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In the early stages of her career, Julia Roberts was romantically linked to several high-profile actors, including Liam Neeson and Kiefer Sutherland, among others. However, her whirlwind marriage to singer Lyle Lovett in 1993, just weeks after they began dating, caused quite a stir. The nuptials took place in Marion, Indiana, a surprising choice, and were organized in an astonishing 72 hours, according to People magazine. Julia, known for her role in “Pretty Woman,” donned a simple white dress and walked down the aisle barefoot, with fellow actor Susan Sarandon as one of her bridesmaids.
At the time, it seemed that Roberts and Lovett were deeply infatuated with each other. Roberts shared with Barbara Walters that Lovett was unlike anyone she had ever met, expressing, “He’s perfect. Just when I get used to some great thing that I’ve discovered, I find another great thing in another great way about him.” Unfortunately, their marriage didn’t stand the test of time, and they parted ways after less than two years. The dissolution wasn’t as shocking as their initial union, as there were several unconventional aspects to Roberts and Lovett’s relationship.
Following their wedding, instead of basking in the initial glow of marriage on a honeymoon, Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett returned to their separate lives. As Entertainment Weekly reported, Roberts, in the midst of filming “The Pelican Brief,” resumed work just two days after their wedding. Lovett, on tour at the time, had a concert in Indiana that very night, where Roberts proudly introduced him to the audience as her husband. “Welcome to the happiest day of my life,” Lovett proclaimed.
Even though their wedding took place in June, they had yet to embark on an official honeymoon by December of 1993. Lovett shared with People, “Not an official one. But our life is like one giant honeymoon.” They didn’t even cohabitate until the fall, despite jointly owning a house in the Hollywood Hills at the time. Lovett disclosed, “We’ve never gone more than a week without seeing each other since we got married. But before that, we’d never spent more than seven days together.”
Julia Roberts, in the wake of “The Pelican Brief,” went on to film “I Love Trouble,” a production split between Wisconsin and Chicago. Within just a year of their marriage, rumors circulated suggesting trouble between Roberts and Lovett, after she was seen dancing with actor Ethan Hawke in New York City, as reported by Rolling Stone. According to the publication, Roberts maintained her Manhattan apartment while Lovett resided in his Texas home, in addition to their rented Los Angeles residence, which they seldom shared. Despite Roberts’ assurance that she and Hawke were merely dancing, her divorce from Lovett was finalized in 1995.
Despite their separation, Roberts and Lovett never spoke ill of each other. Roberts fondly remembered their time together in an interview with The Los Angeles Times, expressing, “I feel like I was sincerely lucky with the situation I found myself in, the joy I felt within that situation.” She added that their relationship was exceptionally amicable, hinting that their kindness towards each other might lead one to think they were still a couple. However, she explained that it simply wasn’t meant to be. Reflecting on her failed marriage, she asserted to the Daily News (as reported by People) that it wasn’t a mistake, stating, “Too many great things came out of it.”