I'd love him to get from Justin," she told news.com.au. "But there's one thing I don't want for him — I really don't want him to be a musician." When pressed, Biel said she was "sort of" joking. "In reality, the music business is really tough," she said. "I already have this image of him as a struggling musician and that's like, 'Oh my God!' As a mum, you think 30 years into the future and you're like, 'How do I fix this for him?'"

A few months later, Biel addressed her husband's influence again with family friend Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. Biel admitted she feels "a little intimidated" by her son's cool-kid behavior. "It's kind of like a mini-Justin," she said. "It's his style. He's got, like, a daddy swagger."

2018 was a relatively uneventful year in the Timberbiel timeline. Sure, Timberlake's fifth studio album Man of the Woods was savaged by critics and his big Super Bowl halftime show flopped, but he and his wife appeared happier than ever. They almost went drama-free for two straight years, but as 2019 drew to a close, this long-time Hollywood power couple found itself back in the headlines for all-too-familiar reasons.

In November of that year, video footage of an apparently inebriated Timberlake holding hands with his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright during a night out in New Orleans was obtained by The Sun. "They were smiling and laughing," an eyewitness told the British tabloid. "At one stage he grabbed her hand and rested it on his knee. She then gently started stroking his leg. Then he clutched her hand with both of his and was playing with her hands."

Timberlake's shady behavior is well documented, including accusations that he's cheated on Biel with multiple women. While there's never been photographic evidence of his alleged infidelities, he appears to have been caught red-handed this time. And yet, sources close to Timberlake and Biel told E! News that Timberlake just had a few too many that night and that they "are downplaying everything and trying to laugh it off as nothing." The source continued, "He says it was not a big deal, [the cast] were all hanging out together and that's the end of the story."