As Hollywood still reels from the splits of Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied and Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen, which have been revealed so far in 2024, rumours continue to swirl that Julia Roberts and her cinematographer husband Danny Moder could be the next big celebrity couple to divorce.
Julia, 56, and Danny, 55, met in 2000 on the set of The Mexican, where Julia starred opposite Brad Pitt and Danny worked as part of the camera crew. In July 2002, they invited friends over to Julia's New Mexico ranch to celebrate Independence Day, before surprising them by getting married in front of them at midnight. An onlooker said at the time, "It was such a magical, intimate gathering, it felt like we were eavesdropping, like we were invited into someone's secret."
Following their wedding, Julia told Oprah Winfrey in 2003, "I'm so lucky to be crazy happy in my life. And I think it's not so much that I'm happier now than ever; it's that I'm more content. I'm in the harbour of my life. And a huge part of it is my marriage. My husband, Danny, has really shined the light for me. He makes me feel my most comfortable self. I don't alter myself in any way. And he points out aspects of myself, good and bad, that maybe I don't pay attention to. He shines light, so I can really see what's there and not shy away from it."
The couple have welcomed three children – 19-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus and 16-year-old son Henry.
But Julia's secretive lifestyle has left friends worried that there may be trouble in paradise with a source telling Closer, "Their social life has evaporated and they’ve taken to living this very reclusive life. They spend the majority of their time holed up at their place in New Mexico and apparently, they’ve got a new place in Northern California as well where they spend a lot of time. Even though they’ve kept their place in Malibu they’re hardly ever there, which is hard for her friends because they’re just not really available anymore. They’ve got to this place in their marriage where they seem to want to shut the world out."
The couple have told concerned pals that they are simply putting their family first and made an attempt to show the world they are fine when they put on a united front at the Oscars in March – but not everybody is convinced as the pair recently had a disagreement about moving.
"It’s nice that they’ve prioritized their family life over Hollywood but it has come at the expense of their social life and a lot of people worry they’ve deliberately pushed everyone away. When they are seen, like they were during Oscars week, they come across as happy, but it’s well known that they’re one of these couples that has very serious highs and lows. The biggest sticking point recently was when Julia wanted to move to San Francisco, which Danny resisted.
"She gave in and sold their place there but no doubt it was a hard pill for her to swallow, especially because he has camera gigs that take him out of town all the time. It’s an open secret that she’d prefer to live a more visible life, but that’s just not Danny’s style so there’s a lot of concern among her friends that she’s bending herself to suit his needs, which isn’t going to go well in the long-term. In the meantime, it’s sad for their friends because they miss them and wonder what’s going on. Everyone hopes that they’re okay and their marriage is still solid but there’s no way to know because they’re operating in such a secretive way and they’re so hard to reach."
Julia and Danny rarely share moments from their private life on social media – with Danny's last Instagram post, in November 2023, simply being a video of the waves in San Francisco. However, in January and February of this year, Julia shared loved-up snaps of her and Danny.
On January 31, she uploaded a photo of herself resting on him and looking up into his eyes. She captioned it, "Happy Birthday to this amazing man who lights up our world." And on Valentine's Day, she called him "my forever Valentine".
The source continues, "Julia and Danny have always been two very different people, in that he’s a shy character who never went in for the glitz or glamour outside of work, which is kind of ironic since he’s such an accomplished cameraman who has a lot of respect in Hollywood. He likes to spend his down time surfing, wakeboarding, skating, enjoying hikes and getting away from people versus gallivanting around with the elite and hobnobbing in places like Lake Como or Paris with the likes of George Clooney and Jennifer Aniston.
"Julia accepts and embraces it to a point, as she knows what a rock Danny is as well as a wonderful dad to their three kids. But she is known to find it frustrating that they can’t strike more of a compromise and it’s hard for her to be away from her friends so often.
"Being back in LA during Oscars week was a real treat and they caught up with folk they hadn’t seen in eons but right after that they were gone again. She just wishes they had a bit more in common, or so friends think, as things can get pretty boring after a while when they’re so shut off and isolated."
But Julia has been publicly gushing over Danny as recently as December 2023, saying on CBS Mornings, "It's so embarrassing, he's just my favourite human. He's so smart and kind and dynamic in the way that he looks at the world and admires people. He's just so strong and loving," adding that "lots of kissing" helps to keep their romance alive.