Highlights
- Jack Black and Tanya Haden's relationship was decades in the making.
- Jack Black previously dated comedian Laura Kightlinger, with their courtship kept private.
- Jack Black briefly dated comedian Kathy Griffin, with Griffin recounting a hilarious incident during their short-lived romance in her book.
In the exceedingly fickle world of Hollywood relationships, only a select few have been admired for their longevity, genuine affection, and respectability. Comedian, actor, and musician Jack Black and his wife, musician, and actress Tanya Haden remain one of the couples universally beloved and praised for the qualities mentioned. Before audiences got to know Jack Black as one half of the rock band Tenacious D and the star of blockbuster films such as School of Rock, Jumanji, and Tropic Thunder, he was a man deeply in love with his high school crush, Tanya Haden.
Jack Black and Tanya Haden are two accomplished artists in their own right. Still, they are notoriously private, preferring to live everyday life with their two children, away from the glitz and glamour of Tinsel Town. Black said in an interview in The Guardian, "I don't want to go anywhere anyway. I like to be at home. And I love just hanging poolside with the boys, with Tanya and the boys. A day by the pool, that's a nice day off." Black's and Haden's romance was decades in the making, but it almost didn't happen.
Jack Black Had A Crush On Wife Tanya Haden In High School
Jack Black and Tanya Haden met when they were high school students at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California. While Black was busy honing his acting craft, Haden was in a band with her two identical sisters, Rachel and Petra, called The Haden Triplets.
In one of the very few interviews that Tanya Haden has given, she recounted a story to The Sand Diego Union-Tribune about her relationship with music and her sisters:
“We’ll just start singing a song, and we’ll naturally fall into certain harmonies. When we were little we would spend the night at our grandparents’ house on our mom’s side, which was really fun for us because we’d share a room and sing in harmony before we went to bed.”
Many would find it hard to believe that the extroverted and charismatic actor Jack Black was ever shy, but according to the Shallow Hal star, he was too timid to muster up the courage to ask Tanya Harden on a date in high school.
In an interview with The Sun, Black spoke of his early days with Tanya Haden:
"I wish I'd had more courage to ask out Tanya Haden, the woman who eventually became my wife. We met at school at 18 - and I wasted 15 years waiting for my chance. She was everything I could wish for: talented, beautiful and a wonderful performer on stage. She was part of a band called The Haden Triplets. We first worked together on a student film, but we did not date. I used to see her and her sisters perform at clubs around town and I would watch from the shadows, mumble some compliments, and shuffle off. So, I would see her only every couple of years."
Decades later, the two got reacquainted, began dating, and eventually engaged. Black and Haden wed in a private ceremony in Big Sur, California, in front of close family and friends. Not long after, Haden gave birth to their children, two boys, Samuel Jason and Thomas David.
Jack Black Dated Laura Kightlinger Before He Married Tanya Haden
Laura Kightlinger, a prolific writer, actress, and comedian, may not be as well known to audiences as her ex-boyfriend Jack Black, but she remains a bright star in Hollywood. It was no wonder Black was drawn to Kightlinger as the two had much in common.
Like Jack Black, Laura Kightlinger has consistently drawn praise for her charismatic stage presence and for speaking on controversial topics in her stand-up routines.
In addition to her comedy club acts, Kightlinger has written scripts for many television shows, including 2 Broke Girls, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Saturday Night Live. She's appeared in films and TV shows such as Daddy Day Care and Wake Up: Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie. She has also penned many best-selling books, such as Quick Shots of False Hope: A Rejection Collection, which chronicles Laura Kightlinger's many rejections in her personal and professional life.
Laura Kightlinger and Jack Black first encountered each other on the set of the television show Tenacious D, which was a fictional account of Black and bandmate Kyle Gass's rock band of the same name.
Though the media and ardent fans of Black were aware of their relationship, much of their courtship was kept private. They made only a few media appearances together, most notably on the red carpet at the 76th annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles and again at Jack Black's School of Rock premiere.
The relationship simultaneously reached its height when Black and Kightlinger got engaged, only to hit its lowest point when the two broke up. Various media outlets at the time reported that Jack Black began dating Tanya Haden shortly after his split with Laura Kightlinger.
Jack Black Dated Actress And Comedian Kathy Griffin
Although Jack Black's most long-term relationships were with Laura Kightlinger and wife Tanya Haden, the actor also romanced comedian Kathy Griffin.
The relationship between Black and Griffin, while public, was incredibly short-lived. Their romance was made evident in various media outlets and through pictures splashed across social media.
Kathy Griffin, seldom afraid of telling the truth, recounted her relationship with Black in one of her books, "My Life on the D List".
In one passage, Griffin mentioned a racy and hilarious incident she had with Black:
"One time, I spent the night at Jack's place. I got up the next morning to shower, so I could leave. When I got out, I couldn't find anything to dry myself with. 'Jack, where are the towels?' I yelled out. He said, 'Um, I just have one that I use for a bathmat and a towel. So it's the one on the floor.'"
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