Ahhh, the early 2000s; what a simpler time! The internet was young, our look wasn't complete without a dash of glitter, and we probably had an N'Sync cassette as a fixture in our Walkmans. Nearly two decades later, who do you think of when N'Sync pops into your head? I bet it's no contest...Justin Timberlake has to pop into your head first! The prince of pop was known for his curly hair (that the internet has affectionately likened to ramen noodles) as well as his incredibly famous girlfriend, who you might also remember: a pop singer named Britney Spears.
Fast forward a few years later to 2003: N'Sync was finished and Justin had ventured out on his own as a solo artist with a more mature sound. For his next flame, Justin switched it up a bit and decided to date a famous actress who you'll know if you're a fan of various romcoms: Cameron Diaz. For a moment in time, Cameron and Justin were a pair who graced every cover of any popular magazine you could name, and were on every guest list at the hottest Hollywood clubs, and made fans believe even celebrities could find real love after a breakup!
15 The Former N'Sync-er and Charlie's Angel Met At The 2003 Kid's Choice Awards
Do you remember where you were in April of 2003? George W. Bush was the President of the United States, Michael Jordan retired from playing basketball, and Finland elected their first Prime Minister, according to Wikipedia. An event also took place on April 12, which had a sizable impact on popular culture, whether we knew it at the time or not; the 16th annual Kids Choice Awards on the legendary kids' network, Nickelodeon. The Kids Choice Awards are a must-see annual awards show where the awards are decided by the kids, who vote online for various popular culture-oriented categories.
According to the Wikipedia entry for the 2003 ceremony, the sixteenth "KCAs" captured the most popular in movies, TV, and books; Amanda Bynes won big in the "Favorite Actress" category and Avril Lavigne was awarded for her big hit "Sk8er Boi." Justin Timberlake was also incredibly present after the release of his first solo album, "Justified." He kicked off the night with the hit song "Rock Your Body" while successfully avoiding getting slimed!
Whether he knew it or not, the most memorable part of Justin's night happened when he was awarded the award for "best burp" and the statue was awarded by Hollywood royalty Cameron Diaz.
According to People Magazine, the duo met for the first time that night! The on-stage banter must have worked; PopSugar reported the pair were holding hands by the end of the night!
14 Cameron And Justin Were Serious Enough For Cameron To Accompany Justin On Tour With Christina Aguilera
It sounds too good to be true; two of the decade's most popular recording artists teaming up for a tour, showcasing their recent Blockbuster releases! In 2003, Justin Timberlake embarked on such tour with his longtime friend and former Mickey Mouse Club co-star, Christina Aguilera. The tour generated a lot of buzz and was highly anticipated in light of the release of Justin's first solo album and Christina's return to the spotlight with a controversial image to promote her album, Stripped. Christina and Justin embarked on 45 different tour stops, complete with an EP of songs from the tour sold only in Target stores, as noted by the tour's Wikipedia page.
Having Christina and Justin on the tour seems like too much star power, but the A-list cast of famous people on the tour doesn't stop there! When the tour began in June 2003, Justin had known his rumored beau for a few months after meeting at the Kids Choice Awards. What fans didn't know, was that behind the scenes, things were getting serious between JT and Cameron, serious enough that Justin reportedly decided to bring his new girl along for the tour, according to People magazine. When you bring a new significant other along to meet an old friend, it's usually a sign of a serious relationship in the making!
13 Cameron Is Almost A Decade Older Than Justin
We have always heard the cliche "age ain't nothing but a number", and in many cases, it's true. However, for celebrities in the public eye, age is much more than that! Many famous couples have been the subject of tabloid articles about age gaps, but the pair who generated some of the biggest buzz in the early 2000's was Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz! If we look at Justin's other famous ex, Britney Spears, there isn't really much of a difference; the pair isn't even a full year apart in age.
Imagine the public's shock when the age difference between Justin and his new lady was revealed: Cameron was nine years older than Justin!
