Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden's Relationship Timeline

Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden are going strong.

After meeting at an event in May 2014, the pair started dating and got engaged a mere seven months later. Diaz and Madden wed in January 2015 and have since welcomed two children. Their daughter, Raddix Madden, arrived in December 2019, followed by their son, Cardinal Madden, in 2024.

Over the years, The Holiday star has gushed about Madden and their successful marriage in several interviews.

“He’s really taught me to value myself a lot more,” Diaz shared during a March 2022 appearance on Michelle Visage’s Rule Breakers podcast. “With our marriage, I learned how to really go all in. Nothing else comes before this. It’s not hard to do because [our marriage is] the most valuable thing I have.”

Keep reading for a complete timeline of Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden’s relationship.

May 2014: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden start dating

Alexander Tamargo/Getty

Diaz and Madden first met at an event attended by his twin brother, Joel Madden, and his wife, Nicole Richie.

Diaz recalled when she first saw Madden during an interview 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,” explained Diaz.

Diaz was surprised that Madden was in her social circle but that they had never formally met.

“I was, like, ‘How come I didn’t see him before?’ ” asked Diaz.

Richie then introduced the duo. In July 2014, Richie told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that she set them up. “I’m going to take responsibility for everything!” said Richie. “I approve of anything that’s going to make Benji happy.”

August 2014: Benji Madden says his romance with Cameron Diaz inspires him

A few months into their relationship, Madden opened up to PEOPLE about his budding romance with Diaz.

“I’m really happy right now,” he said.

The artist also admitted that his relationship with Diaz has made an impact on his music.

“It’s same for any man, no matter what they do. It drives you,” he shared.

December 2014: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden get engaged

Following months of speculation, the couple’s engagement was confirmed in December 2014.

“It happened a few nights ago,” a friend of Madden told PEOPLE about the proposal. “All of Benji’s friends are aware and happy for him.”

The source also said that Madden asked Diaz’s family for their blessing before proposing. “Her mom is a fan of him as well and gave her blessing,” the insider said.

January 2015: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden get married

Noel Vasquez/GC Images

The couple tied the knot in a low-key ceremony in their Beverly Hills home. They married in a giant backyard tent decorated with white flowers and candles.

Prior to the nuptials, Diaz and Madden hosted some of their closest friends for a rehearsal dinner, including the actress’ longtime pal Drew Barrymore.

“Getting married is the next step when you are totally in love and comfortable with someone,” a source told PEOPLE of the couple at the time. “Cameron has found true happiness.”

May 2016: Cameron Diaz says her marriage to Benji Madden is key to her personal growth

During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2016, Diaz opened up about how her marriage to Madden has helped a lot with her personal growth.

“I do think that marriage, when you can grow with someone, it’s very important,” she explained.

She continued, “Someone asked me, ‘What’s your favorite thing about being married?’ and I said, ‘I just learned so much about myself. I didn’t know these things. I would have never known them if I didn’t have my husband to help me.”

Diaz jokingly added, “And they said, ‘What’s the worst thing about being married?’ It’s like, ‘Well I learned all these things about myself that I wish I didn’t know. And I wouldn’t have learned them if I didn’t get married.’ So it’s a double-edged sword.”

The actress also shared her nickname for Madden. “I call him a lot of names,” she said. “‘Muh-buh’ You know how things start ‘baby’ then to ‘bae’ then it goes to ‘buh’? Soon I’m just going to go ‘uh’ and he’s going to know I’m talking to him.”

June 2017: Cameron Diaz shares why she waited to get married: “I just hadn’t met my husband”

During a Gwyneth Paltrow-moderated panel at the “In Goop Health” wellness summit, Diaz explained why she waited until she was 42 to get married.

“I think it’s a matter of I just hadn’t met my husband,” she said. “I had boyfriends before, and there’s a really, really distinct difference between husbands and boyfriends.”

The Annie actress also shared what made Madden different from her previous romantic partners.

“He’s just my partner in life, in everything.” she said. “I’ve never had anyone who supported me so much and gave me so much courage to be myself and to really explore myself. My husband has been able to show me what it’s like to […] be an equal. And I’ve learned so much from him. I look at him every day and he inspires me. I feel so lucky.”

August 30, 2017: Benji Madden shares a birthday tribute for Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz and husband Benji Madden.
Benji Madden Instagram

For her 45th birthday on Aug. 30, 2017, Madden shared a photo of the two on a boat ride.

“Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Wife. I feel like I am the LUCKIEST guy ALIVE,” he captioned the snap.

He added, “I don’t think anyone could ever know the Depth, Kindness and Compassion that I get to experience every day thanks to My One and Only — You got me til the end, baby.”

December 2019: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden welcome their first baby

Diaz and Madden surprised fans when they announced they had welcomed their first child, daughter Raddix Madden, on Dec. 30, 2019, in Los Angeles.

The couple shared the happy news on Instagram. “Happy New Year from the Maddens!” they wrote. “We are so happy, blessed and grateful to begin this new decade by announcing the birth of our daughter, Raddix Madden. She has instantly captured our hearts and completed our family.”

The new mom went on to say that while she and Madden “are overjoyed to share this news” they “also feel a strong instinct to protect our little one’s privacy.”

“So we won’t be posting pictures or sharing any more details, other than the fact that she is really really cute! Some would even say RAD,” Diaz wrote, adding a smiley-face emoji.

A source told PEOPLE the pair had wanted to expand their family since getting married. “Cameron really wanted to be a mom,” the insider said, adding that the couple “were hoping they would be blessed with a baby.”

April 2020: Cameron Diaz discusses parenting with Benji Madden

During an Instagram Live with Who What Wear CEO Katherine Power, Diaz opened up about parenthood and said that her daughter is the “best part” of their life.

