Jack Black and Tanya Haden met in high school, but didn't connect romantically until years later
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NEED TO KNOW
- Jack Black first met his wife, musician Tanya Haden, in high school
- The couple got married on Feb. 22, 2006
- They have since welcomed two sons together
Jack Black and his wife, musician Tanya Haden, have been together for two decades.
On Feb. 22, the actor shared a sweet tribute to Haden on Instagram as the couple celebrated 20 years of marriage. Alongside photos of the two of them through the years, Black wrote, "20 years! Happy anniversary my love."
The couple eloped in 2006 after a short courtship, but their relationship goes back to their days as students at a private college preparatory school in Santa Monica, Calif. They are now parents to two sons.
"My wife is an incredible singer and also cellist," Black told PEOPLE of his wife's talents in 2023.
When asked if he has a dream project, the actor replied, "I'd love to collaborate with my wife. She's a creative force … we haven't really done anything for a long time. And it would be fun to do something with her." Black is also a member of the comedic rock duo Tenacious D.
So who is Jack Black's wife? Here's everything to know about Tanya Haden and her relationship with the actor.
She is a musician
The New York native is a cellist and vocalist who has provided her talents to multiple Los Angeles area bands like the Silversun Pickups, according to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.
Haden got her musical genes from her father, jazz bassist Charlie Haden, who grew up performing with his family, per NPR. Charlie's 2008 album Rambling Boy featured Charlie, his four children — Tanya, Petra, Rachel and Josh — as well as son-in-law Black.
She is also a performance artist and painter who graduated with an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts, where she studied experimental animation.
She is a triplet
Haden's triplet sisters Petra and Rachel are musicians as well. They formed their alt-rock band That Dog in the 1990s, and the three later united as a country music trio, The Haden Sisters. During promotion for their album, The Family Songbook, Haden explained the process of writing harmonies with her sisters on NPR.
"We usually just naturally gravitate towards a harmony," she said. "But we'll jump around in a song with different harmonies. Like on the chorus, Petra will sing the high part, and I'll sing the middle, and Rachel will sing the low, and then for some reason on a verse we'll kind of reverse parts not really thinking about it."
She continued, "So when we have to go back to the song, we'll forget, like 'Who sang wait? Wait …. Is that …' And we'll listen to the recording — 'let's see' — and we can't differentiate our voices sometimes, and I have to listen and go, 'Is that you? Or is that me?' "
Haden also has a brother named Josh.
She met Black in high school
Black and Haden eloped in March 2006 after dating for less than a year, but the pair have known each other for much longer. They met at Crossroads, a private high school in Santa Monica.
"I didn't date Tanya or talk to her or anything in high school," Black recalled to Parade in 2015. "I was pretty shy. I just watched her from afar. We only started dating like 20 years after high school."
While appearing on the Armchair Expert podcast in August 2024, Black said that Haden "made the first move" when they reconnected at a surprise birthday party for a mutual friend.
"She came up to me and said, 'Hey, do you ever wanna go get dinner? I should give you my number,' " he said. "And I was like, oh my God. Heaven opened up above my head, because it was like, this is the thing that I would always want to happen."
She is a mother of two
Haden and Black are parents to sons Samuel, born in June 2006, and Thomas, born in May 2008.
Now teenagers, the boys have inherited their parents' musical talents.
"I always encourage my boys to pursue their musical passions," Black shared with PEOPLE in 2023. "They don't like me to talk about it, though. They don't want me to spill the beans on their adventures in that arena."
He continued, "I'm very proud of them whenever they flex their creativity muscles. And it's cool to be in close proximity with their mother's side of the family. We've had some jams together where we did a couple concerts and that was really fun, a really great experience."
Black and Haden's older son, Samuel, has also shown an interest in filmmaking, with the actor telling PEOPLE in 2022, "Sammy, my 15-year-old, gets a kick out of some of my stories that I tell him about Hollywood adventures. He was like, 'Hey, can I make a movie about some of your Hollywood adventures? But I won't say that it's you. I'm like, 'You bet. You go. Run with it, my son. My stories are your stories. That is what I can bestow upon you.' "
She has appeared in one of Black's films
Black is well-known for starring in the animated movie Kung Fu Panda. But Haden also made an appearance in the film as Smitten Bunny.
She and Black sometimes perform together
Michael Buckner/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024/Getty
Haden and her husband are both multifaceted artists. Outside of acting, Black is part of the comedy rock duo Tenacious D with Kyle Gass.
Occasionally, the couple team up for special performances, like their rendition of "Shallow" in 2019. Black posted their humorous take on the Academy Award-winning song sung by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga from the film A Star Is Born on his YouTube channel.
In 2023, Black told PEOPLE that he'd "love to collaborate" with Haden again.
Black credits her for changing his outlook on marriage
During an interview with Parade, Black opened up about how his parents' divorce affected him, including substance abuse as a teen and an aversion to marriage.
"Before Tanya, I had always felt like marriage was not for me," he explained. "I didn't like the way it worked out with my parents. I didn't ever want to be in a divorce, so I was never going to get married … What makes it work? I love her! I'd had decades of flings where, as soon as it was over, I was looking for the exit. I never feel the need to escape with Tanya."
He reiterated his contentment with married life a few years later while speaking to The Guardian.
"I'm at home with my wife and kids all the time now. I don't go out for wild nights. It's a lonely existence just floating around without a life partner," he said. "With other people I've been with, even when I was with them, I'd feel alone."
He continued, "When we found each other, it seemed really obvious. When I'm with Tanya I have this great feeling of sharing experiences, of not feeling alone in the universe because I've got her beside me. I'm a bit of a romantic."
Angelina Jolie once gifted her a maternity dress
Black made headlines when he accidentally revealed that his Kung Fu Panda costar Angelina Jolie was expecting twins back in 2008 — but there were no hard feelings.
Ahead of the Cannes Film Festival screening of Kung Fu Panda 2 a few years later, Black revealed the sweet gift Jolie sent to Haden during his wife's pregnancy.
"You were preggers, and I spilled the beans. And my wife, Tanya, was like, 'That is the most amazing maternity dress I've ever seen.' You had this gorgeous gown, and she was less preggers, but she had one on the way as well. And you're like, 'Oh, thanks.' And then, what do we get in the mail like the next week? That gown. You sent it over. It was one of the sweetest gifts of all time."
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