When he met the woman who would become his wife, Jack Black was so nervous he took 15
years to ask her out.
Luckily, Jack found the love of his life and created a family so strong it helped him get
through all the traumas and struggles of his past.
Jack Black met Tanya Haden when they were both studying at a high school specializing
in performing arts.
Black had a crush on Haden but was too nervous to ask her out.
The pair would eventually find each other again, only more than a decade later.
In a piece called "What I Wish I'd Known at 18," the actor expresses his regret about
not asking Tanya out sooner.
"I wasted 15 years waiting for my chance," he said.
When he was a teen, Jack used to watch Tanya and her band "The Haden Triplets" perform.
Since he felt very shy around his crush, the future star often watched from the shadows
and darted off right when the concert ended.
Black and Haden even starred in a student short film together, and the actor never revealed
his feelings.
After high school, the two parted ways.
Jack went on to become a big comedy star, with movies like "School of Rock", "Kung Fu
Panda," and "Jumanji."
Black also had a couple of high-profile relationships during this time.
It was rumoured that he dated Kathy Griffin, which the actress herself confirmed in her
first book, "Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin."
Although neither of the comedians gave much detail about their relationship, it seems
like it was quite brief.
Jack also had a serious relationship with actress Laura Kightlinger for almost a decade!
Not much is known about why they broke up, but the two were able to remain friends.
Meanwhile, Tanya continued working in music as a vocalist and cellist and continued making
music with the band she formed with her sisters, "The Haden Triplets."
She studied fine arts in college and also works as an artist.
Fifteen years after high school had ended, the duo found each other again at a friend's
party.
This time, Jack knew he couldn't miss his chance and asked the musician out.
To his surprise, Tanya said yes.
The actor was so smitten he couldn't refrain from referring to his girlfriend as "his soulmate"
during an interview with Howard Stern.
Not even a year after they started dating, the couple eloped in California.
Less than a year after tying the knot, the performers welcomed their first son.
This was very surprising to fans, since the actor had mentioned not wanting children years
prior.
In an interview with GQ, the star had confessed that he worried about feeling trapped if he
ever had children.
Black also didn't want his "selfish time" to be eaten away.
“I had always felt like marriage was not for me," Jack confessed.
"I didn't like the way it worked out with my parents."
When he was in his early teens, the actor struggled with his parent's divorce so much
that he stopped wanting to get married or have a family altogether.
He started using drugs and hanging out with dangerous people.
"I was having lots of troubles with cocaine," the "Kung Fu Panda" star told Panorama.
"I was hanging out with some pretty rough characters.
I was scared to go to school because one of them wanted to kill me."
Black's parents sent him to a prestigious private school for "troubled youth".
The actor explained that he went voluntarily while other kids were forced to go there because
they had been expelled from their other schools.
Jack had finally understood he needed to change his lifestyle.
The young teen wanted to open up about the problems he was facing, but didn't know who
to turn to since he didn't want to disappoint his parents.
Finally, he went to a school therapist.
Black confessed that he had been stealing from his mother in order to buy cocaine and
immediately felt relieved."I left feeling euphoric, like an enormous weight had been
lifted from me," he explained.
After leaving private school, Jack went to high school and met his future wife.
Years later, a moment in his career made him realize he did want to have kids after all.
While Black was filming "King Kong," his co-star Andy Serkis let him read a bedtime story to
his kids.
At that moment, the actor realized he wanted a family and started to feel empty without
it.
The lovebirds welcomed another boy in 2011.
During the second pregnancy, Tanya received a very special gift: a maternity dress from
actress Angelina Jolie.
Jack and Angelina worked together on the "Kung Fu Panda" movies.
Oh, and Tanya also did a voice-acting cameo in one of the films!
During the movie's promotional tour, the main cast went to the Cannes Film Festival.
Angelina was pregnant at the time, but nobody knew that she was expecting twins.
During an interview, Jack told the actress she was going to have "As many as the Brady
Bunch".
The journalist asked Jolie if it was confirmed that she would have two babies, to which she
replied, "Yeah, Jack just confirmed."
Years later, the performer joked about the situation, telling Angelina, "You were preggers,
and I spilled the beans."
Luckily, the actress took the surprise reveal in good fashion.
It turns out that Tanya was also pregnant during that time!
The artist had complimented Angelina's maternity dress.
The following week, she received the dress in the mail!
Now that their kids are grown up, the couple can share their passions with them.
The "School of Rock" star revealed that the boys love making short films on their iPhones.
"I am so proud and grateful for my family," the actor told Panorama.
Black loves his sons so much that he won't do any long-term projects that would require
them to move since he wants them to have stability.
The actor has also confessed the little things that might make him "bad parent of the year."
In a radio interview, he revealed that he allows the boys to watch movies they probably
shouldn't.
However, he clarified that he didn't let the kids watch the movies completely alone.
Jack thinks that if he's there and is aware of what is going on in the movie, he can use
the opportunity to educate his sons about things they will see when they grow up.
Black has also confessed that he sometimes can be a bit of a "helicopter parent" because
he's always making sure his kids are not in harm's way.
"Losing a family member is the worst thing I could imagine."
Jack lost his older brother to AIDS in 1989.
His brother Howard had a big influence on the actor and even took him to his first rock
concert.
Black revealed that Howard's death didn't happen quickly.
Instead, they all saw how he deteriorated.
"We were robbed of something precious.
It was devastating."
The star also confessed that the death was hardest on his mom, who never truly recovered.
For this reason, Jack feels the need to protect the family and love that have made him so
happy.
When asked about what makes his marriage work, Jack thinks the answer is clear.
"I love her!" he said, and then explained that he had decades of flings where he was
looking for the exit as soon as they were over.
"I never feel that need to escape with Tanya."
After being married to Haden for almost two decades, Black feels like he's completely
part of her family.
However, it wasn't always that way.
The actor has confessed that he first felt like he was truly part of the family when
he was invited to be on the Haden family album.
At this point, he was already married to Tanya and had kids with her!
"I've always loved Tanya's family.
The whole family has always been kind of a magical source of mystery," Jack confessed.
The star recorded a track on one of Tanya's Father's albums.
Tanya and Jack also perform together occasionally.
For example, they did a hilarious cover of the song "Shallow" which is available on YouTube.
Although Jack's life hasn't always been easy, the actor's love for Tanya helped him realize
he wanted to give love and family a chance.
Here at Rumour Juice, we are happy the two performers found all they needed with each
other and wish them and their sons the best.