“I love being a mother. It’s the best, best, best part of my life,” she said. “I’m so, so grateful and so happy and it’s the best thing ever and I’m so lucky to get to do it with Benji and we’re just having the best time. It’s so great. I’m just thrilled.”

She also shared some insight into her and Madden’s nightly routine with Raddix.

​​”I have to cook at night,” she said. “After we do bath time with our baby and we put her to sleep, Benji puts her to bed, he’s so good. He’s such an amazing father. I’m so lucky he’s my baby’s daddy. He’s so incredible. He puts her down and I go into the kitchen and I start dinner and I pour myself a nice glass of red wine. I start my cooking, I put on my show, whatever it is.”

April 23, 2020: Cameron Diaz says she loves being married to Benji Madden

Ricky Vigil M/GC Images

Despite Diaz and Madden’s relatively private relationship, she opened up about her marriage to Madden while filming a “Makeup & Friends” episode with her pal, makeup artist Gucci Westman.

“I love being married,” said Diaz. “The best thing that ever happened to me is finding my husband and our partnership and his friendship and all that.”

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Diaz revealed their parenting styles and how their sleep schedules are complete opposites.

“Benji wants to go to bed late, and I like to go to bed early … that works so well for us as parents. I can go to bed a few hours early and he does those later feeds with her,” she shared about their then-3-month-old daughter. “I can wake up early and be with her in the morning and [Benji] can sleep.”

That experience taught her that “we all need somebody … somebody who doesn’t do what we do.”

July 2020: Cameron Diaz says her daughter is the best thing to happen to her and Benji Madden

Benji Madden/Instagram

During a July 2020 interview on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Diaz said her daughter is “the best thing that ever happened” to both her and her husband.

“It’s been heaven,” she told Fallon. “Literally every single day, there are just leaps and bounds … and she’s not the same baby that she was yesterday.”

January 5, 2022: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden celebrate 7 years of marriage

Diaz and Madden celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary in January 2022. To mark the occasion, the Good Charlotte musician posted a sweet message on Instagram.

“Today, 7 years married,” he wrote. “Always dreamed of having a family like this. Happy, peaceful, consistent, loyal and unconditional equally filled with passion and depth. Calling it a Honeymoon doesn’t cover it. Real life. The only real challenge we have is making time go slower cause life goes by fast in the happy lane, Always and forever knowing we are home @camerondiaz Happy Anniversary I love you!”

Diaz commented on the post, “I love you more and more every day. Happy, peaceful, consistent, loyal and unconditional. Passionate and deep = OUR LOVE.”

She added, “LOVE YOU FOREVER AND ALWAYS.”

March 9, 2022: Cameron Diaz says Benji Madden “really taught me to value myself a lot more”

During an episode of Michelle Visage’s Rule Breakers podcast, Diaz discussed how Madden helped her become the most authentic version of herself.

“He’s really taught me to value myself a lot more,” she said, adding that prior to their relationship, she “was receiving so much validation elsewhere and in all these other ways.”

“With our marriage, I learned how to really go all in. You know what I mean? … Nothing else comes before this,” Diaz explained. “It’s not hard to do, because it’s the most valuable thing I have.”

June 2022: Cameron Diaz announces her return to acting with Benji Madden’s support

Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden.
BG008/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

After if was announced that Diaz would be returning to acting to appear alongside Jamie Foxx in the Netflix film Back in Action, a source told PEOPLE that Madden helped inspire the actress’s comeback.

“He encouraged her to unretire,” the insider said, explaining that Madden “is very excited for her.”

“She feels a bit rusty and nervous about it, but mostly excited,” the source added. “She is ready to tackle this movie project.”

August 2022: Cameron Diaz throws a star-studded 50th birthday party with Benji Madden’s help

Diaz celebrated her milestone 50th birthday in fashion, throwing a party at Nobu in Malibu with a guest list that included Adele, her sister-in-law Nicole Richie, Zoe Saldaña, her The Other Woman costar Leslie Mann and Mann’s husband Judd Apatow.

“Cameron was wonderful. She had the best time celebrating her birthday,” a source told PEOPLE. “She was laughing and very much enjoying herself. She kept hugging Benji and her friends. They celebrated for hours.”

The following month, Diaz revealed how her husband helped her pull the elaborate affair together during a September appearance on the Rachael Ray Show.

Diaz told the host that Madden “loves a celebration.”

“And when we first met our first year together, he threw me three surprise birthdays for one birthday,” she said, adding that she jokingly said to Madden, “Would you please stop doing this?!”

The actress explained that Madden started to panic when she still hadn’t locked down any plans for her 50th birthday.

“…He’s like, ‘So what are we doing for your birthday?’ and I’m like ‘Let me get back to you,’ I could see the panic coming in on his face a week beforehand,” she said. “He was trying so hard, but I could see he was so panicked.”

“So, we just ended up doing dinner with a group of friends who were in town last minute and just had a nice little chill dinner,” she added. “It was really nice.”

April 22, 2023: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden attend Sofia Richie’s wedding

Diaz and Madden traveled to the South of France with their daughter, Raddix, to attend Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge’s wedding. Both the actress and the musician were seen in all-black outfits while Raddix wore an adorable pink dress to the ceremony.

March 22, 2024: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden announce the birth of their second child

In a joint Instagram post, Diaz and Madden announced the arrival of their son, Cardinal.

“He is awesome and we are all so happy he is here! He’s really cute,” they wrote. “We are feeling so blessed and grateful.”

October 15, 2024: Cameron Diaz says Benji Madden fully supported her return to acting

When Diaz decided to return to acting, she had Madden’s full support.

“He’s just the best,” she said at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit. “He was just like, ‘You’ve been supporting us and building the family. It’s time for us to support you and let mommy ascend and do her thing.’ ”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education