Diaz and Madden are already parents to daughter Raddix, born via surrogate in December 2019, and son Cardinal, who arrived in March 2024. Their newest announcement arrives more than a decade after the couple first got together, and 11 years after they turned a fast-moving romance into a marriage that has largely stayed outside the celebrity-news machinery.
How Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden met
Diaz and Madden first crossed paths in 2014 through people who were already central to both of their lives: Benji’s twin brother and Good Charlotte bandmate Joel Madden, and Joel’s wife, Nicole Richie.
Diaz, who was already friendly with Joel and Nicole, later discussed that first meeting on the Anna Faris Is Unqualified podcast in 2021.
“I met them first and then they didn’t set us up, but we were in the same room because of them, and then we found each other,” she said.
She also noted that it was surprising they had not properly met earlier, given their overlapping social circles.
Richie, meanwhile, happily accepted some credit. During a 2014 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, she said: “I’m going to take responsibility for everything! I approve of anything that’s going to make Benji happy.”
A few months into the relationship, Benji told People he was “really happy right now,” a concise update that did not require a publicist to translate.
Their engagement came quickly
By December 2014, Diaz and Madden were engaged, roughly seven months after they began dating.
A friend of Benji’s confirmed the proposal to People, saying those close to him were “aware and happy for him.” The same source said Diaz’s mother was “a fan” of Benji and had given the relationship her blessing.
The couple also released a statement at the time: “We couldn’t be happier to begin our new journey together surrounded by our closest family and friends.”
A surprise Beverly Hills wedding
The engagement was brief. In January 2015, Diaz and Madden married at their Beverly Hills home in a surprise ceremony.
Around 90 guests reportedly attended, with many having been told they were going to a pre-Golden Globes party. According to Us Weekly, Diaz’s bridesmaids included Drew Barrymore, Nicole Richie, her sister Chimene, and her then-assistant Jessica Lutz.
Benji’s nephew Sparrow Madden, the son of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, served as ring bearer. Guests reportedly included Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Ronson, and Reese Witherspoon.
Diaz later reflected on the marriage during a 2022 appearance on Michelle Visage’s Rule Breakers podcast, saying Benji had “really taught [her] to value [herself] a lot more.”
“With our marriage, I learned how to really go all in,” she said. “Nothing else comes before this. It’s not hard to do because [our marriage is] the most valuable thing I have.”
What Diaz has said about motherhood
Diaz has spoken often about becoming a parent later in life. In 2020, after Raddix was born, she told Entertainment Tonight that motherhood was the “best, best part” of her life.
“I love being a mother. I’m so grateful and so happy and it’s the best thing ever and I’m so lucky to do it with Benji,” she said.
She also discussed aging and parenthood with Gwyneth Paltrow on the GOOP podcast, saying the “whole concept” of getting older had changed, especially over the previous decade.
“It’s totally opened up. I’m excited. I’ve got 50 or 60 years to go - I want to live to be 110 since I’ve got a young child,” Diaz said.
Speaking specifically about Raddix, Diaz said people can have “this amazing moment in your 40s where you appreciate who your parents are,” adding that she wanted to be present for that stage of her daughter’s life.
On the YouTube series No Filter, Diaz compared starting a family when younger with doing it later.
“Having a family when you’re young…it’s like anything when you’re young: You do it,” she said.
Starting a family later, she suggested, is a “real choice.”
“You really have to work hard for it,” Diaz added, before joking: “The only pressure for me now is I have to live to be 107. No pressure!”
Diaz’s past relationships
Before marrying Madden, Diaz had several high-profile relationships, including with Jared Leto, Justin Timberlake, and baseball player Alex Rodriguez.
She dated Leto from 1999 to 2003, though the pair kept the relationship relatively private. At the time, there were rumors they had become engaged.
Her relationship with Timberlake followed. The pair dated from 2003 to 2007, drawing significant public attention, but the split was described as amicable. They later worked together on the 2011 comedy Bad Teacher.
Diaz’s marriage to Madden has been a different kind of public story: fewer red carpets, more family milestones, and a consistent preference for privacy. With the arrival of Nautas, that approach appears unchanged.