According to Cameron and Justin's Google entries, Cameron was born on August 30th, 1972, and Justin was born on January 31st, 1981. Why are fans so interested in large age differences between celebrities? Like the Us Weekly column of the same name, an age gap between celebrities show they are just like us. According to an article from People written after their break up, Cameron weighed into W magazine about the public's interest in the couple's age difference, in 2004: "it's not like this is the first time in the history of human relationships that people were drawn to one another because of who they are, not what age they are."
12 There Were Rumors Of Engagement Between The Pair In 2004
It's a fairytale for the ages: two A-list celebrities meeting, falling in love, and eventually getting married, providing us with a spectacular visual of a celebrity wedding. What happens when the celebrity couple in question takes a bit to make it to the altar or shows signs of getting cold feet? Unfortunately, Cameron and Justin were subjected to endless tabloid speculation about a potential engagement in 2004, during the heyday of celebrity gossip.
British tabloids really enjoyed chatting about proposal stories and speculating about potential nuptials between Cameron and Justin. Britain's Female First detailed engagement speculation from the famous British tabloid, The Sun. The tabloid reported, the couple "celebrated their engagement by canoodling in a Los Angeles restaurant surrounded by their friends." The tabloid also fed into our need as celebrity fans by detailing an idea of the couple's pure happiness; "Justin kept leaning over to Cameron, kissing her and whispering in her ear."
Reading about her faux engagement must have been very difficult for Cameron. She has been very vocal about her hesitation to tie the knot. Before she eventually married the former member of Good Charlotte, Benji Madden, Cameron told Marie Claire: "I'm not looking for a husband or marriage, or not not looking for that stuff. I'm living, not thinking what I should or shouldn't be doing in my life."
11 Cameron Didn't Want To Walk Down The Aisle Because She Describes Herself As A "Commitphobe."
Another slightly surprising revelation from a female celebrity is that she hasn't really spent a chunk of her childhood daydreaming of white tulle and place settings, especially when she typically will have the luxury of having her dream wedding! When speculation of a potential engagement began popping up for Justin and Cameron, People detailed a quote from an interview on Ellen DeGeneres' show with Cameron. She described her reluctance to settle down, stating: "I'm a commitment-phobe. I don't want to do it."
This quote was in response to a quote from Justin, who had made an appearance on Ellen, where Ellen asked Justin if a Timberlake and Diaz union was in the cards. Cameron goes on to expand on her views concerning getting married, and let viewers know she doesn't buy into traditional wedding fare, specifically catching the bouquet.
Cameron responded to Ellen's question about the often wild antics that can happen among wedding guests when it's time for the bride to throw the bouquet.
Cameron noted: "It's not about fighting. It's about being in the right position. The right place at the right time. Ever heard of that, ladies? It's like a sport to me. I don't care. I don't want to get married. I just want to catch the bouquet, because I have a collection of bouquets. I don't have them still, but they're kind of in my ego catalog: 12 bouquets."
10 The Duo Took On The Tabloids With Lawsuits Over Accusations About Infedelity
When you're a celebrity couple, it's nearly impossible to escape whispers from the public about infidelity, and Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake were no exception. In 2004, a British tabloid called News Of The World reported Justin had been unfaithful to Cameron with Lucy Clarkson, a model. MTV reported Justin had enough of the false accusation and requested that the tabloid run a follow-up article admitting that the story was false.
Unfortunately, News Of The World refused to honor JT's request, leading Timberlake to sue the tabloid. The judge ruled in favor of Timberlake's request and News Of The World complied, sending Justin an olive branch. According to the Wikipedia entry for olive branches, the branches symbolize "peace" and "victory." Another symbol of peace in the situation happened when Lucy Clarkson agreed to pay the money back she had taken in order to tell the story, as per a recap of the story via MTV.
