They have been married for over a decade, but rumours that their union is going through another rocky patch are building in Hollywood – and a source tells heat that Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are ‘leading separate lives.’
Justin, 44, is mid-way through his mammoth Forget Tomorrow world tour and while Justin had hoped Jessica would be by his side, the in-demand actress has been busy with her new movie.
‘Justin wanted her along on this tour, but she refused. She’s having fun on set and enjoying hanging out with her co-stars. They’re leading separate lives at this point and Justin can’t handle it. He’s not handling the distance well at all,’ says an insider.
While Justin is wrapping up the South American leg of his tour Jessica, 43, has been in Europe filming Matchbox, where she is working alongside WWE wrestler John Cena and The Walking Dead actress Danai Gurira.
By all accounts, the Mirror singer is going through a tough time at the moment after dealing with some scathing reviews of his tour. Fans are said to have been left disappointed at his insistence on performing nearly all the songs from his recent album, Everything I Thought It Was (widely considered a flop compared with his previous releases) rather than focusing on his well-loved back catalogue.
Our source reveals, ‘Justin has been down in the dumps about it all, he’s feeling pretty sorry for himself. His tour is being panned and he doesn’t know how to cope. Jessica is usually the one he turns to but she’s having a blast with her new movie. They’re living very separate lives and she seems to be quite content with that.’
Although Justin and Jessica have been having what is essentially a ‘trial separation’, thousands of miles apart, insiders say they’re long overdue a serious discussion about their future.
‘Sooner or later, it will all come to a head. They’ve had a lot of problems and either they talk about what to do to fix this or it could end in divorce,’ the source says.
Justin has had a turbulent few years ever since he was spotted getting up close and personal with Shadowhunters actress and his Palmer co-star, Alisha Wainright, in 2019. Images of the two holding hands and looking a little too flirty during a night out in New Orleans made the rounds on the internet, forcing Justin to make a public statement.
Taking to Instagram, the former N*Sync member offered an apology to his ‘amazing wife.’ He posted, ‘A few weeks ago, I displayed a strong lapse in judgement - but let me be clear - nothing happened between me and my co-star. I drank way too much that night and I regret my behaviour. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son. 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.’
Although Jessica remained with Justin throughout the ordeal, an insider told us that at one point their marriage was nearly over.
‘As everyone knows they were this close to splitting back in 2019,’ the source reveals, ‘that was beyond humiliating for Jessica, but she gave Justin another chance because she loves him and didn’t want to split up their family.’
Justin and Jessica went on to have son Phineas, who is now three, after working to repair their relationship. They are also parents to another son, Silas, nine.
Their marriage was put under further strain last summer when Justin was arrested for a DWI [driving while intoxicated], creating headlines around the world and leaving Jessica ‘furious.’
Our insider says, ‘His arrest for a DWI last summer did nothing to help, that really pushed her to a new breaking point. She was out of town working at the time, while Justin was supposed to be keeping things running smoothly at home, and instead he wound up behind bars.’
‘It put so much stress on her, she was furious,’ the insider went on, ‘If you ask her friends, they’ll tell you she’s a saint for putting up with Justin all these years.’
It seems that the DWI was a tipping point for the Valentines Day actress who, we have been told, is tired of being ‘sucked into his drama.’
The couple met in 2007 before breaking up in 2011, but it was a fleeting separation as by December 2011 not only were things back on, the duo also announced their engagement. They married in March 2012 and appeared to have a relatively calm few years before Justin’s cheating allegations and his DWI drama.
‘There are just so many issues that they’ve never addressed over the years,’ the source says, ‘and if they don’t face them now, the resentment will continue to build until it’s completely untenable.’
Justin is Jessica’s first husband, although she shared a five-year-long relationship with Marvel superhero Chris Evans. As for Justin, he famously dated Britney Spears through the late nineties and early noughties before moving on with actress Cameron Diaz for three years. A year after his wedding to Jessica, Justin gushed, ‘I have this moment where I'm like, 'If you never make a good decision - if you only make bad decisions - for the rest of your life, you made one really good decision. It's nice to marry your best friend.’
But it seems their marriage is no longer the fairy tale it once was. Our source adds, ‘Jessica has really stepped into a new, more empowered role in the relationship, after spending so many years orbiting around Justin and putting up with his moods. The problem is that Justin hasn’t changed or accepted that she’s not the same woman he married, he’s having a very hard time adjusting to this new normal But really he needs to take responsibility for his actions.’
As the concept of a more long-term separation lingers in the air, from the sounds of things, the ball is in Justin’s court. Our source says, ‘If things are going to improve between them it’s going to take a lot of hard work and therapy, especially on Justin’s end.’