Whether you knew them as “Jameron” or the cutesy “The Camberlakes,” chances are that, back in the day, you lapped up every detail about this quintessential early aughts celeb pairing. Justin Timberlake, now 44, and Cameron Diaz, now 52, may seem like a casual fling from the dim and distant past to Us now, but they were actually together for a long time and an awful lot went down between them. Let’s unearth the details …
How it Began
It started with a … burp?! At the 2003 Kids Choice Awards, Diaz, then 30, presented Timberlake, then a mere 22, with the, uh, coveted prize for “Best Burp.” She had won it herself two years previously, which proved to be a great ice breaker.
Both were single — actress Diaz had recently split from Jared Leto, while former NSync star Timberlake was about a year out of his relationship with Britney Spears — and so they hit it off.
A few weeks later, in May, they were spotted holding hands at a club in New York, and Jameron was officially born. Two of the hottest stars of the time, hooking up? Maybe even in love? Squeal!
How Long it Lasted
Almost four years! Crazy, right? While their relationship did have a few blips and rumored breakups during its course, they looked like they had a lot of fun together too, with Diaz regularly joining Timberlake on tour and them even appearing in an SNL skit together in 2005.
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While there was a public obsession with their pretty modest eight year age gap — yup, an age gap that wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow if their genders were flipped — they seemed unbothered. “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,” Diaz told W in 2004.
The age gap wasn’t the only controversy: both Timberlake and Diaz successfully sued British tabloids during their relationship, with the now defunct News of the World claiming Timberlake had cheated with model Lucy Clarkson in 2004 and, the following year, The Sun suggesting Diaz had had an affair with MTV producer Shane Nickerson.
It’s fair to say that, over those four years, they crammed a lot in and attracted a lot of headlines. But in January 2007, they split.
How it Ended
Back then, celebrities issued long, official statements about their breakups rather than just posting something mysterious on Instagram. After rumors of a rift started circulating, they confirmed it to the press: “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 that are 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.”
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The “inaccurate stories” they referred to concerned other women, including Scarlett Johansson, who appeared in Timberlake’s 2006 “What Goes Around Comes Around” music video. In an interview with Seventeen magazine at the time, Johannson denied speculation that Diaz was “jealous” of her. “We live in a world today where if two people are single – and one’s a guy and one’s a girl and they’re both famous – you’re going to be linked with somebody,” she said. “If it’s somebody one week, it’s going to be somebody else the next week. It’s either me or Jessica Biel.”
Ha. Well, sure enough, Timberlake’s next love interest was Biel, his now wife of 13 years (they share two sons: Silas, 10, and Phineas, 4). But the details of when and how they got together — and specifically, whether there may have been a slight overlap with Diaz — are a little blurry.
A week after confirming their breakup, Diaz and Timberlake were spotted in tense discussions at Prince’s Golden Globes after party after he had been chatting to Biel. According to People, Timberlake slammed his fist down on a cabinet.
In the singer’s 2018 memoir, he recalled that he and Biel had been flirting for a while before that night. He wrote: “Then the Golden Globes came up, and that’s when we planned on seeing each other. We were both still seeing other people, keeping ourselves safe from getting hurt, from really putting ourselves out there. It took a bit for both of us to admit to ourselves that we were really, really into each other.”
What They Said About Each Other
These two were both known for their lack of interest in settling down — something they discussed in separate 2006 interviews with Ellen Degeneres. When the chat show host asked Timberlake if she should get a bridesmaid dress, he responded: “Know what? Go ahead and reserve one. The only thing is, you’ll have to stay the same size for the next 15 years.”
Diaz, too, later admitted on Ellen: “I’m a commitment-phobe. Don’t want to do it.”
But it seems Timberlake just wasn’t The One: Diaz has now been married to Benji Madden since 2015, and became a mom to daughter Raddix in 2019 and son Cardinal in 2024.
What They Say Now
Despite the slightly tense ending, these two were quickly on friendly terms — which is lucky, because they ended up appearing in two movies together. Just a few months after their split, in summer 2007, they happily promoted Shrek The Third together. And in 2010 Diaz told Playboy: “We’re adults. Of course, we could work together. It’s been three years since we broke up. It’s all done … We’re friends.”
In 2011’s Bad Teacher, they even shot a sex scene together, with Diaz telling Us Weekly, “It’s great. Justin and I have always had a good laugh together.” She added that Timberlake is “a genius comedian … he’s clearly talented. We went for the best person for the job, and it just so happened that it was him. And he delivers. He’s frickin’ weird in movies. He’s so bizarre and hilarious.”
Key Relationship Takeaways
Diaz put it best on the Bad Teacher promo trail: “Justin and I had a journey together, and we’ll continue to have a journey together,” she said. “Our relationship has changed over the years, and we’re okay with that.”
This classic early 21st century celebrity couple is ancient history now, and both are breezy enough to be mature about what went down between them. Diaz helped transform Timberlake from “Britney’s cheesy boyband ex” to global sex symbol, and Timberlake helped cement Diaz’s image as the fun, sexy older woman that every young guy dreamed of.
They were even more A-list as a unit than they were individually and ultimately, it was all a bit much: perhaps it’s no surprise that they’ve both settled down with slightly more low-key life partners.