A year later, Cameron sued the company which owns the British tabloid The Sun over an article published in May, according to an article in The Guardian. The story falsely reported the couple was engaged, and Cameron had been reportedly seen "snogging another man." Furthermore, the article painted Cameron as being insensitive with the timing of her "affair", because it happened as Justin was preparing to check into the hospital for a "throat operation." This story had a happy ending for Cameron, as she won the lawsuit!
9 The Couple Spoke Very Kindly About One Another After Their Break Up
The couple set the bar high for many celebrity couples during their relationship and set an example of how to handle a high profile split gracefully. When the couple split in January 2007, Justin and Cameron released a statement to the public, explaining the reasoning behind their split, as detailed in People.
Accordingly, the pair commented: "It has always been our preference not to comment on the status of our relationship but, out of respect for the time we've spent together, we feel compelled to do so now, in light of recent speculation, and the number of inaccurate stories being reported by the media. we have, in fact, ended our romantic relationship, and have done so mutually and as friends, with continued love and respect for one another."
When Cameron was asked by Ellen DeGeneres about the break up during an interview on her show, Cameron spoke in response to the media's desire for a messy break-up.
She said: "I love how people just expect people when you break up just to hate each other. The great thing is that Justin and I have lived extraordinary lives, and we had a wonderful opportunity to live an extraordinary life together for a period of time, and now we live an extraordinary life not in the same way together, but we're still in each other's lives in that way you care about somebody, you just want them to be happy, and that's what we both are now. Life is amazing, there's nothing not to be happy about."
8 The Duo Had Their Share Of Run-ins With The Paparazzi During Their Relationship
One of the most complicated aspects of being a celebrity and living your life in the public eye has to be the constant paparazzi attention you receive while doing normal daily activities like going to the grocery store. In the early 2000's, paparazzi shots were very popular, especially with the launch of the outrageously popular celebrity gossip site TMZ in November 2005, according to Google.
Getting the scoop on A-list celebrities became a high priority to gossip magazines and websites and paparazzi seemed to stop at nothing in order to get a very expensive photo of Hollywood royalty. In the early 2000s, Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake were a prime example of Hollywood royalty and paparazzi favorites. Sadly the couple was a frequent target of paparazzi disturbance and had a memorable encounter with a member of the paparazzi, which people couldn't stop talking about.
According to a news report from the Today Show after the incident in 2006, the couple was on their way to dinner with friends, when a paparazzi member "was hiding behind the bushes as Justin and Cameron were arriving to meet friends." After the paparazzi began to take photos, "the photographer then got into his vehicle and drove toward Cameron."
After the incident happened, photos of Cameron were released to the public where she was shown grabbing the camera around the photographer's neck and trying to flee with it. The incident brought attention to the dangerous role that the paparazzi plays in celebrity culture.
7 You've Heard Of 'There's Something About Mary': Justin's Other Famous Ex Thinks There's Something About Cameron!
There's no denying that Justin Timberlake has been in a few of the most discussed celebrity relationships of all time, but who comes to mind when you think of Justin's famous ex-girlfriends? Surely it's one of the biggest pop artists of all time, Britney Spears! The pair met when they were very young and starred in the revival of the classic entertainment show, The Mickey Mouse Club. According to E!, Britney and Justin were even each other's first kiss!
When Justin and Britney broke up in 2002, it seemed as if the pair would never get over one another judging by the number of songs they both recorded, which were reportedly inspired by each other, (E! reported Justin's hit "Cry Me A River" was about Britney.) The idea of Britney ever being friendly with any of Justin's other girlfriends seems completely unheard of.
However, Brit has been reportedly known to be a "huge fan" of one of her ex's famous flames, Cameron Diaz!
Nearly 20 years after the end of her relationship with Justin, Britney decided to publicly declare her love for Cameron in an Instagram post in 2017. According to Just Jared, Britney reposted one of Cameron's Instagram pictures of some tomatoes... from nine months before! In the caption for the post, Brit gave a shout out to one of Cameron's most well-known films, There's Something About Mary, and also declared: "Cameron Diaz posted this, and considering I'm obsessed with my garden, I had to repost!!!"
