Who Is Julia Roberts' Husband, Danny Moder? Find Out the Secret to Their Long Marriage
Julia Roberts is no stranger to iconic love stories—and no, we’re not talking about her leading-lady roles in iconic rom-coms. After more than two decades of marriage, it seems Roberts’ husband, Danny Moder, is still making plenty of magical moments with the star in real life.
"Every day my husband walks in the door, it's like a recurring dream," she told PEOPLE in 2017. "I'm like, 'Ah, he's back!'"
Although the pair have kept their relationship relatively private, Roberts has shared the secret to their long marriage: plenty of kissing.
"That's the secret—never stop kissing,” the star of the apocalyptic thriller Leave the World Behind said on Sirius XM in April 2022. “Two bathroom sinks and lots of kissing.”
As for how Roberts and Moder spent their 21-year anniversary on July 4, 2023? More kissing, as evidenced by a sweet snap Roberts posted to Instagram.
Keep reading to learn more about Julia Roberts and her husband Danny Moder, as well as the headline-making way they met and how their marriage just keeps getting better.
Related: Julia Roberts Celebrates 'Day of Happiness' with Stunning Portrait of Herself
How did Julia Roberts and husband Danny Moder meet?
Roberts and Moder, whose full name is Daniel Moder, met in 2000 while working on the movie The Mexican. Both were in relationships with other people at the time, as Roberts was dating Benjamin Bratt and Moder was married to makeup artist Vera Steimberg. Moder and Steimberg eventually split in early 2002. “He sorted his whole thing out, separate and apart from me,” Roberts told Oprah Winfrey in 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.”
Following her breakup, Roberts was photographed in a now-iconic, seemingly homemade T-shirt reading “a low Vera” across the front. She refused to divulge the meaning behind the much-talked-about tee during the Oprah interview.
“You know what that was about? It was private,” she said of the style statement. “I stand by my T-shirt.” She soon traded the white T-shirt for a white dress; after Moder’s split was finalized, Roberts tied the knot with the cinematographer in a private ceremony on July 4, 2002.
“Getting married to Danny is easily one of three turning points [in my life], because I found what for me is my perfect match … I give Danny a lot of credit,” Roberts told The Sun in 2019. “He 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.”
Related: Julia Roberts' Best Quotes on Love, Life and Parenting
How long has Julia Roberts been married?
Roberts married Moder on July 4, 2002, so the couple will celebrate their 22nd anniversary in 2024. They tied the knot at Roberts’ ranch in Taos, New Mexico. The ceremony was a surprise to guests, who had been invited to “celebrate Independence Day” with the couple, according to Us Weekly.
What does Danny Moder do for a living?
Talk about a Hollywood power couple! Moder is a screenwriter and cinematographer. He’s worked on films including Tuesdays With Morrie, Enemy of the State and The Brave, as well as such TV series as The Normal Heart, which Roberts also starred in.
In a full-circle moment, Roberts and Moder worked together again for the 2015 movie The Secret in Their Eyes.
“If we go to work together and go home together, all that work time, when you come home and [say], ‘Oh, honey, how was your day?’ We did all that in the day and in the car,” she told Extra in 2018 of being on set with her husband. “So when we got home we got to put that all away, which was really delightful.”
Related: Julia Roberts' Top Movie Roles
How much does Danny Moder make?
Moder has an estimated net worth of $10 million. Roberts’ net worth, meanwhile, is estimated at $250 million.
How old is Danny Moder?
Moder turned 55 on Jan. 31, 2024. Roberts celebrates her 57th birthday on October 28, 2024.
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How many times has Julia Roberts been married?
Moder is Roberts’ second marriage, as she was previously married to country music star Lyle Lovett from 1993 to 1995. The pair tied the knot after only three weeks of dating, according to PEOPLE, with Roberts walking down the aisle barefoot in a white Commes de Garçons gown, which Lovett reportedly bought for $2,000.
In 1995, the pair announced their separation. Roberts later reflected on the relationship in an interview with the New York Daily News in 1999, saying it was a “miscalculation” but “never a mistake” marrying Lovett. “Too many great things came out of it. We have this great shared experience that never had any nasty moments. What we had doesn’t come close to the mistake category.”
Before her relationship with Lovett, there was another time when Roberts almost walked down the aisle—but instead, almost ended up a real-life runaway bride! While she was set to marry Flatliners co-star Kiefer Sutherland in 1991, she called off the wedding days before and was spotted on a lunch date, and subsequently on a trip to Ireland, with Sutherland’s friend and co-star Jason Patric.
Reflecting on the situation in 2006, Sutherland reportedly told Rolling Stone, “I commend Julia for seeing how young and silly we were, even at the last minute, even as painful and as difficult as it was. Thank God she saw it.”
Related: Julia Roberts' Net Worth Shows That This Pretty Woman Is More Than Pretty Rich
Does Julia Roberts have kids?
Roberts and Moder share three children: Twins Hazel and Phinnaeus Moder, born in 2004, and Henry Daniel Moder, born in 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 said of her family life in a 2017 interview with InStyle.
And while most of us know Roberts as a Hollywood icon, her kids simply know her as "Mom." In a 2018 Harper’s Bazaar interview, she said she doesn’t think her kids will “ever have a true sense” of her fame. "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?'"
One thing’s for sure, both stars know a thing or two about a “Love Story.”
Next, Julia Roberts Reveals Original Pretty Woman Ending, and It's Pretty Upsetting
