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.