6 Cameron Says She's Still Friends With Her Exes
When a relationship comes to an end, one of the last things you want to do is think of ever seeing your ex again, let alone being friends with them! For some people, cutting off contact with their ex is the best option. For others, time is able to heal some of the heartaches, and it's a little easier to be friends. For Cameron Diaz, the second option is how she handles her relationships, like the one with her famous ex, pictured here, the actor and musician, Jared Leto!
According to Cosmo UK, Cameron told Self magazine, "I'm still friends with my ex-boyfriends. I feel like all my relationships are strong- friends, family. I've invested in my people and they have invested in me."
Maintaining a relationship takes a lot of work from each person involved, regardless of the nature of the relationship. Cameron's quote shows she believes it's best to acknowledge everything that has happened within that relationship because you're working to contribute to the relationship in any way possible. An investment in a relationship is personal and goes both ways. Viewing a romantic relationship like Cameron does can save a lot of heartaches, and provide a peaceful perspective for everyone involved!
5 Justin And Cameron Have A Collective List Of Famous Exes
Justin and Cameron have both built careers showing plenty of longevity. The pair has both been active in the entertainment business for 25 and 30 years respectively, according to their Wikipedia entries, (Cameron first broke into the industry as a model in 1988).
Having been around for a long time, it's inevitable that both Justin and Cameron have dated a number of famous faces before meeting in 2003!
According to a list of her famous exes from Ranker, Cameron once briefly dated the baseball player Alex Rodriguez, had a relationship with the actor and singer Jared Leto which briefly blossomed into an engagement, and dated actor Matt Dillion from 1995 until 1998. She was also reportedly involved with Edward Norton and her co-star in The Holiday, Jude Law!
As for Justin, Ranker details a long list of famous exes! A year before he met Cameron, Justin was briefly involved with the actress and activist, Alyssa Milano. In a pre-Britney Spears era, Justin spent some time with Black Eyed Peas singer, Stacey "Fergie" Furgeson. He was reportedly involved with Alicia Keys and Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton, formerly of the Spice Girls!
For both Justin and Cameron, true love found them in the end. In 2012, Justin married actress and 7th Heaven alumna Jessica Biel, and later had a son named Silas Randall. Cameron found love with the former member of the pop punk band Good Charlotte, Benji Madden!
4 Justin And Cameron Taught Exes How To Gracefully Handle Being Co-Stars In "Bad Teacher."
In 2011, Justin and Cameron did what not many exes can ever imagine; they starred in a film together, years after their split! The film was called Bad Teacher, and the pair played two teachers who were romantically involved with each other. Understandably, the public was curious about how the process would work; surely two famous exes wouldn't be able to peacefully work on a film together, with hours of interaction and scenes that had to be awkward or intense to film!
This was not the case for Justin and Cameron on set. In an article from Us Weekly, Cameron told the magazine her ex is "a genius comedian... he's clearly talented. We went for the best person for the job, and it just so happened it was him. And he delivers." She also adds that Justin is "'frickin' weird in movies. He's so bizarre and hilarious. I say that with great respect to his character and what he's done!"
Justin echoed his ex-girlfriend's positive recollection of their time on set in an interview with Access Hollywood. We would think kissing our exes for a movie role would be an incredibly awkward experience; not for Cameron and Justin! Timberlake told the publication, "I didn't look at it like that. We obviously know each other, but I looked at it as a really funny scene I've never seen done before."
3 Princess Fiona And Her Cousin Artie Are Connected In An Unexpected Way In "Shrek 3"
Way before Cameron and Justin co-starred together in the comedy Bad Teacher, the pair were also on screen together in a slightly different fashion; they appeared together in the third movie of the wildly popular animated franchise, Shrek! Shrek The Third was released in May 2007, a few months after the pair called it quits.
