Joel Madden and twin brother Benjamin (Benji) were born on March 11, 1979 near Washington, D.C. The singer didn’t have an easy childhood: His father dealt with alcoholism and left the family, and his mother suffered from the autoimmune disease Lupus. Madden and his siblings were forced to take a series of jobs to support their family. After going to a Beastie Boys concert, he was inspired and formed his own band with Benji and their friends called Good Charlotte. The band’s demo became a local hit, and they signed with Epic Records. Unfortunately, their first self-titled album failed. In 2002, they released their second album The Young & the Hopeless, which sold over five million copies worldwide. The band’s stardom continued to grow — they were known for being the “not so punk” punk band — and they even graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Joel Madden began dating Disney darling Hilary Duff when he was 25 years old and she was only 16 years old. Their age difference sparked a lot of celebrity gossip, although the famous couple denied their relationship until three months before Duff turned 18. After over two years of dating, the celebrity couple split, and Madden began seeing Nicole Richie. In 2007, the famous couple announced that they were expecting their first celebrity baby together, daughter Harlow. Two years later, they welcomed their son Sparrow. The Hollywood couple decided to make their love official and held their celebrity wedding in December 2010.