The collaboration between the former couple must have been special; Cameron had spent the three films as the voice of Princess Fiona, Shrek's wife, while Justin played Shrek's nephew, Artie, who was an heir to the throne in the movie.
The excitement for the former couple's involvement in the film together wasn't limited to their collaboration on screen, however. The internet was set abuzz after the film's premiere, when Justin was seen giving his ex a quick peck on the cheek when he arrived, according to an article from Record Online! The publication detailed that the premiere for Shrek The Third was the first time the couple had been seen out in public together since their break-up. Cameron and Justin also surprised fans by "greeting each other with big smiles and sharing a hug and a kiss." Once again, JT and Cam show fans how it's done when it comes to friendly post-breakup encounters!
2 Justin Called His Relationship With Cameron More "Adult" Than His Relationship With Britney
Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears' relationship was an extremely memorable celebrity relationship for many reasons. The pair started dating when Britney was 15, according to E!, they stuck together during the peak of N'Sync's popularity, and Britney and Justin were responsible for one of the most memorable moments in celebrity fashion in the last twenty years; the matching denim ensemble, pictured above!
As with many intense first relationships, it's common to realize certain problematic aspects of the relationship after the breakup. For Justin, he realized the relationship might not have been as mature as he needed it to be. According to CBS News, Justin spoke to GQ magazine after he and Britney split. When he spoke about his relationship with Spears, he was much more open about their relationship than his new relationship with Cameron Diaz. CBS News reported Timberlake was "more guarded" when he talked about his current relationship. He shared that his relationship with Cameron was "more adult" than the teenage fling he had with Spears.
As per People Magazine, Justin went on to speak about his relationship with Cameron, saying: "For me, this time around, it's been important to stay, at least as much as I can, out of the limelight." For someone as famous as Justin Timberlake, having any chance to have anything remain private, is a must!
1 Justin And Cameron Both Went On To Tie The Knot With Famous Entertainers
After Justin and Cameron split for good in 2007, it seemed like the pair was finished choosing dating partners involved in the entertainment industry. After all, Justin and Britney didn't work out, and Cameron also had a history of failed relationships with actors.
Thankfully for fans of celebrity pairings, Justin and Cameron both found love with two celebrities that both resulted in marriage!
Fans were eager to spot some evidence of bad blood between the former couple when they announced their split, but Cameron quickly squashed hopes of a feud when she spoke to The Daily Telegraph while promoting their film Bad Teacher. She said, "Justin and I had a journey together, and we'll continue to have a journey together. Our relationship has changed over the years, and we're okay with that." Unfortunately, that journey didn't lead down the aisle, but for Justin, wedding bells began to ring when he married Jessica Biel in 2012. Three years later, Justin embraced a new chapter in life when he became a father for the first time, to a little boy named Silas Randall Timberlake!
Cameron also found true love in 2015 when she married former Good Charlotte member Benji Madden! Since their marriage, Cameron has been "living a quiet life" with Madden, according to People.
Thankfully, Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake have both found love and success separately, but they sure were memorable together as a celebrity "It" couple in the early 2000's!
References:Wikipedia entry for April 2003, Wikipedia entry for Kids Choice Awards, Wikipedia entry for Kids Choice Awards April '03, People Magazine, PopSugar, Wikipedia entry for Justified and Stripped tour, Female First, PopSugar marriage quotes article, People Magazine Cameron Diaz/Ellen DeGeneres interview, MTV, Wikipedia entry for Olive Branch, The Guardian, Today, Just Jared, E!, Cosmopolitian, Ranker page for Cameron, Ranker page for Justin, Wikipedia entry for Bad Teacher, Wikipedia entry for Cameron Diaz, Wikipedia entry for Justin Timberlake, Us Weekly, Access Hollywood, Record Online, Wikipedia entry for Shrek the Third, CBS News, Daily Telegraph, People
